▲ Kim Hyun-soo of the LG Twins hits a three-run double against the Doosan Bears during the bottom of the fourth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 14, 2023. (Yonhap)
▲ Seo Geon-chang of the LG Twins hits an RBI single against the Doosan Bears during the bottom of the fifth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 14, 2023. (Yonhap)

baseball team-player

Amid controversy, veterans trying to keep KBO team together

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- Even after a breezy victory over their Seoul rivals Friday night, it wasn't all fun and games in the dugout or clubhouse for the LG Twins.

Hours before the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, the Twins announced one of their outfielders, Lee Chun-woong, had admitted to engaging in illegal online gambling. Lee had at first denied charges, which first surfaced late March after the league office received an anonymous tip, but confessed to his wrongdoing to Twins officials Wednesday.

Further details of his gambling activities won't be known until prosecutors complete their investigation, but Lee's KBO career is likely over.

Manager Youm Kyoung-youb apologized to fans before the game, and outfielder Kim Hyun-soo, former team captain and one of the oldest LG players at 35, had a message to his teammates after a 13-4 win.

"There's only so much we can do to keep each other out of trouble and prevent something like this from happening. It's really up to individuals to behave themselves," Kim said, after batting 2-for-4 with four RBIs. "I think we should all hold ourselves more accountable for our own future."

With professional athletes being held to increasingly high moral standards in South Korea, Kim said players have to figure out what to do and what not to do.

"This is not just about living in a different world, compared with a few years ago. There are clearly things that we absolutely must not do," Kim continued. "And this is not only about ourselves. We have to think about our family, too. Maybe (Lee) did something to have a little fun, but he shouldn't have done that."

Seo Geon-chang, a 33-year-old veteran who went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI from No. 8 spot, said he tried to put younger teammates at ease before the game.

"We talked about how we still had a game to play and how we had to do our job even if we may not be in the mood," Seo said. "We wanted to stay focused on the task at hand and play good baseball in front of our fans."

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