World Baseball Network continues its series of international professional baseball leagues with game-fixing and gambling scandals in the league’s history.
Since the Korea Baseball Organization played its first season in 1982, multiple game-fixing and gambling-related issues have occurred, particularly in the early to late 2010s.
Lifetime Ban Given to LG Twins Pitchers in 2012
Starting pitchers Park Hyun-joon and Kim Sung-hyun were banned from the KBO for life in 2012 for accepting cash to throw LG Twins and games in 2011.
On the surface, throwing games as a pitcher might seem easy. However, few wild pitches and hit-by-pitches can happen before suspicion. Professional pitchers play at the highest levels for a reason.
2011 Park went 13-10 with a 4.18 ERA and hit 11 batters in 163.2 innings. Park’s future seemed bright, playing with the South Korean national team in the 2009 Baseball World Cup. Nonetheless, he and Kim received lifetime bans from the KBO and were prohibited from playing in any amateur or professional sports game in 2012.
Police arrested Kim for his involvement in game-fixing after he admitted he was involved at least twice during the 2011 regular season.
“We will try to provide a specific system that will prevent potential match-fixing schemes,” the KBO said in a press release after the players’ penalties.
NC Dinos Pitcher Caught in 2016
Former NC Dinos starting pitcher Lee Tae-yang was caught taking bribes from a gambling broker to throw games during the 2015 KBO regular season in 2016. Prosecutors in Changwon City, South Korea, believed Lee purposely allowed first-inning runs and walks in two separate games in return for 20 million won ($17,600).
According to a report by the Associated Press in July 2016, Lee deliberately allowed a run in the first inning of a start against the Kia Tigers on May 29, 2015, a game the Dinos lost after Lee gave up five runs in four innings. On August 6, Lee promised the gambling broker a walk in the first inning of a game against the Lotte Giants.
Police took the gambling broker into custody, and Lee received a lifetime ban from the KBO for his wrongdoings. Lee began his KBO career in 2011 with the Nexen Heroes, and 2016 was the last year of his career. Still, his lifetime ban means he cannot play professionally in other countries worldwide, including the United States, Japan, and Taiwan.
Doosan Bears Minor Leaguers Illegally Bet
In 2021, two Doosan Bears minor league players, pitcher Jeong Hyun-wook and catcher Kwon Ki-young, were caught illegally placing bets on sports. Both players were placed on the Bear’s inactive list for their involvement.
According to a report by The Korea Herald in 2021, Jeong made bets using Sports Toto lottery tickets, which the KBO does not allow despite being the only government-sanctioned sports betting in South Korea. Kwon was found to be placing bets on an illegal betting website and turned himself in to the police.
At the time of the suspensions, The Korea Herald reported KBO players caught placing illegal bets for the first time in their careers receive a minimum 50-game suspension, a hefty fine, and mandatory hours of community service.
The KBO created the Clean Baseball Center in 2017 to educate players on the dangers of betting, game-fixing, and other potential crimes, such as driving drunk.
“The KBO and its ten clubs strive to practice good sportsmanship with a high sense of morality,” the former KBO commissioner Chung Ji-taik told Yonhap News Agency in 2021. “But problems do emerge from time to time. It is of utmost importance to never allow those instances to go unpunished. I will be as strict as the KBO rules allow.”
The Bottom Line
The KBO punishes players caught game-fixing and placing illegal bets. The Clean Baseball Center strives to keep players informed and on the right path. For the KBO’s good, let’s hope it succeeds at a high rate. Also, players resist the urge to accept bribes and avoid illegal sports betting.
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WBN KBO: https://worldbaseball.com/league/south-korea/
Photo Credit: A large Korean flag is unfurled in center field during Korean Heritage Night between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants on June 26, 2024, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo by Larry Placido/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
