LG Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb (2nd from L) is restrained by his players and coaches after arguing with umpires during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 11, 2025, in this photo provided by the Twins. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 15 (Korea Bizwire) — 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.
With one out and a runner at first in the bottom of the fifth inning, Lee Ju-heon of the Twins hit a line drive to third baseman Kang Seung-ho, who dropped the ball in an attempt to make a diving catch, but quickly picked it up and threw to second base for the force out.
Moon Sung-ju, the runner at first, hesitated and returned to the bag, apparently thinking the ball had been caught. Lee, meanwhile, ran hard to first. Then Bears first baseman Yang Suk-hwan received the ball and tagged both Twins players who stood on the bag, but Lee was eventually ruled safe at first with Moon as the lone out on the play.
At the end of the play, second base umpire Kwon Young-choul raised his arms to call time and the rest of the crew did the same. However, according to the Twins, when Youm saw third base umpire Kim Kab-soo call time, he misconstrued the gesture as overturning the earlier fair call.
When told it was a call for time, Youm then argued that umpires should not have called the play dead while it was still ongoing. He got into a particularly heated exchange with first base umpire Lee Young-jae. Crew chief Bae Byeong-du tossed Youm from the game when he began swearing at umpires, and the manager bumped Lee before he had to be pulled back by his coaches and players.
Umpires insisted the time was called properly after the runners had been tagged out, and the KBO confirmed that upon video review. Youm apologized before Saturday’s game and said he regretted acting so recklessly in front of a big crowd.
Youm’s fine is in line with penalties issued for other managers who were disciplined 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).
(Yonhap)
