'Players must have been pushed to the limit' — Oh Ji-hwan follows Park Min-woo with firm remarks on ABS, asking 'Why is this happening?' KBO responds: "We will continue improvements and discussions"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

'How far would they have to be pushed to say something like this?' The lack of trust in the Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) system, introduced in the 2024 KBO League, continues unabated among players. Following Park Min-woo (33, NC Dinos), Oh Ji-hwan (36, LG Twins) also expressed dissatisfaction with the current ABS system.

On the 29th, in a game against the KIA Tigers at Jamsil, Oh Ji-hwan led LG to a decisive 12-2 victory with two hits in four at-bats and four RBIs, including a go-ahead three-run home run. The home run hit off Lee Hyung-beom in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs and runners on first and third proved decisive. After the game, when speaking with reporters, Oh Ji-hwan reflected on the moment of the home run: "Lee Hyung-beom threw a lot of inside pitches. When I fouled off the first pitch, the timing felt later than expected. I had a feeling he was going to throw that pitch, and I tried to hit it a bit earlier, which worked out well."

Recently, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop has been instructing batters to bring their hitting timing slightly earlier. The reasoning is that by trying to hit only certain pitches, the timing becomes late and it becomes difficult to produce quality contact. That is true. However, players also face their own difficulties. Oh Ji-hwan stated frankly, "From the manager's perspective, it may be frustrating. But since ABS was introduced, a pitch I thought was a ball has become a strike, which makes me anxious. Psychologically, I feel like I am losing to the pitcher, and because I feel I need to watch more carefully and hit more cautiously, my timing becomes late."

However, players are not opposing the introduction of ABS or calling for a return to the old ways. They are simply urging that there are parts that need to be improved in reality. Oh Ji-hwan said, "We keep telling ourselves not to worry about such things, and since the system is like this, we try to hit well. But there are psychological impacts from these aspects." He added, "Since it has already been introduced, I don't want to judge what is right or wrong. However, from a batter's perspective, it varies by stadium and by pitcher, so there is a level of doubt regarding fairness. The very act of measuring it gives that impression, which is why we are saying this is the current situation."

KBO clubs also fully empathize with the players' difficulties. Already, the power analysis teams of KBO clubs do not trust ABS results. Most clubs compare and analyze data using three sources: TrackMan, ABS, and the coordinates visible on broadcast screens or with the naked eye. Clubs with the latest Hawk-Eye equipment, such as KIA Tigers, Samsung Lions, LG Twins, and Doosan Bears, also utilize Hawk-Eye.

A KBO club official explained, "It is clear that there are variations in ABS by stadium. The fact that ABS coordinates change daily also differs by stadium. Gocheok Dome is the most accurate with the smallest fluctuation range. However, in some stadiums, coordinates fluctuate with every series, and in severe cases, even daily. If an outside pitch is well-located for a right-handed batter yesterday, today it might be more inside. We assume TrackMan coordinates as actual coordinates and respond to ABS accordingly."

Oh Ji-hwan says that pitchers, not just batters, will also find it difficult. Oh Ji-hwan said, "There will be batters who hit outside pitches well, and others who hit inside pitches well. But if the strike zone is formed on the outside today, someone will have to accept that they cannot hit extra-base hits that day." He added, "Has ABS introduction improved a pitcher's control? Rather, if a pitch a pitcher thought was a strike becomes a ball, won't it be even more difficult for them?"

The stress on players whose evaluations and salaries fluctuate with every at-bat is significant. A KBO club official stated, "If ABS changes, it seriously affects a pitcher's daily results. If the ball is not located in their preferred zone or the direction where they have good control, the pre-game plan is completely disrupted. In fact, there have been foreign pitchers who were released without being able to overcome this dilemma."

This is why senior players, from Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha Eagles) two years ago, to Park Min-woo (33, NC Dinos) earlier this month, and now Oh Ji-hwan, have continued to make firm statements. The attitude of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) also plays a role. Even if the players' expressions were rough during their statements, the message they want to convey is the same. Just as they protested against unreasonable umpire calls in the past, players are voicing their difficulties and seeking communication.

And this is the same for club officials. We hope that practical and productive discussions will resume and continue. A KBO club official said, "For example, regarding the corner zones mentioned in ABS discussions, practitioners said they need to discuss it. Before ABS was introduced, the actual strike zone (when implemented with tracking data) was close to an oval shape. It was a rectangular shape with rounded corners. Since batters have never hit such zones in their lives, it is natural that they find them difficult to hit."

He continued, "Even during the initial ABS introduction discussions, there were opinions that the strike zone shape should be like this. Technically, it is not difficult at all. It can be done even now. However, no such discussion took place. Everything surrounding the current KBO ABS is what practitioners had already warned about. While the current issues raised about ABS focus on the technical area, the core problem is that proper communication has not even taken place."

In this regard, a KBO official told StarNews, "We visited the Players Association before this season and held a question-and-answer session. We explained that discussions about the corner areas will involve comparative analysis with systems like TrackMan or Hawk-Eye in the future. Practitioner meetings are also held annually during the season. Before this season, the decision to lower the top and bottom of the strike zone went through a process of gathering opinions from players and clubs. The agreed-upon decisions were then applied after passing through the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. We are not satisfied with the current system either. We record on-site complaints and can review them when setting the ABS zone again. We will continue improvements and discussions in the future."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original