KBO punishment committee suspends 3 players for assault and group corporal punishment at SSG’s 2 stadiums
Lee Won-jun has already been suspended from SSG…even if he finds a new team, he won’t be able to play in 72 games.

By Hanam Jik Reporter = SSG Landers pitcher Lee Won-jun (25), who hit a junior with a bat, has been handed a 72-game suspension by the KBO’s punishment committee.

SSG infielder Lee Eo-yeon (26) and outfielder Choi Sang-min (22) were suspended for 30 games.

The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) held the punishment committee behind closed doors at the Dogok-dong Baseball Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, at 2 p.m. on the 19th.

The disciplinary action was taken against Lee Won-jun for hitting a junior player twice in the thigh with his bat, Lee Ji-yeon for group corporal punishment, and Choi Sang-min.

The three offending players attended the punishment committee in person.

The incident took place on 6 June at SSG Future Team’s training ground, SSG Futures Field in Ganghwa, Incheon.

Lee gathered a group of juniors after he accused a rookie player of being arrogant.

After the taunt, Lee hit the offending rookie with a bat.

After Lee Won-jun’s assault, Choi Sang-min, who was dissatisfied with the group harshness, continued the group hazing of the juniors.

A chain of violence ensued, with victims becoming perpetrators.

A Future Team coach happened to check on B’s physical condition and reported the harshness of the players to the club, who in turn reported it to the KBO Clean Baseball Centre.

The SSG suspended Lee before the KBO held a punitive committee.

The KBO prohibits clubs from further disciplining players on top of the punishment imposed by the SSG. The KBO and the 10 clubs reached an agreement to prevent “double punishment” by the clubs.

However, they interpreted the ban as not being a “double punishment.

“The club has determined that this is a serious matter that hinders the development of professional baseball,” SSG said in a statement on the 13th, “and we have given Lee Won-jun the strongest sanction the club can take: expulsion.”

The SSG suspended Lee on the 13th and requested the KBO to announce Lee’s waiver.

The KBO decided to go through the waiver process once the SSG confirmed the “KBO-wide discipline”. Lee is expected to be placed on waivers soon.

Lee and Choi will not be subject to any additional discipline beyond that imposed by the KBO’s punishment committee.

The KBO only issued a warning to SSG, stating that the team “reported the incident to the Clean Baseball Centre immediately after becoming aware of it and actively cooperated with the follow-up.”

The KBO stipulates in Article 151 of the Baseball Code of Conduct that the penalty for “violence” is “a suspension from participation for more than two months, a suspension for more than 50 games, or a fine of more than 5 million won.

The KBO’s punishment committee handed down a 70-game suspension to Lee Won-jun for “using a bat to inflict violence,” and a 30-game suspension to Lee Ji-yeon and Choi Sang-min for verbal abuse without physical violence, which is lower than the “violence” penalty.

Lee Won-jun, a sturdy 190cm tall, 98kg pitcher who was drafted in the first round in 2017, was dishonourably dismissed and disciplined by the KBO.

In the first team, Lee appeared in 22 games between 2018 and 2020, going 3-3 with an 11.72 ERA. He pitched well in the Futures (second division) league this year, going 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in three games, but his chances of getting back on the mound are very slim.안전놀이터

Even if he finds a new team, he won’t be able to play for 72 games after signing.

Despite only eight first-team appearances in his career, Choi has been labelled a “collective punishment perpetrator” this year as he tried to break into the first team by hitting .276 in 41 games for the second team.

Choi Sang-min played 35 games for the first team this year, batting 0.245. He was always mentioned as a ‘call-up candidate’ if there was a gap in the first team outfield, but this incident caused him to lose fans.