The Wind of Military Service Sweeps Players Out of the Autumn Ball Park

Hyundai and Kia are laughing. Samsung, Doosan, SK, and LG are crying.

A crack-down on baseball players evading military service—a “military wind” as it were—looks to become the biggest variable in this year’s post-season.

September is the last month of the regular season, the final stretch when the leading teams vie for the top position in the final standings, as well as for a spot in the playoffs. This year in particular, Samsung, Hyundai, and Doosan, who have taken up the top three spots in the league, are waging a fierce battle for a direct ticket to the Korean Series, while SK, Kia, and LG are sparking fires in their final race to snatch the remaining fourth-place ticket.

Under such circumstances, each team is deeply engrossed in assessing the impact of the “military wind” on their “fighting powers.” Among the 80 or so draft evaders exposed so far, more than half are reported to be current and retired professional ball players. The military service brokers’ “client lists” are sure to become a “hit list” for the relevant ball clubs.

The investigation is only just under way. But the “ghost stories” circulating among police circles are already naming names, it seems.

According to these rumors, Hyundai and Kia appear to have gotten fairly beyond the whirlwind’s range. Interestingly, both clubs used to make regular appearances in every draft controversy in the past, since the days when they were playing for Taepyungyang and Haitai.

But this time, most of their starting players are either veterans or exemptees for participation in the Olympic or Asian Games, which takes them safely out of the reach of the latest round-up. Hyundai has two pitchers on the “list,” but they have not yet received illegal exemptions, according to reports.

On the other hand, SK will see one of their infielders, a “Mr. Y,” subpoenaed on September 4. Several key batters are also said to be on the block. Doosan faces an even worse predicament: its starting pitchers are implicated en masse, and if they are summoned or convicted, the team will take a critical hit. Samsung also has a few core infielders on the list; LG has not lost any starting players yet, but a handful of its best prospects have already been taken into custody.

The speed and direction of the police investigation will also have a substantial impact on the post-season.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency hauled off LG players from their home field during practice on September 1, then rounded up SK and Lotte players during a game on September 4 at the Munhak Sports Complex. The players in question had only brought their uniforms to the ball park, and had to borrow clothes from club employees in order to comply with the police.

The semi-playoffs will begin at the end of this month, and the playoffs and the Korean series will continue into mid-October.

But if the police continue to summon players in this manner, it is unclear whether or not these games could be played according to the schedule.

As a result, the baseball world is even remarking—and not entirely with sarcasm—that the fate of the upcoming pro baseball post-season is riding on the shoulders of the police.

Hwan Soo Zang zangpabo@donga.com