KBO baseball pitcher denies involvement in match-fixing scandal

Police questioned a Korean pitcher Wednesday, looking into his alleged engagement in a match-fixing scandal that has plagued Korea’s top baseball league.

Lee Jae-hak, a right-handed starting pitcher for the NC Dinos, denied allegations he had deliberately allowed walks in the first inning of games during the 2014 Korean Baseball Organization league.

Lee, 25, has constantly denied that he manipulated games, only to be sent to the second-tier league in accordance with the team’s regulation on July 30.

Lee has recorded a 4.71 ERA this year, with eight wins and three losses. He formerly pitched for the national team in the Incheon Asian Games in 2014.

This came weeks after the KBO imposed lifetime bans on Moon Woo-ram, an outfielder serving in the military but under contract with the Nexen Heroes, and An Ji-man, a relief pitcher with the Samsung Lions, as well as Lee’s teammate pitcher Lee Tae-yang, regardless of legal consequences they would face.

Prosecutors have indicted the 21-year-old Lee for fixing games for gambling purposes after he received perks from brokers. A district court ruling for the pitcher has yet to be made.

Yoo Chang-sik, a left-handed pitcher for the Kia Tigers, voluntarily reported on July 24 his engagement in the match-fixing while he was playing for the Hanwha Eagles in 2014. The report came after KBO announced it would accept confessions from baseball players who wanted to avoid a lifetime ban.

The KBO is under probe for 1,950 cases where a pitcher allowed a walk in the first inning. Some illegal gamblers bet on pitchers’ allowed bases on balls in the first inning.

By Son Ji-hyoung (json@heraldcorp.com)