The frequency and style of protests varies from manager to manager in professional baseball. There have been 11 managerial ejections in the KBO this year, with Lee Seung-yeop of the Doosan Bears leading the way with three.
Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man has protested relatively few times. Especially since his ejection is an annual event. Last year, he was ejected only once.
However, he was ejected for the first time this year on April 18 against the Gwangju Kia Tigers. What was the reason for his rare excitement?
In the top of the third inning, Samsung took the lead thanks to Lee Jae-hyun’s three-run homer. With the score tied at 3-3, Kim Young-woong laid down a bunt single, and the next batter, Kang Min-ho, hit a hard pitch to KIA first baseman Seo Gun-chang. Seo dropped it, caught it, and took first base.
He then threw to second base. Kia shortstop Park Chan-ho caught the ball and tried to tag him. The second base umpire’s initial call was safe. However, it was overturned to an out after KIA requested a video review.
That’s when manager Park Jin-man stormed out of the dugout. Protesting the video review is an automatic ejection under the rules.
However, Park Jin-man had a different idea.
“There’s something I really want to say about yesterday’s ejection,” Park said before the game against the Daegu Lotte Giants on the 19th.
“I didn’t go out to ask if I was out or safe. We were trying to see if there was a tag or not, not who was faster, but if there was an interference, and we saw his (KIA’s Park Chan-ho’s) leg on the base, and (Kim Young-woong) was late because he was trying to avoid it.”
“When I asked them to check whether it was an interference call, they said, 안전놀이터 ‘In the first video review, we didn’t just check whether it was an out or not, but we also checked whether it was an interference call. “That’s where I got a little worked up,” he recalled.
It was an honest complaint. Park Jin-man himself was one of the best shortstops of his time, so his frustration was understandable.
“You don’t know that if you protest the video review, you’re ejected, so how is that not obstruction of a base runner? I’m blocking the base with my legs, so why is that not obstruction of a base runner? I asked them if they checked that, but they said, ‘I checked it all,’ and said it was an ejection. I don’t think it’s a situation where you should be ejected.”
In June,
The KBO’s executive committee discussed revising the rules on blocking a runner’s path with the body to prevent injuries to players. In particular, it was decided to actively call runner’s interference when a defending fielder blocks a runner’s path by blocking a base, which was agreed upon by all 10 clubs.
“We decided to call base interference from this year,” Park said, ‘and I asked the umpires what they talked about, whether it was not an out safety, but also base interference, and the umpires said that the umpires did everything, and it was considered a video review protest and an unconditional ejection.’ ‘I hope the umpires will clarify that,’ Park said.