WINNER Lee Seunghoon's '18-Second Dance Pitch'... Unique vs Excessive, Opinions Divided

Winner Lee Seunghoon Dance Pitch Controversy
"Inappropriate Pitch"... KBO Complaint Filed

There has been a heated debate among baseball fans over Winner’s Lee Seunghoon’s 'dance pitch.' While some viewed Lee Seunghoon’s pitch positively as a unique performance, others criticized it for being an excessive act that affected the flow of the game.

On the 28th, Lee Seunghoon threw the ceremonial first pitch at the game between the Lotte Giants and the Hanwha Eagles held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan. Being from Busan, he shouted before stepping onto the mound, "The Winner of Lotte is here. Shout for the victorious Giants," and added, "I will pack in the winning energy of Winner and send it your way."

Member Lee Seunghoon of the group WINNER. [Image source=YouTube channel 'KBO']

After greeting, Lee Seunghoon took a pitching stance but suddenly started dancing to music. His solo song "That’s Just My Style" played in the stadium, and he danced for about 18 seconds. During this time, catcher Son Seongbin was in a catching stance, but no pitch came. After the performance ended, the ball Lee Seunghoon threw hit the home plate and flew high over Son Seongbin’s back.

Later, Lee Seunghoon posted a video of the pitch on his Instagram with the hashtag '#LotteGiants.' Fans left supportive comments such as "Cool," "Good job," "A pitch like no other," and "Surprised by the unique performance."

[Image source=Baseball broadcast screen]

However, there were also many critical opinions. The excessive performance was said to have disrupted the game’s operation. In fact, Lotte’s starting pitcher Charlie Barnes had to readjust the mound before pitching.

Netizens responded with comments like, "Pitches that interfere with the game are prohibited by regulations. The players are the main characters in the baseball stadium. This shows a complete lack of respect," "Dance somewhere else. The catcher has to stay crouched, not knowing when the pitch will come while the pitcher dances," and "If you came to throw the first pitch, just throw it and leave."

One fan filed a complaint with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), calling it an "inappropriate pitch." The complaint urged, "We strongly demand immediate measures such as sending official letters to each team to prevent inappropriate pitches that disrupt the flow of the game."

Meanwhile, Hanwha won the game 7-0. With the victory, Hanwha improved their season record to 57 wins, 61 losses, and 2 draws, rising to 6th place, while Lotte remained in 8th place with a season record of 52 wins, 62 losses, and 3 draws. The gap between the two teams widened again to three games.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.