SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Korean prosecutors have indicted two baseball players for allegedly manipulating games for gambling purposes in what could be another blow to the reputation of the country's professional sports leagues.
Prosecutors in Changwon city on Thursday said they believe pitcher Lee Tae Yang, a starter for NC Dinos in the Korea Baseball Organization, deliberately allowed first-inning walks and runs in two games last season after receiving 20 million won ($17,500) from a gambling broker, who has been arrested.
Moon Woo-ram, an outfielder currently with South Korea's military baseball team in KBO's second-tier competition, was also indicted for allegedly receiving 10 million won ($8,770) in cash and gifts from the broker for connecting him with Lee, according to a statement from the prosecution office.
The Changwon-based Dinos issued an apology over the suspicions surrounding Lee, who has been left off the team's active roster since June 28 for what the team had described as an elbow injury, and said it was taking steps to terminate the contract.
Lee, 23, enjoyed a breakout season for the Dinos in 2015, going 10-5 as a starter to help the team reach the playoffs. He was also part of the South Korean team that won the World Baseball Softball Confederation's inaugural Premier 12 tournament held in Taiwan and Japan in November. This season, Lee was 2-2 with a 4.21 ERA before the team shelved him.
Moon, 24, remains under contract with the Seoul-based Nexen Heroes, and has been serving out his compulsory military service with the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps., whose baseball team competes in KBO's secondary Futures League.
South Korea's major professional sports leagues, including baseball, soccer and basketball, have been rocked by match-fixing scandals in recent years that have led to jail sentences and lifetime bans of several players and coaches.
