SSG Landers has decided to release Lee Won-jun for assaulting a junior with a baseball bat. With the KBO officially banning ‘double punishment’, what was the reasoning behind the decision?
SSG officially announced that it “held its own disciplinary committee on the 12th and decided to dismiss Lee Won-jun, who recently caused a stir with his bat,” and requested a waiver from the KBO on the 13th.
On the 11th, SSG was involved in an “assault” incident within the second-team squad. At that time, second-team infielder A ordered a rookie infielder B to be punished for acting arrogantly, and pitcher C, who was included in the punishment, blamed B and assaulted the junior with a baseball bat, after which player D called the players back and punished them.
It’s not uncommon for a senior to give a younger player a slap on the wrist to keep them in line. However, the most troubling aspect of this incident was the use of a baseball bat to assault the junior. Assaulting a junior with a baseball bat, which can be considered a ‘special assault’ regardless of the number of times, was not only wrong but also a ‘crime’.
This is not the first time that SSG’s second team has been assaulted, as the SK Wyverns also had an assault within their second team in 2020. At the time, SK announced a “one strike and you’re out” policy to prevent a repeat, but it didn’t work, and another assault occurred.
The SSG decided to release C by name after he assaulted a junior with a baseball bat. C was a highly touted pitching prospect who was the first pick of the SK Wyverns in the 2017 rookie draft, but after appearing in 22 games for the first team and posting a dismal record of 3 losses and an 11.72 ERA, he was stripped of his uniform for the assault.
A representative from SSG said, “Release is not a form of discipline.” “With the removal of double punishment, it is up to the KBO to impose fines, suspensions, volunteer work, and suspension of participation activities. There is nothing the club can do.”
The SSG recognized that beating a junior with a baseball bat was a serious matter, beyond a fling, and decided to release the player without disciplinary action. “We felt that Lee Won-jun was serious,” said an SSG official, “Picking up a bat is something you should never do. We viewed this as serious and heavy,” he said, explaining the decision to release him.체스카지노
In response, SSG Kim Won-hyung bowed his head again. “Something happened that shouldn’t have happened. It’s the club’s decision to release him, and I’ll do my best to prevent it from happening again with the same thought,” he said.
The decision to release Lee was made, but for the B and D players who gave the juniors a slap while double punishment was not possible, everything will be left to the outcome of the KBO’s punishment committee. The SSG added, “For the other two players who ordered the bullying, we will take action based on the outcome of the KBO Penalty Committee, and we will announce follow-up measures such as measures to prevent recurrence in the near future.”