Park Kun-woo of the NC Dinos hits an RBI double against the SSG Landers during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, west of Seoul, in this file photo from May 13, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The NC Dinos are leading South Korean baseball in one category that their manager Lee Ho-joon would rather they not: hit-by-pitch.
Entering Wednesday’s game against the LG Twins, the Dinos had been drilled by pitches 66 times, 18 more than the next team, the Hanwha Eagles.
The latest victim was All-Star outfielder Park Kun-woo, who was plunked in the face by a fastball from Twins starter Elieser Hernandez during Tuesday’s game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
Per rules in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Hernandez faced automatic ejection for hitting an opponent’s head with a fastball. Park did not suffer any structural damage but sustained a bruised left cheekbone.
Lee said Wednesday that Park had complained of some dizziness earlier in the day and that the outfielder would be held out of the lineup for the evening.
Lee, the first-year manager, said his players have been growing increasingly sensitive about getting plunked by errant pitches.
“Some players have talked about retaliating by throwing at the other guys, and I’ve had to step in and make sure they wouldn’t do it. But that’s how upset our guys are,” Lee told reporters at Jamsil.
“But I understand where they come from. There are moments when I get pretty upset, too, even if pitchers aren’t intentionally throwing at our players.”
Lee opined that pitchers are trying to attack the upper part of the strike zone more now than before, because those pitchers are getting called for strikes under the automated ball-strike system.
“Pitches that used to be balls are now strikes. And when pitchers try to come high, sometimes they lose control of those pitches,” Lee added. “And we have some hitters who struggled with high pitches, and I am sure our opponents are aware of that based on numbers.
“I just hope our guys don’t get seriously hurt,” Lee continued. “Other than that, there’s little we can do about it.”
As for Park, Lee said he hoped the outfielder would be ready to play Thursday.
Park is hitting .296/.376/.437 in 48 games this season.
(Yonhap)
