Is it such a big mistake to change a pitcher who struggled with 3 hits, 7 walks, and 6 runs in 2⅓ innings? Foreign pitcher Cole Ervin (Doosan Bears), a current major leaguer, showed a lack of character by bumping into the coach and catcher after being dissatisfied with the bench's decision to change pitchers. It was a ridiculous behavior that showed no respect for Korean baseball and the Doosan organization.
Starting pitcher Cole Ervin of Doosan suffered his third loss (5 wins) of the season, yielding 6 runs in a disastrous performance during the first game of a doubleheader against the NC Dinos in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on 11th. Additionally, his image as a foreign pitcher involved in volunteer work at an orphanage has taken a significant hit due to the character controversy.
Cole Ervin experienced a disaster in the second inning with a 4-0 lead. After allowing a hit-by-pitch to leadoff batter Matt Davidson, walking Park Geon-woo, and giving up a single to Cheon Jae-hwan, he faced a bases-loaded situation with two outs. He then allowed a bases-loaded walk to pinch hitter Ahn Jung-yeol after 9 pitches, and subsequently gave up a 2-run double to Han Seok-hyun. Following that, he allowed a shocking 3-RBI double to Kwon Hee-dong in another bases-loaded situation created by a hit-by-pitch to Kim Han-byeol. A player who is an ace earning 1.3 billion won allowed 6 runs in just one inning.
The problematic situation arose in the third inning when trailing 4-6. The Doosan bench decided to change pitchers after Cole Ervin hit leadoff batter Park Geon-woo with a pitch and walked Cheon Jae-hwan on 8 pitches. Pitching coach Park Jeong-bae headed to the mound, but Cole Ervin, having heard the decision through an interpreter, pushed aside catcher Yang Eui-ji and coach Park Jeong-bae with his shoulder as he left the mound. He then threw the ball he was holding in frustration. Both Yang Eui-ji and coach Park Jeong-bae could not hide their astonishment at his actions.
At a time when the team was in 9th place, the ace they trusted had given up 6 runs with 7 walks until the first out of the 3rd inning. Although it was a situation where a pitcher could be changed, Cole Ervin did not express any remorse for failing to fulfill his duties as an ace and instead pushed his coach and a senior player aside with his shoulder. Even if he were to be replaced with one out left to meet the win requirements in the 5th inning, no player would show emotions in such a manner. Of course, he would have been disappointed with being pulled early, but the way he expressed his emotions was inappropriate.
After Cole Ervin, Park Shin-jin came in and after retiring the first batter Kim Hwi-jip with a foul fly to first base, he gave up a 2-run double to Ahn Jung-yeol. The two inherited runners from Cole Ervin scored, raising the final earned runs to 8, and his season's earned run average skyrocketed from 2.77 to 4.06.
Cole Ervin, who became a Doosan man with a contract worth $1 million (about 1.3 billion won), is a former major leaguer who played in the major leagues until last year. He made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019 and has since played for the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and Minnesota Twins. Last year, he had 1 loss in 4 games in the major leagues with an earned run average of 12.27. He has a rich career with 134 games (93 starts) covering 593 innings, 28 wins, and 40 losses, with an earned run average of 4.54 over 6 seasons in the major leagues.
However, there was not a hint of the dignity expected from a player who had competed on the world's best stage. Moreover, in baseball, it is simply not common sense for a pitcher to bump into the coach and catcher while on the mound. Even in Major League Baseball, where expression is somewhat free, such behavior is rarely seen. Rather, the more a player is a major leaguer, the more they value etiquette and respect. Cole Ervin's expression while throwing the ball in frustration appeared to reflect a disregard for Korean baseball. Yoon Seok-min, a commentator for SPOTV, also noted, "This is behavior that should not happen."
Cole Ervin had previously faced 'character controversy' early in the season. On March 28, during a game against the Samsung Lions at Jamsil, he had a sharp confrontation with Park Byung-ho, and the next day, he went to Park Byung-ho to express his apologies, saying, "I just arrived in Korea and will learn about Korean culture from now on." At that time, Samsung's manager Park Jin-man said, "Park Byung-ho is not the type to provoke first. He is a player who has experienced the major leagues. His actions must have been provocative enough to elicit such a reaction."
Cole Ervin also showed a lack of acceptance of Korean baseball culture at that time. Yet after about a month, he is back at the center of controversy with behavior that could be misinterpreted as disregarding Korean baseball and Doosan once again.
Cole Ervin volunteered at an orphanage in the country with his wife mid-last month, serving as a model for other players. However, his actions that day were far from those of the player who proudly showcased his volunteer work with a bright smile. His actions damaged team cohesion and caused him to lose fan support.
Cole Ervin seems to need to learn the values of teamwork and respect first instead of spending time at an orphanage. He must also eventually keep his promise to learn about Korean culture.
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