“Never Pitch Again!” WINNER’s Lee Seung-hoon Addresses Baseball Fans’ Backlash for His Dance Performance

On August 28, Lee Seung-hoon appeared as the ceremonial pitcher at the game between the Lotte Giants and the Hanwha Eagles held at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Dongnae-gu, Busan. A native of Busan, Lee Seung-hoon energized the crowd by shouting, “The winner of Lotte has arrived. Victory Giants, make some noise!”

However, the excitement was short-lived. Before launching the pitch, Lee Seung-hoon performed a portion of the choreography for the title track of his first solo album, “MY TYPE,” which was released last month.

Despite catcher Son Seong-bin taking over the catcher position twice, Lee Seung-hoon did not throw the ball and continued dancing, raising suspicions that the performance was not pre-arranged. Due to Lee Seung-hoon’s awkward throw, Son Seong-bin had to chase the ball to the net behind the bench. However, Lee Seung-hoon seemed satisfied, which angered the fans. In addition, it was noted that Lotte’s starting pitcher Charlie Barnes had to readjust the mound before pitching, probably due to the excessive performance.

Considering that the match was a crucial match in the tight mid-table battle against Hanwha, Lotte fans were particularly unhappy. The situation worsened with Lotte’s 7-0 defeat, leaving the fans disappointed.

Comments on the launch video posted by Lee Seung-hoon on his social media included criticisms such as: “Why are you dancing on the mound? It’s inconsiderate,” “Never throw Sajik the first pitch again. Game-stopping pitches are against the rules and you should have known better. The ballpark is where the players are the main stars,” and “What do you think a ceremonial pitch is?” However, there were also supportive comments such as “Why blame the pitcher for the loss?” and “That was fun to watch. A cheerful ceremonial pitch.”

Source: Nate