Koo Ja-wook and Lee Yong-chan: "Why, why, why?" → Choi Ji-강 and Noh Si-hwan: "Oh, oh, oh"... A different scene when a pitch hits a player; mutual understanding is needed [Shin Hwa-seop's Sports Inside]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

# On the 3rd, at Seoul Jamsil Stadium, in the Doosan Bears-Hanwha Eagles game, with the score tied 1-1 in the top of the 11th inning with no outs and a runner on first base, Hanwha's Noh Si-hwan (26) was hit on his left elbow by a pitch from Doosan pitcher Choi Ji-강 (25). It was a 147 km/h fastball on the first pitch.

Noh Si-hwan, clutching his elbow and collapsing, quickly got up and walked to first base. Choi Ji-강 on the mound took off his cap, bowed his head, and conveyed his apology to Noh Si-hwan. In response, Noh Si-hwan waved both hands and said, "Oh, oh, oh," making a gesture indicating he was fine.

With this warm communication between the pitcher who threw the pitch and the batter who was hit, the game proceeded without further incident. It ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw after both teams traded two runs each in the top and bottom of the 11th inning.

# There is also a somewhat different scene. In the bottom of the 6th inning of the Samsung Lions-Doosan Bears game held on May 31 at the Samsung Lions Park in Daegu. Samsung was leading 6-2, but since Doosan had come back from behind with consecutive walk-off home runs in the previous two days (3-7 and 1-6), both teams were in a situation where they could neither relax nor give up.

With one out and no runners on base, Samsung's Koo Ja-wook (33), at bat, was hit on his right calf by a 143 km/h fastball from Doosan pitcher Lee Yong-chan (37) on the first pitch. Lee Yong-chan, watching Koo Ja-wook head to first base, made an annoyed expression, saying, "Why, why, why?" Koo Ja-wook also muttered something, showing signs of discomfort.

The game continued without further incident, and Samsung won 9-4. When players from both teams lined up to greet the fans, Lee Yong-chan and Koo Ja-wook were spotted meeting separately near home plate. Doosan's Yang Eui-ji (39) and Son Ah-seop (38) also watched from the side. After a brief conversation, Koo Ja-wook bowed his head in greeting, while Yang Eui-ji and Lee Yong-chan patted Koo Ja-wook on the shoulder and exchanged handshakes before parting.

Shortly after, Koo Ja-wook, who had given an interview to reporters and the award-winning player, said, "I am quite sensitive due to the injury location. (In the past) I was hit on my calf and had to rest for a month." However, he added, "Still, it is part of the game, so I think I should accept it well. That is when I need to strengthen my mental state. In competition, I believe one must win unconditionally." He had also started as a designated hitter instead of a left fielder on this day because he had injured his lower back muscles the previous day (30th) while trying to avoid a pitch from opposing starter Choi Seung-yong (25) that was heading toward his face in the bottom of the 3rd inning against Doosan, causing him to fall backward.

# Whenever a pitch hits a player, both the batter and the pitcher can feel uncomfortable. The batter is startled due to injury concerns, and the pitcher may protest that it was unintentional and feels wronged.

What is needed in such situations is "yeok-ji-ji-si (·thinking from another's perspective)." The pitcher should think, "The batter must have been startled. I am sorry," while the batter should think, "The pitcher didn't hit me on purpose; it was just a mistake."

The recent explosive popularity of the KBO League has also been significantly contributed to by "Clean Baseball," emphasized by Koo Koo-yeon, President of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). It is analyzed that this approach, where players maintain a sense of partnership and play cleanly and fairly, has helped attract family fans and young women to baseball stadiums.

In the past, scenes of bench-clearing brawls and fistfights were frequently staged due to intentional inside pitches. However, now, the scene where the pitcher apologizes immediately after a hit-by-pitch and the batter accepts it has become a unique culture of the KBO League, and even foreign players are following suit.

# On March 31, at the Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, during the Hanwha Eagles-KT Wiz game, something like this happened. In the top of the 5th inning, a dangerous situation occurred where Hanwha's Eom Sang-baek (30) threw a pitch that grazed KT's Heo Gyeong-min (36)'s helmet.

Heo Gyeong-min, with his glasses and helmet knocked off, collapsed on the ground and could not get up for some time. Eom Sang-baek, who was ejected for a headshot, also approached the batter's box and watched Heo Gyeong-min with a surprised and worried expression.

After lying on the ground for about two minutes, Heo Gyeong-min fortunately managed to move his body and stand up on his own. He then immediately reached out and stroked Eom Sang-baek's arm with his left hand. It looked as if he was comforting him, saying, "It's okay. Don't worry too much." Even though he was greatly startled himself, he did not forget to show consideration for his junior.

Both Heo Gyeong-min and Eom Sang-baek fully practiced "yeok-ji-ji-si." It was undoubtedly a scene that will be remembered by fans for a long time as a pride of the KBO League.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original