What to Do with Foreign Players?

“Too hot to handle, but throwing away would be regretful.” Foreign players playing in the Korea Baseball League are considered hot potatoes. They can act as “jokers in the deck” that can improve a team’s performance in a short period of time, but can also cause trouble on and off the field and put the team in an awkward position.

SK, which is trying to make it to the playoffs, was dealt a serious blow when their starter Brito was slapped with a 20-game suspension for starting a brawl in the dugout during SK’s game against Samsung on August 5 in Moon-hak Stadium.

There are other foreign players besides Brito who have caused problems in Korean baseball.

The first to come to mind is former Lotte player Jose, also known as the “imported seagull.” He was the most talented foreign player to play in Korea, but was also skilled in stirring up trouble. During a 1999 playoff game against Samsung, he threw a bat, which could have been lethal, into the stands, and two years later, broke Samsung pitcher Bae Young-soo’s nose. A year later in 2002, he shook the baseball community by signing two contracts, one with a Korean team and another with an American team.

In 2001, Doosan pitcher Mike Palmer and batter Troy Neal were involved in a brawl that occurred in Itaewon, Seoul. Neal took Palmer-- who had been decided to be dissmissed from the team--for a consolidation drink, but also ended up being released by the team by becoming involved in the brawl himself.

Samsung’s Troy O’Leary, who played in the Major Leagues until last year, abruptly returned to the U.S. without the permission of the team.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Public Relations Department Head Yang Hae-young said, “Although it is true that foreign players look down upon Korean baseball, most of these incidents take place due to cultural differences. These players sign short-term contracts, so the teams should be responsible and enforce discipline on them.”

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com