[Hit by Pitch, credit to Pixabay]

The hitter of Hanwha Eagles was hit by Samsung Lion’s pitcher’s deliberate pitch that originated from a bench decision in last Sunday's game.

On June 4th, controversy was caused by several beanball pitches that happened in a single game in the KBO(Korea Baseball Organization).  

The cause of the incident was thought to be the exaggerated ceremony of the Eagles hitter after hitting a grand slam during the game. 

When Hanwha Eagles was winning against Samsung Lions by a slim margin, Lee Jin Young (Hanwha, 27) hit a loose pitch of the pitcher thrown to the center of the strike zone and made a grand slam.

However, the Samsung Lions team felt that the Eagles’ ceremony was too excessive.

Thus, the coaches and supervisor of Samsung Lions instructed the pitcher to hit the next hitter by throwing a bean ball. 

Two balls almost hit the next hitter even as he  tried to dodge the thrown ball. 

The hitter was finally hit on his back by the pitcher on the third ball.

The noise in  the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles Park became silent, and the atmosphere became tense.

The batter calmly took off his batting gloves and walked to first base without responding, as is expected after a hitter is struck by a pitched ball..

Fortunately, there were no bench-clearings or verbal battles between players, but such situations have led to bench clearing in the past.

Team Samsung Lions have yet to   state if the pitch was deliberate.

Almost every sport has unwritten laws, however, baseball in particular contains many unwritten, rigorously followed rules. 

Unwritten laws refer to  rules that are not official or helpful, but are an active part of the game.

For example, if a team is winning with a big score difference, the runner on base cannot steal a base.

Further, a hitter cannot hit a ball when the count is 3 balls with no strikes.

If the hitter breaks the rule, he will often be hit by the ball on the next bat. 

When these unwritten rules are broken, bench clearing or physical altercations between players and coaches often occur. 

These rules rarely have a specific origin or reason, but are followed as they have become norms in the game over time. 

Beanballs have been thrown in various leagues throughout the world. 

It is yet to be determined whether any consequence will occur from this incident, or whether such behaviors will continue.