The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) held a personnel committee meeting on the 19th and decided to terminate the contract with Judge Lee Min-ho. During the professional baseball NC Dinos-Samsung Lions game held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 14th, it deliberated on disciplinary action against three judges who undermined the fairness of the league through mistakes and inappropriate words and actions related to ABS (automatic pitching judgment system).
Judge Lee Min-ho, who was the head of the referee’s team, was given a severe punishment for terminating the contract, the strongest punishment a referee can give. Judge Moon Seung-hoon, who served as the chief referee, was suspended (unpaid) for three months, the maximum period of suspension set by the regulations, and decided to take additional measures when the suspension ends. Regarding Judge Choo Pyeong-ho of the third base trial, the court has decided to suspend him for three months, the maximum period of suspension.
The incident took place at the professional baseball NC Dinos-Samsung Lions game held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 14th. At the end of the third inning when NC led 1-0, Lee Jae-hyun decided to bowl two balls with a ball count of 0B-1S. Only after throwing five balls, NC manager Kang In-kwon appealed to referee Moon Seung-hoon that he declared the ball as a ball when the two balls were strikes. As a result of the referees stopping the game and checking it on the PC, it was a strike decision.
Referees held discussions, and referee Lee Min-ho took the microphone and said, “When Kim Ji-chan stole a base and the ball was delivered to the referee, it was delivered to the ball. However, after checking the ABS monitor, it was ruled as a strike. NC appealed the decision, but according to regulations, the pitch should be corrected by appealing before the next pitch is made. We will proceed with the count as the appeal has expired.”
The umpires also checked the strike decision through ABS site personnel and monitoring, so the ABS decision itself was not covered up. Instead, the umpire had to explain why the umpire called with a ball. The umpire said he heard with a ball. However, the discussion process became a problem. Referee Lee Min-ho’s mechanical error, saying, “We need to play with a ball to get out of the game,” caused a huge stir when the TV broadcast aired live.
As the situation got serious, Presidential Chief Executive Officer Heo Gu-yeon hosted an emergency meeting in person and referred three judges to the HR committee. It was unprecedented. Judges subject to disciplinary action attended the meeting and gave explanations, and according to the results of the deliberation, they imposed severe punishment including dismissal. They believe this incident has significantly damaged the reputation and reputation of the league. This indicates the KBO’s determination to punish those who fail to be fair.
When the news of the unexpected severe punishment was reported, the baseball community responded with regret. A baseball official said, “Lee Min-ho was a sincere and capable referee. There was also the trust of players and coaches. That’s why it is all the more regrettable that this incident happened.” At the same time, some say that the dismissal was too much and that the punishment to cut off his career was too much for him to do so. It is also true that there is an atmosphere of sympathy among KBO league members compared to fans’ unfavorable views.
There is also regret that the correction system for bad judgment has not been properly established. There have been concerns that there are cases where the result value is displayed beyond the statute of limitations from the exhibition games. The game opened without proper maintenance of the problem of late displaying the result value on tablet PCs. As a supplementary measure, the KBO decided to provide communication equipment to the dugout. The assumption has become bitter, saying, “If the judgment was corrected immediately after the initial misjudgment like the video reading…”
BY: 스포츠토토핫