VIDEO: Korean League Player Reaches 1st Base on Called Strike 3 After Catcher Botches Play
By Sean Facey
We've all seen batters advance to first on swinging third strikes that got away from the catcher, but this is something special. The catcher for the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization actually dropped a called third strike, yet allowed the batter to reach first base as the ball trickled away from him the way to the backstop.
Summarize Lotte Giants' season in one tweet: pic.twitter.com/zIH4F9PiJJ
— Sung Min Kim (@sung_minkim) July 17, 2019
Sure, the pitcher may have missed his spot, but dropping a third strike that was basically right down main street is ridiculous. It's a sure-fire recipe for failure.
The batter, Lee In-Haeng, ultimately came around to score in the inning, a run that proved to be too much to overcome in the Giants' 3-1 loss to the Kia Tigers. Next time around, this catcher hopefully manages to finish off the strikeout by actually catching the pitch. What an idea!