(LEAD) baseball club-manager
SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) — LG Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb apologized Friday for illegal online gambling by one of his players, saying he shoulders his share of the blame as the person in charge of the squad.
Youm cut a contrite figure before the Twins hosted the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, the opening game of the first three-game series between the Seoul rivals in 2023. Hours before the game, the Twins announced outfielder Lee Chun-woong had admitted to allegations that he’d engaged in illegal gambling online.
“As manager of this ball club, I’d like to offer my sincere apology to our fans,” Youm said in his pregame media scrum in the dugout. This is his first season as Twins skipper. “I will do my best to make sure something like this never happens again.”
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) received an anonymous tip on an active player’s gambling activities in March. Then on April 6, the league decided to ask prosecutors to further investigate those allegations, prompting the Twins to remove Lee from their roster and launch an internal probe.
According to the Twins, Lee at first denied gambling charges but admitted to them on Wednesday.
Even after hearing a player from a team in the greater Seoul area was being accused of gambling, Youm said he “never even imagined” one of his own would be that player.
“Early on, I had no choice but to believe him when he claimed innocence,” Youm added. “Teams in this league go to great lengths to educate players and raise awareness of pitfalls of gambling. We just have to keep doing that, reminding players at least once a week.
“Even with all that training, it’s just unfortunate players still get into trouble like this,” Youm continued. “Players have to keep in mind that this is about their livelihood and their entire career. It will cost players a chance to do what they love, which is to play baseball.”
© Provided by Yonhap News English LG Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb (R) watches his team in action against the Samsung Lions during a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 8, 2023, in this photo provided by the Twins. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The news of Lee’s illegal gambling dampened the excitement of the highly-anticipated managerial duel between these rival clubs.
The Twins, after repeatedly coming up short in recent postseasons despite their contender status, tasked Youm with capturing their first Korean Series title since 1994. Though Youm had a humble playing career, he has made a name for himself as manager, having taken underdog teams deep into postseasons in earlier stops. They are 7-4 through Thursday, one game out of first place.
Youm’s Bears counterpart is Lee Seung-yuop, the greatest home run hitter in KBO history with no prior managing or coaching experience. In the early goings of his first season on the bench, Lee hasn’t looked overmatched at all while leading the Bears to a 6-4 record — a solid start for a team not expected to make the postseason in 2023.
After discussing the Lee case at length, Youm shifted his focus to the competition ahead on the field.
“Whenever these two teams meet, I think there’s always pressure on both sides, and it gets our competitive juice flowing, too,” Youm said. “They may have better starting pitching than we do, but we’re swinging the bat well. This should be a fun series on the weekend. And above all else, we want to entertain our fans and put on a good show for them.”
The Twins entered Friday leading the KBO with a .301 batting average and 65 runs scored.
Lee, the Bears manager, said problems aren’t limited to one player or one club.
“I think everyone in the baseball community has to take a moment to reflect on ourselves,” Lee said, choosing his words carefully. “We will continue to speak to our players and make sure they don’t cause trouble off the field.”
As for the Twins-Bears rivalry at Jamsil, Lee, who spent his entire KBO playing career with the Samsung Lions, said he didn’t want to get caught up in the hype too much.
“I don’t want my players to expend too much energy in these three games, just because we’re playing the LG Twins,” Lee said. “It’s the players who play the game, not the managers. We’re just here to keep things in order and help the players perform to the best of their abilities.”
© Provided by Yonhap News English Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yuop celebrates a 4-1 victory over the Kia Tigers in a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on April 7, 2023. (Yonhap)
(END)