The Doosan Bears have called up pitcher Lee Young-ha to the first team after he was acquitted in a trial for alleged bullying. He replaces Jung Chul-won, who was recently demoted to the second team after apologizing for his late-night drinking at the WBC.
Doosan registered the pitcher ahead of the June 3 game against the Suwon KT WIZ. Lee was added to the roster the day before when pitcher Jeong Chul-won was designated for assignment.
Earlier, a media outlet and a YouTube channel reported on May 30 that some of the players competing in the WBC had been drinking late at night in Tokyo, Japan, where the first round of the tournament was held. Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG Landers), Lee Yong-chan (NC Dinos), and Jeong Chul-won, who admitted to drinking late at night, held an apology press conference on June 1.
Chung said, “First of all, as a professional baseball player, wearing the national flag, I would like to bow my head and apologize for causing so much disappointment to baseball fans and everyone. On March 10, during the WBC, we had a drinking party after the game against Japan. At a time when many people were disappointed with the national team’s poor performance, I acted in a shameful manner. I sincerely apologize. It was an inexcusable and frivolous behavior, and I am truly ashamed of myself.”
He continued, “I should have acted more responsibly as I was wearing the honorary medal of the Taekwondo Mark. However, I betrayed the expectations and trust of the fans. I will sincerely participate in the KBO investigation and accept any punishment or reprimand.”
Doosan did not immediately expunge Chung on June 1. However, the next day, on June 2, after discussions between the club and the field, the decision was made to expunge Chung.
The Doosan bench chose Lee Young-ha as an alternative to Chung, who served as a set-up man in the eighth inning. Lee was acquitted in the first trial on May 31 after spending nine months on trial for alleged abuse. He was immediately signed to a full-time contract and made one appearance in the Futures League.
Manager Lee Seung-yeop told reporters three days before the game, “Lee Young-ha said he was fine, but I didn’t enroll him in the first team right away because I thought he might lack a little bit of practical experience, but with Jung Chul-won out, we didn’t have much of an alternative. We wanted to put him in a comfortable situation for his first start so he could pitch without pressure. If he pitches as well as he did in the Futures League, he’ll be able to fill the void left by Chung.”
Doosan currently has a big hole in its starting rotation. In addition to foreign pitcher Dylan Pyle, who is on long-term injured reserve, Kwak Bin and Choi Won-jun have been removed from the first team roster due to back pain and sluggishness, respectively, leaving the team without two to four starters for the foreseeable future.
There is a possibility that Lee Young-ha, who has played in the starting rotation in the past, could join the starting lineup, but Lee doesn’t expect to see a ‘starting Lee Young-ha’ this season.
“I think Lee will have to take on a bullpen role this season. I think there is too little time to prepare for a starting role. He needs to throw three or four more games to get his pitch count up, and that will take more than a month. It would be good if he can fulfill his role as a middle setup man this season.”
Meanwhile, Doosan will face KT starter Wes Benjamin on Wednesday in Suwon with a starting batting order of Kim Dae-hyun (right fielder), Jung Soo-bin (center fielder), Yang Ji (designated hitter), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Song Seung-hwan (left fielder), Park Kye-beom (shortstop), Ahn Seung-han (catcher), and Lee Yoo-chan (second baseman). Doosan’s starting pitcher is Kim Dong-ju.메이저놀이터
Lee said, “Considering the opposing left-hander, we left out Kim Jae-hwan and Rojas, who have not been hitting well lately. Yang Ji won’t be able to play catcher until tomorrow. We’ll have to check his physical condition again next week on Tuesday.”