The South Korean baseball club SSG Landers announced Thursday they have cut ties with minor league pitcher Lee Won-joon for hitting a teammate with a bat.
"We decided this was a serious incident that could hinder the development of professional baseball," the Landers said in a statement. "This is the strongest step we could take as a team."
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) is investigating cases of physical abuse by Lee and some of his minor league teammates that occurred last week, and is expected to open disciplinary proceedings against the players and the Landers next week.
According to the Landers, an unidentified veteran player got upset with a rookie for unspecified reasons and gathered several younger players to give them a military-style, mass punishment. Afterward, Lee struck the rookie in question with a baseball bat for causing such punishment.
Then another veteran player, also yet to be identified, gathered junior players again for another round of group punishment after learning of Lee's bat-swinging antics.
The Landers said a minor league coach belatedly learned of the case after checking in on the rookie for any health issues.
The KBO prohibits clubs from imposing their own penalties on players already disciplined by the league, so that they won't be punished twice for the same offense, but the league has told the Landers that releasing a player doesn't constitute double punishment.
"We decided an act of violence involving a baseball bat was socially unacceptable," a Landers official said. "That's why we made the move that we did."
With the two older players who gave group punishment, the Landers will await the league's decision and then act accordingly.
In July 2020, while the Landers were called the SK Wyverns under different ownership, four of their minor league players were penalized for hitting teammates and driving under the influence of alcohol. The Wyverns were also fined for not reporting the case to the league immediately.
Source: Yonhap News Agency