Why the sudden explosion? 'Bench-clearing incident' pitcher says, "It was a misunderstanding; I never intended to hit him..."

*This content was translated by AI.

'Second-year pro' Doosan Bears' Choi Min-seok (20) stated regarding the hit-by-pitch that occurred just before the bench-clearing incident, "I never intended to hit him. It was a misunderstanding."

On the 6th, Doosan secured a 9-1 victory over the Kiwoom Heroes in a regular-season home game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

Having defeated Kiwoom 4-3 the previous day (the 5th), Doosan extended their winning streak to four games. Including one draw, they have remained undefeated in their last five games. With a record of 29 wins, 2 draws, and 28 losses, Doosan sits at +1 win above the .500 mark. They currently hold sole possession of 6th place, trailing 5th-place Hanwha Eagles by 0.5 games. Meanwhile, the last-place Kiwoom has fallen into a four-game losing slump, recording 21 wins, 1 draw, and 38 losses.

Starting for Doosan, Choi Min-seok pitched seven innings (88 pitches total), allowing six hits, one walk, one hit-by-pitch, striking out seven batters, and surrendering one earned run. This performance secured his fifth win of the season (with two losses).

Ryu Ji-hyun, the manager of the national baseball team for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, personally visited Jamsil Baseball Stadium to watch the game. Choi Min-seok is considered a strong candidate for the starting pitcher spot on the Asian Games roster.

In an interview with reporters after the game, Choi Min-seok said, "I didn't know Manager Ryu was coming." When asked by the media to promote himself, he shyly replied, "I think I've already promoted myself enough on the field."

An incident of the first bench-clearing of the season occurred in the bottom of the sixth inning. While Choi Min-seok was still on the mound, leadoff batter Im Byung-wook stepped into the batter's box. The first pitch was a strike. Just as he was about to throw the second pitch, Im Byung-wook called for time and took a brief pause. After Im Byung-wook readied himself again and prepared to swing, Choi Min-seok's second pitch—a 145 km/h fastball—struck Im Byung-wook squarely on the buttocks. It was a hit-by-pitch.

At that moment, Im Byung-wook, struck by the ball, momentarily lost his composure and walked toward the mound. Simultaneously, players from both Doosan and Kiwoom rushed out of their benches, triggering a bench-clearing incident. It was a situation where misunderstanding was easily understandable, as a hit-by-pitch had immediately followed a time-out request. However, Choi Min-seok immediately removed his cap to express his apology after throwing the hit-by-pitch. Ultimately, coaching staff and players from both teams intervened, preventing the situation from escalating further. Choi Min-seok removed his cap again to apologize, and Im Byung-wook accepted the apology.

Regarding the incident, Choi Min-seok said, "I was trying to throw inside in the previous inning, but the pitches kept drifting toward the center. So I tried to aim deeper, but it ended up hitting him." He continued, "It seems there was a misunderstanding, but I never intended to hit him. Honestly, my wish was to avoid giving even one walk..."

Even after the bench-clearing erupted, Choi Min-seok remained composed and continued his pitching without being shaken. He stated, "I tried my best not to be shaken. I thought that if I just threw my pitches, good results would follow, so I just pitched."

Yang Eui-ji, who caught for Choi Min-seok, and the team's manager did not hesitate to praise Choi's performance. Yang Eui-ji said, "It was a national-team-level performance. The movement of his two-seam fastball and cutter was excellent. As a catcher, I focused only on being aggressive, and it seems to have led to a good result," giving a thumbs-up. Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung, the team's commander, added, "Starting pitcher Choi Min-seok allowed one run in the first inning but perfectly shut down the rest of the innings, leading the team to victory. Captain Yang Eui-ji not only played as the fourth batter but also guided Choi Min-seok with his experienced pitch selection."

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*This content was translated by AI.