Hwang Seong-bin (26), an outfielder of the Lotte Giants in the professional baseball league, gained the image of a “national bad player” as soon as this season started. He gained popularity due to controversy over his “non-manners” before baseball, and was booed by fans of nine teams except Lotte. After all, he couldn’t smile as much as he wanted even on the day when he showed the best performance in his baseball career. “Honestly, I felt very uncomfortable. I will be more careful from now on,” he said in tears while bending his head down.
The incident that started took place in the match against the KIA Tigers in Gwangju on April 26. Hwang, who was deployed as a pinch runner to the first base, made several skip moves slightly toward the second base while his feet were attached to the ground. As his “Should I run or not” moves as if making fun of the pitcher repeatedly, TV broadcasters even joked that it was like a techno dance.
Yang Hyun-jong of Kia who was on the mound couldn’t hide his displeasure when he saw the scene. With little change in his expression on his face, he even stared at Hwang and had a flag fight. Since then, other players including Hwang Jae-gyun (KT Wiz) and Koo Ja-wook (Samsung Lions) have playfully imitated the situation, and Hwang’s skip movement has become a “meme” in the baseball world.
This is not the end. Hwang had another friction with LG’s Casey Kelly in a match against the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 18th. He violated the pitch clock in pilot operation six times, and even after hitting a foul ball, he sprinted to first base and slowly walked back to the batter’s box, dragging his feet. Kelly, whose pitching flow was cut off, shouted at Hwang after the inning and expressed his discontent. Eventually, it led to bench-clearing in which both teams of players ran out and fought.
After that, the internet went viral. Lotte fans defended Hwang’s “passion” as essential to the team, but fans of other teams pointed fingers at him as an “hate” for unnecessarily provoking opponents.
“This is my way to achieve the best outcome. Nobody would think that I am not trying hard,” Hwang said at the time. “The opponent team might feel uncomfortable with the image, but I try not to care because I can’t do what I prepared.” However, even Kim Tae-hyung, manager of his team Lotte, cautiously urged the rival team to refrain, saying, “If you act excessively, you can be bothered by what you have prepared.”
Afterwards, Hwang, who was out of breath, finally became a star through baseball, not controversy. At a doubleheader in Busan against the KT Wiz on the 21st, Hwang hit three home runs (two in the first game and one in the second game) to lead its third consecutive win. With the victory in the second game of the doubleheader, Lotte beat KT to the bottom and escaped from the bottom.
Standing 1 meter 72 centimeters tall, Hwang had one home run as of the previous day, and he was probably a school hitter who only had one home run throughout his elementary, middle, high school and college days. As Hwang flew over the fence three times a day, Busan got heated up. Lotte fans already gave him the nickname “Ma Huang” (Ma Province Hwang Seong Bin).
“I was actually very uncomfortable with all the things that have happened so far,” Hwang said, wiping away tears. “After much consideration, I came to the conclusion that I should be careful not to cause misunderstanding to the players of the opposing team.” “I thought that if the opponent feels uncomfortable regardless of my intention, I should not make such a thing happen in the first place,” he said. “It was hard, but I think these things have made me stronger. I want to play in the game by remembering this mind and attitude for a long time.”
BY: 토토