Seoul: LG Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb was slapped with a fine of 2 million won (US$1,400) Tuesday after bumping an umpire in a heated argument during a recent game. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) handed down the penalty on Youm four days after the incident during the Twins' game against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the confrontation began in the bottom of the fifth inning when Lee Ju-heon of the Twins hit a line drive to third baseman Kang Seung-ho. Kang dropped the ball while attempting a diving catch but managed to throw to second base for the force out. The confusion arose when Moon Sung-ju, the runner at first, hesitated and returned to the bag, thinking the ball had been caught, while Lee ran hard to first base. Bears first baseman Yang Suk-hwan tagged both Twins players standing on the bag, but Lee was eventually ruled safe with Moon out.
At the end of the play, second base umpire Kwon Young-choul called time, and the rest of the crew followed suit. However, Youm misinterpreted the third base umpire Kim Kab-soo's gesture as overturning the previous fair call. Upon clarification that it was a call for time, Youm argued against halting the play while it was still active. A heated exchange ensued with first base umpire Lee Young-jae, leading to crew chief Bae Byeong-du ejecting Youm after he began swearing at the umpires. Youm then bumped Lee before being restrained by his coaches and players.
Umpires maintained that the call for time was appropriate after the runners were tagged out, and the KBO confirmed this following a video review. Youm expressed regret for his actions and apologized before Saturday's game, acknowledging his reckless behavior in front of the spectators.
Youm's fine aligns with penalties previously issued to other managers for making contact with an umpire during games. The Twins entered Tuesday's game against the Samsung Lions in first place with a record of 14-3-0 (wins-losses-ties).