It was understandable for the KIA Tigers to feel wronged. And manager Lee Bum-ho could not bear it. In a situation of four consecutive losses and facing the risk of five straight losses, he became more sensitive. He did not shy away from an ejection, but ultimately could not reverse the decision or the outcome.
The KIA Tigers, led by manager Lee Bum-ho, lost 4-9 in a regular season game against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 26th. As a result, KIA fell into a five-game losing streak. Their fifth place position is now also at risk, barely maintaining fifth place with a slightly better winning percentage than sixth place Samsung, with no game difference.
That day’s game marked the second appearance of Lee Yi-ri this season after completing rehabilitation from elbow surgery. He was set to throw around 80 pitches. It was a game that could not avoid a bullpen battle. Lee Yi-ri initially struggled, allowing two runs in the first inning. However, the batting lineup succeeded in tying the game at 2-2 in the second inning after two outs with consecutive hits and a walk.
However, Lee Yi-ri was no match for the Lotte offense. His top speed reached 150 km/h, but the Lotte batters targeted him. In the third inning, he gave up multiple runs to Reyes, Yoon Dong-hee, and Jeon Jun-woo, allowing three runs. Lee Yi-ri recorded five runs in three innings and left the game, while Lee Jun-young allowed a solo home run to Go Seung-min, trailing 3-6 as the game moved into the later innings.
The bottom of the sixth inning was a turning point. The leadoff batter, Hwang Seong-bin, led off with a single to left field. Then, after none out with a runner on first base, Go Seung-min laid down a surprise bunt and reached first base safely. At this moment, a problematic situation arose.
The runner on first base, Hwang Seong-bin, had already taken off. As the throw was heading to first base, Hwang Seong-bin stepped on second base and continued toward third without slowing down. Third baseman Wisdom was rushing to cover after making a play on Go Seung-min's bunt.
First baseman Byeon Woo-hyuk's throw to third base reached Wisdom's glove first, tagging Hwang Seong-bin ahead of time. However, umpire Ham Ji-woong pointed to his left leg, signaling a safe call. The ruling stated that Wisdom's left foot obstructed Hwang Seong-bin's left hand, resulting in obstruction.
Manager Lee Bum-ho immediately requested a video review, but the call was not overturned. As a result, Manager Lee Bum-ho, brushing off the objections from bench coach Son Seung-rak, stormed out of the dugout. It was a gesture that indicated the obstruction call could not be justified. He found it hard to accept the ruling.
As he approached the third base area, he questioned whether Hwang Seong-bin's slide was on the base path, and Wisdom also joined in. Additionally, it could be interpreted that Wisdom was waiting to receive the throw first. In the case of obstruction and collision prevention, if the throw reaches the runner before the runner, obstruction may not be established. However, the opinion of the umpires and the review center seemed to differ. They appeared to claim that Wisdom blocking Hwang Seong-bin simultaneously while tagging was a valid reason.
Nonetheless, Manager Lee Bum-ho continued to protest, and the call was not overturned. Umpire Kim Jeong-guk ordered Manager Lee Bum-ho's ejection. Even at the moment of his ejection, Manager Lee Bum-ho could not accept it. According to the KIA organization, Manager Lee Bum-ho's complaint was that "this was a natural play connecting movement, so why is it obstruction?"
In a situation of five consecutive losses, it was naturally a sensitive moment, and the interpretations of the umpiring crew and Manager Lee Bum-ho could not help but differ. However, Manager Lee Bum-ho could not easily accept it. He made efforts to reverse the flow of the game, even risking ejection, but ultimately failed. In the sixth inning, with no outs and runners on first and third base, he even allowed a hit-by-pitch to Son Ho-young. On the mound, Lee Dohyun was shaken. He induced Reyes to ground out to second base, but could not turn two, allowing one more run to score, and then faced a two-RBI hit from Yoon Dong-hee, widening the gap to 3-9. The outcome of the game was leaning heavily against KIA. In the eighth inning, a solo home run by Han Jun-soo broke through, but that was all. In the ninth inning, in a situation with no outs and a runner on first base, Park Chan-ho, who was on first, attempted an aggressive baserunning play on Wisdom's shallow fly ball to center field, resulting in a double play.
Without a commander, KIA collapsed further and fell into a five-game losing streak. They have one win and nine losses in the last ten games. KIA will pitch their ace, James Nail, on the 27th. Can KIA escape their long losing streak with Nail?
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