"Why Did Coach Kim Tae-hyung Clear the Dugout? The Moment He Saw the Opposing Pitcher Fall"

*This content was translated by AI.

There was a manager who immediately left his dugout upon the opponent's player suffering a critical injury: Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung (59).

Last week, there was a scene that broke the hearts of many baseball fans.

The game between Lotte and NC Dinos held on the 14th at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan.

At the time, with NC leading 9-6, NC pitcher Lim Ji-min, who had entered the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs, also appeared in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Leadoff batter Yoo Gangnam was called out on a strikeout by the catcher. Following batter Hwang Sung-bin also struck out swinging, ending the threat with two outs. The next batter, Na Seung-yeop, singled to right field, putting runners in scoring position with two outs and a runner on first base.

Irey Reyes stepped up to the plate. With a 1-2 count, on the sixth pitch, Reyes' batted ball unfortunately struck Lim Ji-min directly in the face. Lim Ji-min collapsed and was unable to get back up. It was a serious injury severe enough to cause bleeding.

The game was immediately halted. Soon after, medical staff and an NC trainer approached the mound to check on Lim Ji-min's condition. Rayes, who had hit the ball, also did not intend to do so, but he was grimacing in pain with his helmet off.

At the same time, NC manager Lee Ho-jun and pitching coach Seo Jae-eung walked onto the mound. Lotte senior coach Kang Seok-cheon joined them, along with opposing team manager Kim Tae-hyung, who left his dugout to check on Lim Ji-min's condition. Although they were opponents, at this moment, everyone was united as one.

Meanwhile, an ambulance arrived on the field from the outfield just over two minutes after the accident occurred. The outfield fence cannot be opened from inside the stadium to protect players actively participating in the game. Lim Ji-min boarded the ambulance while standing and was immediately transported to a hospital. Only after watching this scene through to the end did Kim Tae-hyung, the manager, head back to his dugout.

NC subsequently replaced the pitcher with Kim Dong-hyeok. Lotte's Han Dong-hee and Ko Seung-min hit consecutive clutch hits to narrow the gap to 9-8, a one-run deficit. They did their best in the game. However, it was difficult to find any of the Lotte players on the TV broadcast screen laughing or celebrating freely. The Lotte players were also fellow competitors who empathized with Lim Ji-min's pain before being opponents.

Lim Ji-min is scheduled to undergo surgery this week. The NC team stated, "According to a detailed hospital examination, he sustained a comminuted fracture of the lower jaw and lacerations inside the mouth," adding that "the first suturing for the laceration inside the mouth was completed on the 15th." Additional treatment and recovery procedures will be carried out through surgery this week. The specific date for his return has not yet been determined.

Lotte finished the season with 46 wins, 57 losses, and 2 draws, securing sole 8th place in the league. The gap to Doosan Bears, who are in 5th place in the league, is 9 games. While reaching the postseason is realistically difficult under these circumstances, Lotte players are still giving their all in every game.

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*This content was translated by AI.