Round 2, Game 1

Bears 8, Eagles 0
Doosan takes 1-0 series lead.

Doosan beat Hanwha in every facet of the game. Doosan pitched better, they hit better and they caught the ball better. Doosan ace, Danny Rios, was spectacular. He went 8 strong innings, only striking out one, but he kept the Hanwha batters off balance all day. It took Rios only 91 pitches to carve up Hanwha for 8 innings. He scattered 6 hits and allowed a walk, but was in complete control all game long.

Danny Rios is a 34 year old former Yankees and Royals farmhand. He had a few cups of coffee in the big leagues, but never anything that could be called a career. He is nearing the end of his finest season in pro ball with Doosan. Rios finished the year with a league best 22-5 record and a leagues best 2.07 ERA while averaging over 7 innings a start. Rios is a "power pitcher," but he doesn't post high strikeout totals("only" 147). He's been an out machine all year. He's essentially become the Korean version of Jon Garland, except more effective against Korean bats than Garland has been against American bats. He boasts a plus fastball with movement, but what makes him effective is his ability to change speeds to keep the hitters off balance here. There's some speculation that Rios might leave for Japan next year. I'm not sure how well he'd do there. As long as he can change speeds effectively on hitters, I think he could succeed anywhere.

Hanwha was able to keep the game close for a while. They were trailing only 2-0 in the 6th but in the 7th and 8th innings the floodgates opened. It was a hit parade in both innings. Doosan managed to score 8 runs without hitting a homerun. Doosan has the most patient lineup in the KBO. These guys are the Oakland A's of the KBO. They are very good at not making outs. The stand out was Lee Dae Su. He went 4-4 with a triple, a run scored and two RBIs.

The hero: Danny Rios. He was a buzzsaw.

The goat: The Hanwha bullpen. Hanwha did not spell relief on Sunday. It looked like they were throwing BP for the last 3 innings.

Hanwha could start planning for game two when: Doosan started slapping around the Hanwha bullpen. If this keeps up, it could be a short series.

Game two is Monday at 6pm Seoul time. Chong Min Chol(12-5, 2.90 ERA) takes the rubber for Hanwha and foreign ringer Matt Lander(12-8, 3.12 ERA) is scheduled for Doosan.