Major League Baseball has informed its South Korean counterpart it has fined the Baltimore Orioles for breaching protocols in signing a Korean pitcher, officials here said Thursday.

According to the Korea Baseball Organization, MLB imposed an unspecified amount of fine on the Orioles, after the club signed 17-year-old pitcher Kim Seong-min last month.

The KBO, which runs the top baseball league here, had complained to MLB that the Orioles failed to follow proper steps in acquiring the left-hander out of a high school in Daegu, a city some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Under a player contract agreement between the two leagues, an MLB team interested in a South Korean amateur or professional player must conduct a “status check” with the KBO on the player’s availability. According to the KBO, the Orioles didn’t inquire about Kim’s status. Officials here have said that although the step is “a mere formality,” rules should still be respected.

The Orioles last week apologized for their “unintentional breach of protocol.”

According to KBO officials, MLB said the contract, reportedly worth $550,000, will not be approved for the next 30 days as part of its sanctions on the Orioles. Kim will have to leave the team for the duration and train on his own.

“The contract between Kim and Baltimore is still valid,” one official said. “But after receiving our complaint, MLB has decided not to approve it for 30 days in what we feel is a symbolic gesture. And fining the team is also a significant step.”

In 2008, MLB took a similar measure with the Los Angeles Angels’ contract with a South Korean right-hander Jang Pil-joon, after the club failed to tender a status check. The Angels’ contract was held up for a month and they were kept from applying for a status check or contacting Jang for the duration. But with no other team pursuing the pitcher, the Angels ended up acquiring Jang. 

(Yonhap News)