Eagles’ translator ejected for using smartwatch

In a game between the Hanwha Eagles and Lotte Giants at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on Saturday, umpires checked the Eagles dugout to find out if electronic devices were being used.

Under KBO rules, no player, coach or staff can use electronic devices including cell phones or laptops in the dugout or on the ground after the game starts. It is also a serious violation if any staff hands over information from an electronic device during the game.

In the bottom of the second inning, MBC Sports+, the broadcaster of the game, showed the Eagles manager Kim Sung-keun. Behind Kim, however, someone was visibly checking his smartwatch.

Television viewers noticed this and called the KBO, which then contacted its officials in the game and asked umpires to check.

After the game stopped due to rain in the bottom of the third inning, the umpires visited the Eagles’ dugout to find out if anybody was using a smartwatch. The umpires didn’t find anybody using a smartwatch and the game resumed.

However, the Eagles later told reporters their Japanese translator was using a smartwatch and he was ejected from the dugout. The Eagles said he was using a smartwatch to check for messages, but he was not doing anything connected to the game.

In Major League Baseball, Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost was recently caught for wearing Apple’s latest gadget during a game. He was not banned from wearing it in the dugout because he was using the device solely as a watch.

BY JOO KYUNG-DON [joo.kyungdon@joongang.co.kr]