Ex-KBO pitcher charged with match fixing

All News 16:57 June 25, 2021

DAEGU, June 25 (Yonhap) -- Former professional baseball pitcher Yun Sung-hwan was charged with match fixing on Friday, a development that adds to the ex-star's legal troubles following an earlier arrest over illegal gambling charges.

Prosecutors in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, said they have established fresh charges against Yun, accusing him of fixing a game last year in exchange for 500 million won (US$443,380) in cash.

According to prosecutors, Yun was asked to give up a walk in the first inning of a game and then allow a certain number of runs before the fourth inning.

This file photo from June 3, 2021, shows former baseball pitcher Yun Sung-hwan (C) following his arrest warrant application hearing on illegal gambling charges at Daegu District Court in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)

Prosecutors believe Yun illegally gambled away the 500 million won he pocketed from the fixing scheme.

Yun was first arrested on June 3 on illegal gambling charges. Prosecutors also began looking into match-fixing suspicions and found enough evidence to charge Yun.

The series of legal issues marks a spectacular fall from grace for Yun, who pitched 15 seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the Daegu-based Samsung Lions.

Yun is the Lions' franchise leader with 135 career wins, which put him eighth overall in KBO history. He won four straight Korean Series championships with the Lions, starting in 2011. The right-hander recorded two wins each in the 2012 and 2014 Korean Series.

Yun was cut by the Lions after the 2020 season.

The KBO dealt with a massive match-fixing scandal in 2016, leading to multiple players facing a range of penalties.