Concerns grow over slack punishment for 'gambling pitchers'

Lim Chang-yong, left, and Oh Seung-hwan are under fire for overseas gambling. / Korea Times file

By Nam Hyun-woo

Concerns are growing over the slack punishment recommended for two baseball players involved in overseas gambling, which failed to provide a strong warning over illegal behavior in the sports community.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Wednesday that it indicted two Samsung Lions pitchers on charges of overseas gambling worth 40 million and asked the courts to fine them 7 million won each.

The pitchers are Lim Chang-yong, who was released from the club in November because of the scandal; and Oh Seung-hwan, who also admitted that he placed bets worth tens of millions of won during the prosecutors’ investigation. The two were accused of gambling in Macau in November 2014.

The relatively “soft” punishment recommendation came as the prosecution acknowledged that the amount of their bets was comparatively small, and it was hard to prove that they “habitually” gambled. Should a local court accept the summary indictment, which only involves the judges’ document review, the pitchers’ legal punishment may end with them merely paying fines.

The indictment came as a “green light” for Oh, who is seeking a stint in Major League Baseball. Since he was playing for Nippon Professional Baseball’s (NPB) Hanshin Tigers in 2014, and he is a free agent, there is no for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to punish Oh. He pitched for the Lions from 2005 to 2013.

Last month, Oh left for the United States for a meeting but had to return home for questioning. He reportedly jetted off to Guam recently for training.

As for Lim, who was on the brink of a disgraceful retirement, the indictment gave him a sigh of relief, until the KBO slaps him with additional punishment. The KBO will hold a disciplinary committee hearing in the coming weeks to discuss Lim’s punishment.

Though Lim is a 39-year-old veteran, his performance as a trustworthy closer, with his ball velocity hovering over 150 kilometers per hour, still interests a number of KBO teams. Lim posted 33 saves this year with a 2.83 earned run average and is currently a free agent.

Meanwhile, the two players each released letters of apology. Lim said

Thursday

, “I have no intention of making excuses for my conduct and will engrave everyone’s word in my mind. … Not by speaking but by actions, I will be responsible for what I’ve done and will repent my transgressions.”

Oh said a day earlier, “I sincerely regret my wrongdoing and will accept all the criticism against me. … The only hope I have is that you not misunderstand my passion when I’m on the mound. I will save no effort to repent my conduct and try as hard as I can to commit myself to baseball.”