The Wave of Draft-Related Prosecutions: A Tsunami for Samsung, a Mere Ripple for Hyundai

“No Jae-yoon, and no Gap-yong either…”

Manager Kim Eung-yong of the Samsung Lions is tearing his hair out these days: he’s lost his two main catchers at the same time. Hyun Jae-yoon is in police custody on a draft evasion charge, and Jin Gap-yong is unable to don a catcher’s mask due to an injury to his left thigh. Kim has been starting newcomer Lee Jeong-sik since the September 15 game against the Lotte Giants, and has called up Kim Yeong-bok from the minors, but this hardly puts his mind at ease.

Kim tries to appear unfazed, declaring, “If we have the players, we’ll use them; if we don’t, we’ll use whomever we have!” But he can’t quite cover up his mounting concern.

The Samsung Lions have taken the worst of the recent crackdown on draft evaders among pro baseball players. Samsung was the last among the eight Korean professional clubs to be subpoenaed, so the psychological shock for the players was all the more substantial. The atmosphere in the clubhouse is glum.

At a point when the race for the direct ticket to the Korean Series is at its fiercest, Samsung is missing not only Hyun Jae-yoon but also starting pitcher Jung Hyun-uk and left-handed relievers Oh Sang-min and Ji Seung-min. With such key players gone, the starting lineup is sporting a serious gap. Since the draft evasion scandal broke on September 5, Samsung spun into a four-game losing streak, then recently made a slight recovery by scoring two consecutive wins against the current last place team, the Lotte Giants.

While Samsung resembles a house in mourning, Hyundai and Kia are relatively well off. Hyundai is leading the league with four wins and two losses in its last six games. Kia is red hot, riding a six-game winning streak toward the last remaining spot in the post season by cementing its run in fourth place. Although Hyundai has lost three players, they are either substitutes or minor leaguers who pose no real threat to the line-up. Kia is only missing relief pitcher Yoo Dong-hoon.

By contrast, the Doosan Bears—who had been vying for the lead with Hyundai and Samsung—is on red alert: most of the seven players who have undergone investigation are on the roster and pitcher Lee Jae-young has already been taken into police custody. With the team in a state of confusion, Doosan suffered two come-from-behind losses in its double-header against Hyundai on September 15. The Doosan Bears have won four and lost six out of 10 games in September.

The LG Twins have a long way to go till the playoffs, but having nine players under investigation, as well as ace pitcher Lee Seung-ho and outfielders Al Martin and Park Yong-taek on the DL, is not helping matters. The Twins were “chewing with their gums” in their last six games, managing to record four wins and two losses, but it seems unlikely that they’ll be able to overtake Kia’s hot streak.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com