Hwang Dae-in started at first base in the sixth spot against the Hanwha Eagles at the Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park on March 23.
The game ended early after he was ejected from the game.
The situation was this. Hwang 안전놀이터 Dae-in came to bat in the top of the fourth inning with KIA down 0-6. On a 1-2 count, Hanwha Sanchez’s four-pitch fastball was in the zone, and umpire Lee Young-jae called it a strike. Hwang struck out.
But Hwang was unhappy with the call. He threw his bat to the ground, briefly expressed his frustration to the umpire, and went into the dugout muttering to himself in unspoken protest. Umpire Lee Young-jae then called Hwang Dae-in, and it’s unclear if he didn’t hear the call or if he ignored it, but he didn’t respond. Eventually, he was ordered to leave.
There was no special action, and there was no direct complaint against the referee, but it was an unusual ejection order.
Afterward, KIA head coach Kim Jong-guk and head coach Jin Gap-yong came out to appeal the decision, but it was not overturned. Kim substituted Byun Woo-hyuk for Hwang Dae-in, who was sent off.
Hwang Dae-in’s ejection was his fifth of the season. The previous four ejections were for head shots.