It was a disappointment-filled World Baseball Classic campaign for the Korean National team. The only positive for them was a direct qualification to the 2026 edition of the tournament. Fans criticized players for their performances during the competition. But recent revelations have worsened the situation for them.
According to the reports, Kim Kwang-hyun, Lee Yong-chan, and Jeong Cheol-won are involved in a serious case. These players have been accused of drinking before crucial encounters during the WBC campaign. Korea Baseball Organization is investigating the case to determine a further course of action.
Players have apologized amidst the ongoing investigation!
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All the players involved in the case have apologized for their actions. They have also said that they will fully cooperate with the investigating teams. They have also denied the allegation of drinking on March 8 and 9 before the game days. All the players involved have stated that they went out on March 7 and 10. Shawn Spradling shared this on his Twitter account. A part of it read, “The three pitchers have admitted to, and apologized for drinking during the WBC.”
The three pitchers have admitted to, and apologized for:
• Drinking during the WBC
They deny the reports that they:
• Were drinking on March 8 and 9 (they stated that they went out to drink on March 7 and 10)
• Had been accompanied by female waitresses pic.twitter.com/gr0cqdrbVs— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) June 2, 2023
Spradling further shared that the KBO is investigating the case. He said, though KBO can’t penalize players for drinking while with the national team. The investigation will revolve around the basic duties national team players should follow. They are required to ‘act with honor and dignity’ while representing the country, which the players have potentially failed to do in this case. The team will also determine the involvement of “female waitresses” in this case.
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Meanwhile, SGG Landers have temporarily removed Kim Kwang-Hyun from their big league active roster. He is a former St. Louis Cardinals player. The action has been taken pending the result of the inquiry. Even though the players have denied the claims of drinking before the game. Fans are signaling toward their performances in the tournament. Kwang-Hyun had an average outing against Japan as he allowed 4 ER in two innings pitched, which resulted in a loss.
A look at the World Baseball Classic campaign!
It was an overall poor result for the Korean baseball team. They finished third in the table behind Japan and Australia in their group at a winning percentage of 0.500. Their loss against Australia became the highlight of their campaign. Though they did well in their next game, but still could not make it to the next round of the competition. Now these reports have put the entire campaign under the bus of scrutiny.
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With the pressure piling up, all eyes will be on the investigation team. What impact investigation reports will have on the future of the players? Only time will tell!
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