Doosan foreign pitcher Cole Irvin directly addressed the controversy over his confrontation with Park Byung-ho (Samsung Lions).
Foreign pitcher Cole Irvin of the Doosan Bears made his debut start in the home opener against the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 28th, pitching 7 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 4 without allowing a run, with 87 pitches. It was a solid performance that led the team to a 2-0 victory.
The controversial situation arose after the end of the top of the 7th inning. Irvin faced a challenging situation against Park Byung-ho with two outs and a runner on second base. An errant pitch allowed the runner, Kang Min-ho, to advance to third base, and Irvin found himself with a 3 balls and 1 strike unfavorable count against Park. However, remaining calm, he induced a swing-and-miss with his cutter on the fifth pitch, then threw a 151 km/h fastball on the sixth pitch, resulting in a fly out to right field.
After finishing the top of the 7th inning, Irvin entered the dugout and spoke to Park Byung-ho, who was at first base. At that moment, Park reacted angrily and was seen shouting at Irvin on the broadcast. Umpires, Yang Eui-ji, and Kang Min-ho gathered to calm Park. Meanwhile, Irvin raised both arms high towards the home fans, expressing his joy at achieving a quality start with no runs allowed in 7 innings.
What kind of confrontation did Irvin have with Park Byung-ho? After the game, Irvin noted, "I was excited because I finished the 7th inning well, and in a way, I was excited because of the cultural differences. If there was any possibility of misunderstanding, and if there was a misunderstanding, I would like to go directly to Park Byung-ho tomorrow to clear it up."
When asked what he said to Park Byung-ho, he replied, "It might have been caught on the broadcast, but I don't want to repeat that here."
Irvin was aware that Park Byung-ho had played for the Minnesota Twins in Major League Baseball. He stated, "I obviously know that Park Byung-ho has played in the U.S. Therefore, I want to go and clear up the misunderstanding tomorrow."
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