KBO Umpire Punches Catcher In The Back Of The Head On An Electric Strikeout Call

You know that old baseball saying, “We didn’t pay to watch you umpire?” that was most recently echoed by Bryce Harper last year? That was a lie. I would watch KBO baseball every night just to watch this guy umpire. And shame on the catcher for not being prepared. You think this is the umpire’s fault? Uh, no. That’s on you, dog.

When you’re squatting in front of Tommy the Green Ranger calling the balls and strikes back there, you’ve gotta be aware of your surroundings at all times. Your job is to catch the ball, and his job is to call a great game. The only infraction that I can see here is you impeding on his ability to do that. You deserved every pound of pressure that his mega punch inflicted on your skull.

Hey Rob Manfred, you want to attract a younger audience? Stop spending your time trying to scrub viral videos from the internet, and bring this umpire to Major League Baseball.

“It’s a one-run ballgame here, folks. The count is 3-2…bottom of the ninth…runners at second and third…and they’ve got their best hitter at the plate. The pitcher winds, and he deals…STRIKE THREE CALLED AND THE BALLGAME IS OVER!”

By the way, there’s more to this story here. That catcher’s name is Yang Eui-ji and he’s hitting .399 with a 1.151 OPS in 54 games this year. Back in April, he was fined and ordered to complete 80 hours of community service for shady business.

Before the bottom of the seventh, new Doosan pitcher Gwak Been was throwing warm-up pitches. On one low pitch, Yang got up and moved to his right, making only a half-hearted sweep of the glove, and let the ball sail between home plate umpire Jung Jong-soo’s legs. Yang could have caught the ball from his sitting position, but instead the ball took one hop behind Jung and hit the backstop.

Following the incident, Yang was embroiled in a controversy that it was a premeditated attempt to let the ball nail Jung in revenge for an earlier call. At the top of the seventh, Yang expressed his displeasure at a called strike during his at-bat. He ended up striking out swinging, though he didn’t argue with Jung as he returned to the dugout.

Yang later said he lost sight of Gwak’s pitch momentarily and couldn’t catch the ball. The incident, however, was reported to the KBO’s discipline committee for judgment.

So, that’s a fine, community service and a concussion for trying to cross an umpire in the KBO. Was it worth it putting your ass in the jackpot like that? I think not.