Bench clearing at the end of the game, 23-year-old Young Gun’s first experience

The SSG Landers and Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization cleared the bench just before the end of the game.

SSG extended its winning streak to two games with a 9-2 victory over Samsung in the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Thursday. SSG jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run homer by Han Yu-seom, and made it 9-0 in the seventh inning with a three-run homer by Guillermo Heredia and a two-run homer by Oh Tae-gon. Samsung got a two-run homer from Kim Heon-gon in the ninth inning, but couldn’t get any closer.

The bench clearing occurred in the top of the ninth inning with two outs and one on base, with SSG leading 9-2. The SSG mound was guarded by Park Min-ho, who took the mound for rookie pitcher Choi Hyun-seok, who was removed after failing to record an out in the top of the ninth inning, with Koo Ja-rook at the plate. Park Min-ho threw a fastball, but it was a big breaking ball, and it sailed over Gu’s back. It wasn’t a very dangerous pitch because it was far off the plate, but it could have been a threatening situation for Gu.

When Park Min-ho’s ball went behind his back, Koo became enraged and strongly appealed to Park Min-ho. Catcher Kim Min-sik and the umpire tried to stop him, but as he continued to walk toward Park Min-ho, players from both teams came out of the dugout and a bench-clearing took place. However, the situation wasn’t intense enough to warrant a bench-clearing, so players from both teams came out of the dugout hesitantly and didn’t collide. The bench-clearing was quickly over as Han Yoo-seom actively dried Guzook off.

The umpire called for play to resume, and Park Min-ho ended the game with a five-pitch at-bat, hitting Koo to center field. Gu finished the day with five hits, no walks, and three strikeouts. The end was a bit chaotic as the benches were cleared, but SSG fans and 토토사이트 players enjoyed the win streak.

Oh Won-seok started the game and pitched six innings of two-hit ball with two walks and seven strikeouts. It was his best pitching performance of the season, as it was the first time he pitched more than six innings without allowing an earned run since June 16 against KT (a six-inning no-hitter) last year. In a postgame interview, Oh said, “It’s been so long since I last had a no-hitter that I can’t remember. It’s nice to feel like I’ve gotten a no-hitter again.”

The KBO banned bench clearing as part of the quarantine measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it difficult to see bench clearing for a while. Now that the pandemic is over, bench clearing has become a rare occurrence as the atmosphere of that time has carried over to the present. Oh Won-seok, who joined SSG as the first pick of the 2020 Rookie Draft and is now in his fifth season, said, “It’s actually my first time seeing bench clearing since I joined the pro ranks. But I didn’t feel too embarrassed,” he laughs.