Acquitted of bullying charges, pitcher ready to return to mound

Acquitted of bullying charges, pitcher ready to return to mound: Baseball / 유지호 / 2023-05-31 14:26:56

baseball-pitcher

▲ Doosan Bears pitcher Lee Young-ha (C) speaks to reporters after being found not guilty of violence charges at the Seoul Western District Court in Seoul on May 31, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Doosan Bears pitcher Lee Young-ha attends his sentencing hearing at the Seoul Western District Court in Seoul on May 31, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from July 5, 2022, Doosan Bears starter Lee Young-ha pitches against the Kiwoom Heroes during the top of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)

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Acquitted of bullying charges, pitcher ready to return to mound

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 31 (Yonhap) -- Acquitted of charges that he'd bullied a teammate in high school, pitcher Lee Young-ha said Wednesday he is looking forward to resuming his professional career soon.

Lee, 25, had been indicted without detention last year over allegations that he had physically assaulted a teammate while attending Sunrin Internet High School in Seoul. But on Wednesday, the Seoul Western District Court found him not guilty, on the grounds of a lack of evidence to support those violence charges.

Lee had been pitching for the Doosan Bears in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) since 2017 when he was indicted. The club cut Lee from their active roster last August and didn't tender him a contract after the 2022 season, but just hours after the court's ruling Wednesday, they inked him to a new deal for the rest of this season.

"All along, I'd felt sorry to my club about the whole situation," Lee told reporters gathered at the court. He will earn 120 million won (US$90,670) this year, down 40 million won from 2022. "I thought that, in order to return to the field quickly, I had to fully cooperate with the legal proceedings and help uncover the truth. I think things went well today in that aspect. I'd like to thank Bears fans for believing me."

Lee insisted he had kept himself in shape by working out on his own at the Bears' minor league facilities and said he will be ready to return "whenever the team needs me." But Lee also acknowledged he will be rusty because he last pitched in a game in August last year.

The Bears said Lee will rejoin the team Thursday and will begin working his way back up from the minor league.

"We will have to see where he is physically," a Bears official said. "The coaching staff will determine when he will be ready to rejoin the team in the KBO."

Lee made his KBO debut in 2017 and enjoyed his finest season in 2019, going 17-4 with a 3.64 ERA and finishing second in the KBO in wins. He failed to match that level of success in ensuing seasons. Lee was 6-8 with a 4.93 ERA in 21 games before getting embroiled in the legal battle last summer.

He could be a useful addition to the Bears pitching staff that ranks eighth among 10 teams with a 4.14 ERA. He has made 97 starts and 90 relief appearances over his career.

Lee said going through the court proceedings afforded him an opportunity to reflect on his life and career.

"I spent quite a bit of time thinking about how I should live my life going forward and how I should set right example," Lee said. "When I was younger, violence in school was definitely prevalent. I hope it disappears."

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