“First ejection of his career”: Neil, “I’m truly sorry to Park Seung-gyu again → Everyone knows it wasn’t intentional, but I’m incredibly relieved he didn’t suffer a serious injury”

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

“Honestly, it was my first ejection in my entire baseball career, so I was extremely flustered. I am truly sorry to (Park) Seung-gyu. It is a huge relief that he did not suffer a serious injury.”

KIA Tigers foreign pitcher James Neil (33) offered a heartfelt apology to Park Seung-gyu (26, Samsung Lions) regarding the harrowing headshot incident.

Neil took the mound as the starting pitcher in the first game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Playoffs (PO, best-of-five series) against the Samsung Lions, held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 26th.

While maintaining a strong performance, Neil faced Park Seung-gyu in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and no runners on base. After a full count, a 146 km/h sinker (two-seam fastball) slipped from his hand and struck Park Seung-gyu’s helmet hard. Because the pitch was a fastball-type delivery that hit the batter’s head, Neil was immediately ejected under the automatic headshot ejection rule. It was the first headshot ejection in playoff history and also the first ejection of Neil’s personal baseball career.

Fortunately, Park Seung-gyu appears to have avoided serious injury. After the game, Samsung Manager Park Jin-man brushed off his concern regarding Park Seung-gyu’s condition, stating, “He seems fine. We will need to check on him tomorrow, but he was okay during the game.”

Neil, who met with reporters at the venue after the game, reflected on the moment, saying, “I felt good overall today and my mechanics were excellent, so I was extremely flustered and shocked to have to come off the mound like that.”

Regarding the headshot incident, he explained, “Park Seung-gyu’s timing was so good that I tried to carefully throw a low outside pitch to avoid crowding him in the middle. I overthought it, which caused tension, and the ball slipped from my hand, completely missing its mark and heading toward his head.” He admitted, “It was a perfect mistake and an accident.”

Neil repeatedly emphasized his apology to Park Seung-gyu. He said, “I looked toward the batter’s box and immediately told him, ‘I’m really sorry.’” He added, “Both Park Seung-gyu and all the spectators in the stadium know it was not intentional. However, because the ball headed for his head, I feel a great sense of remorse. I am truly relieved and grateful that he is okay without any major injury.”

Regarding the first ejection of his career, Neil accepted the decision calmly. He stated, “I was well aware of the headshot ejection rule, so I knew immediately when the ball hit him that I would be ejected.” He continued, “Although it was my first ejection and I felt a momentary sense of frustration, there is no disagreement since it is a clearly defined rule.”

Neil also did not forget to express his gratitude to the bullpen, who took over the mound without preparation time due to his sudden ejection. He said, “It was a very difficult situation for the relief pitchers who had to come in on short notice, but the pitchers, including Jung Hae-young, pitched excellently to keep the damage to a minimum.” He added, “I will definitely buy coffee for my bullpen teammates tomorrow to express my thanks.”

Since his early exit resulted in a relatively low pitch count of 57 pitches, he left open the possibility of pitching from the bullpen during the playoff series. Regarding future bullpen appearances, Neil said, “It is a matter we will discuss with the coaching staff and decide before the second game,” but emphasized, “I want the team to win and I want to be helpful. If a bullpen appearance is needed, I am ready to do anything for the team.”

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original