A catcher who was released after being accused of signaling to opposing team's batters claimed his innocence. He spoke out five months after the incident.

Derek Bender (22), a catcher who was released after playing for the Minnesota Twins' Single-A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels in September last year, stated on the 28th (Korean time) in an interview with The Athletic that he feels wronged.

Bender was accused of having informed opposing team batters of the pitch types of starting pitcher Rod Dunn during the second game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers' Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers on Sept. 7 last year. Whether due to the signal exposure or not, Fort Myers lost 0-6, allowing four runs in just the second inning. They failed to make the playoffs by half a game, and the outcome might have been different if there hadn't been a signal exposure that day.

According to a report by ESPN at the time, coaches from Lakeland heard from players that Bender had signaled to them and alerted the Fort Myers coaches. Following an internal investigation by the team, Bender was abruptly released. It appeared that Bender's comment to his teammates that he wished the season would end quickly contributed to confirming that he had indeed signaled.

However, after five months, Bender spoke out. His agency, Octagon, advised him not to interview, but Bender could not hold back any longer. During the interview, after severing ties with the agency, he stated, "I never provided any information that would help the opposing team. I absolutely did not intend to give any information that would be disadvantageous to our team," asserting his innocence.

Bender acknowledged that he made the comment about wanting the season to end quickly but argued that it was a light-hearted joke. After the collegiate season ended, rookie players entering the professional league were physically exhausted, and there were conversations among players about being ready to go home. There were also jokes about not fielding ground balls.

Bender was summoned to the manager's office after the game in question and was interrogated by Fort Myers manager Brian Meyer about whether he had signaled to the opposing team. Bender promptly denied it but missed the last two remaining games. He couldn't even enter the dugout and watched the games from the bullpen. At first, a few teammates sided with Bender, but over time, they distanced themselves.

Bender tried to talk to pitcher Dunn, who threw the ball that day, telling him, "Whatever you heard is not true. I would never do such a thing," but Dunn did not believe him. Later, the Minnesota organization stated that Bender would be accepted back onto the team if he admitted everything and apologized, but Bender only apologized and did not provide reasons. Since it was not true for Bender, he could not acknowledge it and ultimately had to accept his release.

After allegations were raised in an ESPN report, Bender endured severe criticism. As he was disgracefully released for actions contrary to sportsmanship, the impact on him, as well as on his parents, was significant. His father consulted with a lawyer to file a lawsuit, and his mother woke up in the middle of the night crying.

Bender stated, "I couldn’t access the internet for at least three days. I had to set all my social media accounts to private. I received everything from death threats to horrific comments," and added, "All of this made me drift away from the baseball I love. But I realized that I want to win more games as a baseball player. I love baseball, and I enjoy winning. That's all I want to do," expressing his desire to continue his career as a baseball player.

According to Major League Baseball (MLB) Rule 21(a), it is prohibited for a player to intentionally induce or attempt to cause their team to lose. The MLB office conducted an investigation over several months, interviewing more than 12 witnesses, and stated that they found evidence suggesting Bender intentionally tried to lose games. If confirmed completely as a fact, Bender would face a lifetime ban and could apply for reinstatement after one year.

Meanwhile, Bender was a promising power hitter who played as a right-handed catcher and first baseman, achieving a .326 batting average (168 hits in 515 at-bats) over 144 games during three years at Coastal Carolina University, with 32 home runs and 153 RBIs, posting an OPS of .979. He was drafted by Minnesota in the 6th round, 188th overall, during the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft last June and recorded a .200 batting average (12 hits in 60 at-bats), with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs, posting an OPS of .606 in 19 games in Single-A.

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