Former Tampa Bay Rays utility man Luke Scott didn’t exactly endear himself to people in the U.S., and he’s reportedly not making much of an impression in South Korea, either.
Scott was released by the SK Wyverns for allegedly being “disrespectful” to coach Lee Man-soo, as reported by The Korea Times. Scott had been upset after being placed on a reserve team with plantar fasciitis and argued with Lee about it.
“Scott and Lee got into a conversation, and Scott eventually gestured and yelled at the coach, using expressions such as ‘liar’ and ‘coward’ to refer to him,” The Korea Times wrote. “After Lee cut the conversation short and returned to his office, Scott turned to reporters at the stadium and started to blame Lee.
“He reportedly said that he is the one who knows his physical condition best, and has had his own ‘routine’ in managing it during his Major League Baseball career. But he argued that the team does not respect that, and just forces its ways on him.”
While the incident seems like Luke Scott being Luke Scott to Americans, “insiders” to the Times said that Scott was “the victim of cultural differences, rather than being insubordinate.”
In fact, incidents like Scott’s have started conversations about how to handle those cultural differences with the influx of foreign players in the Korean Baseball Organization.
Regardless of the incident, Scott’s performance in the KBO has been lackluster. He was already on the disabled list three times and was batting .267 with six home runs in 33 games.
h/t to Deadspin
Photo via John E. Sokolowski-USA Today Sports
