Moon Hyun-bin's first hit at Tokyo Dome was unfairly taken away by the misjudgment that Korea can but MLB can't

Nov 15, 2025

Moon Hyun-bin's first hit at Tokyo Dome was unfairly taken away by the misjudgment that Korea can but MLB can't
The scene where Moon Hyun-bin's ball falls in front of the pitcher's right foot. The umpire, however, declared out, judging that the first baseman caught it by hitting the foot without hitting the ground. Naver Broadcast Screen Capture



Moon Hyun-bin's first hit at Tokyo Dome was unfairly taken away by the misjudgment that Korea can but MLB can't
A warm-up match between Korea and the Czech Republic at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 9th. In the top of the ninth inning, Moon Hyun-bin is hitting an RBI timely hit with two outs and a runner on second base. Gocheok = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.11.9/
Moon Hyun-bin's first hit at Tokyo Dome was unfairly taken away by the misjudgment that Korea can but MLB can't
2025 K-Baseball Series warm-up match between South Korea and Japan held at Tokyo Dome, Japan on the 15th. Coach Ryu Ji-hyun is on the ground in the top of the fifth inning to appeal to the judges. Yonhap News
Moon Hyun-bin of the Korean baseball team lost a hit. Director Ryu Ji-hyun asked for a video review, but he did not read it as a target.

Moon Hyun-bin started as No. 7 - left fielder in the first warm-up match against Japan in Tokyo, Japan, on the 15th, and had an infield hit in the top of the fifth inning, but was ruled out due to the umpire's misjudgment.

The situation was like this. Moon Hyun-bin, who came out as the first batter in the top of the fifth inning, played against Japan's third pitcher, Yuki Matsumoto. Moon Hyun-bin's hard-hit ball went toward the pitcher and when Matsumoto tried to hit his right foot, the ball suddenly popped up in the process of pulling his foot back and flew to the foul area of the first base. The first baseman caught the ball, and in the meantime, Moon Hyun-bin ran to first base.




The question is whether Moon Hyun-bin's ball hit the ground and hit Matsumoto's foot, floating or hitting Matsumoto's foot directly.

If the ball hits the ground, it is a hit, but if it hits only the foot and floats, it is a flyout. Matsumoto testified that he didn't hit the ground, but was hit by his foot.

Four referees gathered and held a long meeting before declaring out.




Moon Hyun-bin's first hit at Tokyo Dome was unfairly taken away by the misjudgment that Korea can but MLB can't
A warm-up match between Korea and the Czech Republic at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 9th. In the top of the ninth inning, Moon Hyun-bin is hitting an RBI timely hit with two outs and a runner on second base. Gocheok = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.11.9/
Moon Hyun-bin's first hit at Tokyo Dome was unfairly taken away by the misjudgment that Korea can but MLB can't
A warm-up match between Korea and the Czech Republic at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 9th. In the top of the sixth inning, Moon Hyun-bin, with two outs, is hitting a timely two-run hit. Gocheok = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.11.9/
Director Ryu Ji-hyun came out and applied for a video review, but the U.S. referee did not accept it. This warm-up match follows the WBC regulations, and the video review is the same as the MLB regulations. Moon Hyun-bin returned to the dugout because the referee did not accept the video review target as Ari.

After being confirmed as out, the broadcast showed the exact scene on a slow screen, and the ball fell in front of Matsumoto's feet and the soil was splattered. In other words, infield hits are right.

According to MLB's video reading regulations 'Whether a fly ball or line drive was caught before touching the ground is subject to review.




However, it is said that it is impossible to review whether or not the ball handled by the defender in the infield is caught.

In Korea, it doesn't make sense that the major leagues can't read videos. It should be seen that Korea is trying harder to make an accurate decision.

In the end, Moon Hyun-bin unfairly lost his first hit to the adult national team due to a misjudgment that could not happen in Korea.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.