'Admission benefits' directive to alter records? "No external pressure," Korea Baseball Association refutes... "Only a clerical error; will be reflected in future umpire evaluations"

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA) has refuted allegations that former Secretary-General Kim Yong-gyun ordered the alteration of game records to provide benefits to a specific player.

On April 18, KBS reported that Kim Yong-gyun, Secretary-General of the Korea Baseball Association, instructed a scorekeeper to alter records after a weekend league high school baseball game in the Gangwon region concluded.

In the seventh inning, during an offensive play by High School A, runner B successfully stole second base. The scorekeeper, C, had originally recorded this as a caught stealing (failed steal) rather than a successful steal. C determined that while the timing was out, the tag was not applied correctly.

Kim, the Secretary-General, had a seemingly persuasive reason for requesting the record correction: the umpire had called the runner safe on the steal attempt. However, no objection was raised by the player or the team regarding this matter. Moreover, steal records are not subject to formal objections, and only parents or coaches may file objections regarding items eligible for correction. In response, scorekeeper C expressed strong dissatisfaction.

KBS focused on the reason Secretary-General Kim requested the record correction: the player B who attempted the steal is the son of D, a subordinate of the association. D has a prior record of being prosecuted for embezzling hundreds of millions of won in association funds. During Kim's tenure, D was repeatedly promoted, and the association even paid back the hundreds of millions of won in embezzled funds on D's behalf. D currently serves as the head of the Operations Division, one of the association's senior positions.

The claim was that Secretary-General Kim ordered the record to be altered to help B, a high school senior and D's son, gain an advantage in his college admissions, which are significantly influenced by such achievements. At the time, B was leading the Gangwon region weekend league in stolen bases during the first half of the season.

Furthermore, Kim Yong-gyun (Director) retired upon reaching mandatory retirement age on the 30th, and allegations were raised that the association is pushing to rehire Secretary-General Kim.

In response, the association issued a refutation document on the 20th. The association conducted an internal investigation into the KBS report and announced the results.

According to the scorekeeper, the initial call was safe. Regarding the reason for recording it as a steal, the explanation was: "It was a perfect out timing, but the umpire called safe," and "We judged the ball was fast, and the shortstop failed to tag; since a fielding error would result in a steal being recorded, Rule 9.07(f) was applied, and it was marked as 'C.S 2-6E'."

This rule stipulates that when a runner attempts a steal and the throw arrives at perfect out timing but the fielder fails to make the catch, the runner is safe. In such cases, the fielder who missed the throw is charged with an error, the fielder who threw the ball is credited with an assist, and the runner is recorded as having failed to steal. While the runner is credited with reaching base, the steal attempt itself is considered a failure.

Video review revealed an even clearer umpire error. The association stated, "It was a normal defensive play; in fact, the fielder (shortstop) tagged faster, and the fielder did not drop the ball." The association added, "The umpire's safe call was an error and will be reflected in future umpire evaluations."

However, the association also stated that the "failed steal" record was incorrect. According to the association's professional scorekeeper, even if it was an umpire error, the umpire called safe during the game, and the fielder did not drop the throw. Therefore, recording it as a "steal" is accurate. Regardless of the out timing, if the fielder does not drop the throw, there is no basis to classify it as a failed steal.

The association stated, "After reviewing game video and statements from relevant parties and comprehensively assessing the investigation results, our official position is that there was no private external pressure or special privilege, only a correction of a record error." The association explained, "The Secretary-General's task of verifying score sheets was a daily duty continuously conducted the day after games. It was not an area for filing objections or applications but a routine verification task conducted by the Secretary-General, who holds a broad understanding of records, in their capacity as the head of the Secretariat."

KBS reported that the score sheet created by the scorekeeper was uploaded to the association's website and then modified again under the Secretary-General's instruction. The association responded, "The score sheet first uploaded to the association's website mentioned in the article was confirmed to be a record sheet that had already undergone primary modification. The statistics section of the original score sheet contained discrepancies with the recorded content, listing 'Stolen Bases (3), Caught Stealing (1), Total Steals (7).' After the Secretary-General pointed out the incorrect statistics, the statistics and record content were modified multiple times."

Furthermore, the association stated, "Regarding inquiries about game records on the association's website, the guidelines specify that for matters other than requests to correct clerical or data entry errors (such as hits, errors, or fielder's choices), an objection form must be submitted only after obtaining the signature of the team's manager (coach). Therefore, requests to correct clerical or data entry errors are not subject to such restrictions."

Additionally, the association emphasized, "As the administrative body responsible for overseeing national tournaments, including the high school weekend league, the association Secretariat cannot tolerate violations of rules." The association argued, "On the contrary, if we had left a clear violation of baseball rules uncorrected, the opposing fielders would have continued to suffer due to errors."

The association promised, "To prevent such misunderstandings and controversies from recurring, we will maintain the rapid score sheet upload service. However, we will introduce various improvements, such as designating the first uploaded score sheet after the game as 'Temporary Record (Pending Approval)' and recognizing it as 'Official Record (Final)' only after final verification and approval of records and statistics, to ensure thorough record management."

However, the association did not provide a separate explanation regarding the allegations of pushing to rehire Kim Yong-gyun (Director).

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*This content was translated by AI.