4/29 Roundup and News

This is from last night in Busan. The local populace has certainly embraced this squad.

I found this at the Korea Times. The KBO announced a 66 player olympic roster! Talk about indecisive. Complete with 37 pitchers, 5 catchers and twelve position players. 12 position players. So, 8 guys in the field, 9 man bench. There is going to be exactly one more backup position player than there are backup catchers. I guess, the term "balanced roster" doesn't translate.

SK 8, Hanwha 4

If it weren't for a three-run homerun by Hanwha warm body, Lee Do-hyeon, off of SK warm body, Ka Duk-yeom, the final would have been 8-1. That makes the game sound close.

SK essentially beat Hanwha in every facet of the ballgame last night. The Wyverns are a lot of fun right now. They haven't lost a ballgame in ten days! Park Jae-sang(.282/.406/.410) and Park Jae-hong(.349/.404/.698) led the charge for SK last night. Jae-sang went 3-4 with two runs, two RBI and two SB's. Jae-hong was 3-4 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored.

SK starter, Chae Byeong-yong(1.98 ERA, 4-0, 1.16 WHIP) tossed 8 strong innings(99 pitches, 67 strikes), allowing 1 run on 5 hits and striking out 4.

Samsung 6, Woori 5

Samsung trailed 5-1 in the 6th inning. They tacked on one run to make it 5-2. I was convinced we had seen the fake rally and Samsung would go quietly into the night. I was also convinced that this was the same lethargic bunch that limped into the playoffs last year and would never crush my hopes completely. I'd rather be hopeful(like SK fans are) or hopeless(like LG fans are). I hate being stuck in between. Then, Samsung mounted a 7th inning rally and Oh Seung-hwan(8 saves) nailed the game down for his 8th save. I'm suddenly hopeful again, but I still don't trust these guys.

At the plate for Samsung, Park Han-yi(.353/.452/.459, 18 runs scored) and Park Seok-min(.298/.412/.405) both went 3-4. Yang Jun-hyeok(.196/.282/.293) came off the bench for a big pinch hit, 2-RBI single in the 7th inning to give Samsung a 6-5 lead, but he did get caught in an awkward run down that ended with him essenitally surrendering.

Woori's Hwang Jae-gyun(.315/.351/.382) went 4-4 with two doubles and two RBI and Song Ji-man(.299/.333/.429) went 2-4 with a double and 3 RBI.

Lotte 8, LG 0

Another one of those "beat you in every facet" games. Lotte simply did everything better than LG. This game didn't feel quite as lopsided as the score would have you believe, until the 7th inning, Lotte only led 3-0. Jamie Brown(6.23 ERA, 1-3, 1.71 WHIP) appeared to run out of gas and the opportunistic Giants jumped all over him. When the dust settled, Brown had allowed 5 runs over 6 innings(99 pitches, 61 srtikes) on 8 hits and one walk. Brown added 5 punchouts.

On the mound for Lotte was Jang Won-jun(4.98 ERA, 3-2, 1.62 WHIP). Jang tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings(112 pitches, 66 strikes). He allowed only 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6.

At the plate for Lotte, Lee Dae-ho(.357/.443/.571), 4HR, 26RBI, 18 R) came up big. He went 3-4 with a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored. Every Lotte starter except Park Hyeon-sung had a hit.

KIA 6, Doosan 2

KIA was all over Doosan from the beginning. This was a "Death by one thousand cuts" game. KIA could break through with a huge inning, but they pieced together a few one and two run innings. Before Doosan knew it they were trailing 6-0. If it weren't for a pair of fake rallies in the 7th and 8th inning, Doosan would have been shutout. For some reason it appeared Doosan was lacking the intensity that they brought to last week's series with SK. It was a fairly lethargic effort from the Bears.

KIA's Lee Hyeon-gon(.238/.284/2.87) went 2-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored. Starting pitcher, Seo Jae-weong(3.47 ERA, 1-2, 1.54) tossed 6 1/3 strong innings(107 pitches, 64 strikes) allowing one run on 7 hits and 3 walks. Seo also struck out 4.

Cheer Babe of the Week

Joongang Ilbo staff reporter, Yoo Jee-ho, posted this article today. I guess he wishes that the KIA Tigers were awesome and the SK Wyverns sucked, but whatever, it's better written than most "Devil You Know..." articles that get posted by English language newspapers here. It's actually an interesting read. It offers a look into the mindset of a Korean baseball fan. Now, onto the cheerbabe...


This is Ahn Hye-min of the Samsung Lions cheer squad. No, Hye-min, we love you.

4/25 - 4/27 Weekend Roundup

First up, an article from the Korea Times about Kim Byung-hyun. He can't understand why Korean teams want him and American teams don't.

Also from the Korea Times is an interesting feature on SK ace, Kim Kwang-hyun. The writer claims there's a rivalry between Kim and Hanhwa ace Ryu Hyun-jin, but this is the first I've heard of it. The writer also mentions that Hanhwa is limiting Ryu's workload and giving him six days between starts. Probably a good idea.

On to the roundup....

Lotte vs. Samsung

4/25 - Lotte 4, Samsung 3
4/26 - Samsung 4, Lotte 3
4/27 - Samsung 17, Lotte 3

On Friday night, Samsung t00k a 3-2 lead into bottom of the 10th and handed the ball to closer, Oh Seung-hwan(2.61 ERA, 7 saves). Oh was walked off on a ringing double by Lotte's Cho Seong-hwan(.357/.410/.457). Cho was 2-3 with 3 RBI, a double, a walk and two stolen bases. Samsung catcher, Jin Kab-yong(.313/.387/.578) continued his success at the plate on Friday. He went 3-3 with a two RBI and a walk. Lotte ace, Son Min-han(2.34 ERA, 3-0) was razor sharp on Friday, but the Giants couldn't get him enough runs for another W. Son worked 8 2/3 innings(113 pitches, 70 strikes), allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and three walks. He also struck out 4.

On Saturday, it was the Giants bullpen turn to pitch poorly. The Giants held a slim 3-2 lead in the 7th, but allowed Samung to tie on an RBI single from Samsung 1st baseman Jacob Cruz(.319/.396/.396). Samsung took the lead in the 8th on an RBI double from Choi Hyeong-woo. This time, Oh Seung-hwan redeemed himself with a 1-2-3 9th inning for the save.

It felt like Lotte couldn't record an out on Friday. Everything left over the plate was hit hard during Samsung's 17-3 route. The only Samsung regular that didn't record an RBI was Kim Jae-geol and even he went 1-3 with a run scored. Samsung starter, Jeong Hyeon-wook(2.67 ERA, 2-1) cruised to an easy victory. Jeong tossed 6 innings(69 pitches, 48 strikes) while allowing two runs on three hits and two walks. Jeong also added 4 punchouts. Choi Hyeong-woo continued his hot hitting. Choi went 3-5 with a double, three runs scored and three RBI.

LG vs. Woori

4/25 - LG 4, Woori 3
4/26 - Woori 1, LG 0
4/27 - LG 8, Woori 7

On Friday night, LG scored four quick runs off of Woori starter, Ma Il-yeong and carried a 4-1 lead until Woori mounted a fake rally in the 6th to cut the deficit to 4-3. Foreign sensation, Chris Oxspring(3.07 ERA, 4-0!, 1.40 WHIP), notched another W. Oxspring tossed 5 2/3 innings (107 pitches, 64 strikes) allowing three runs on 4 hits and three walks. He also struck out two.

I was in attendence in Seoul on Saturday. I came away with three real impressions. 1. Lee Dae-hyeong(.297/.350/.324, 15 SB's) is an exciting player. 2. Bong Jun-gyun(2.66 ERA, 2-3, 1.25 WHIP) is awfully good. 3. The rest of the LG Twins are absolutely brutal. Bong was the tough luck loser on Saturday. He tossed 8 strong innings(114 pitches, 66 strikes) allowing one run on 3 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 2. He allowed an RBI single in the 2nd inning and that was all she wrote for LG. The game did go by remarkably fast, so bonus for few thousand brave souls that went.

On Sunday, LG scored 5 quick first inning runs, but allowed Woori to actually take a 7-5 lead after 6 innings. LG came back with a three-run rally in the bottom of the 8th to take the lead back for good. LG's Ahn Chee-yong went 2-4 with a double, 4 RBI and a run scored, while Woori's Kang Jeong-ho went 3-5 with a homer, 4 RBI and a run scored.

Hanwha vs. Doosan

4/25 - Doosan 4, Hanwha 3
4/26 - Hanwha 3, Doosan 2
4/27 - Hanwha 4, Doosan 3

Friday night's game was tied 3-3 at the end of 9 and went into extra innings. Hanwha essentially left Brad Thomas out to hang himself. The Hanwha closer tossed 43 pitches during his 2 2/3 innings of relief work. He appeared to run out of gas in the 11th and coughed up the lead on an RBI single. Well, they already burned out Ryu, why not burn out the foreign guy. Poorly managed game by one of the worst managers in the KBO. That's right, Kim In-sik, I'm calling you out!

Saturday was more of the same. A tight, reasonably well played ballgame, the only differences were that it didn't take extras and the outcome. Hanwha was staked to a 3-1 lead thanks to a two run blast by slugger, Kim Tae-won(.300/.387/.588, 7 homers and 20 RBI on the season). Doosan mounted a fake rally in the 5th, but the door was essentially shut after that. Hanwha reliever, Yoon Gyu-jin tossed three scoreless innings to put the final nails in Doosan's coffin.

Doosan carried a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th on Sunday, but their closer, Im Tae-hoon, coughed up the lead. He surrendered a walk off two-run homer to Hanwha first baseman, Kim Tae-gyun(.264/.382/.611, 7 homers, 22 RBI). Hanwha centerfielder, Doug Clark(.320/.415/.650 8 homers, 20 RBI) also hit a two-run bomb during the game. His came in the 4th inning.

SK vs. KIA

4/25 - SK 9, KIA 7
4/26 - SK 4, KIA 1
4/27 - SK 4, KIA 3

Break out the brooms!


It's a sweep for SK! You couldn't have two teams headed in directions that were more different than these two. SK, a well-run team that developed into a contender and KIA a poorly run club that attempts to solve problems by throwing large sums of money at mediocre to bad ballplayers.KIA never had a chance this weekend.

SK took an early 4-1 lead on Friday night, only to have KIA pull within a run. SK then piled five runs onto an awful KIA bullpen, while KIA mounted a fake rally to make the score look respectable in the papers. SK's Choi Jung(.380/.462/.481 16 runs scored) offered the line of the night on Friday. Choi went 4-5 with a double, 3 RBI and two runs scored.

Kim Kwang-hyeon(1.75 ERA, 5-1, 1.22 WHIP) was the story on Saturday night. He went 7 strong innings(104 pitches, 70 strikes) while allowing only 1 run on two hits and 3 walks. He struck out 10. SK managed to score 4 runs while only getting 4 hits. KIA pitching was in a charitable mood on Saturday. They surrendered 8 walks to SK batters.

Sunday was more of the same, except KIA actually held a lead in this game. They scored 3 first inning runs and lead until SK tied the game in the 2nd inning. SK starter, Lee Han-jin, faced 4 batters in the first inning. He gave up hits to all 4. He was pulled after throwing only 16 pitches(12 strikes). Song Eun-beom tossed 6 innings in relief of Lee. He allowed only 3 hits and one walk while his teammates scratched out enough runs to get back into the ballgame. Solid team effort from SK all weekend. SK cleanup hitter, Lee Jin-yeong(.297/.381/.419) went 3-4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored.

4/24 Roundup and News

Matt is busy fighting monsters in Kyongju. Here are the scores. Weekend roundup to follow....

Hanhwa 13, LG 1
SK 2, Lotte 1
Samsung 7, Doosan 3
KIA 7, Woori 6

4/23 Roundup and News

Doosan 7, Samsung 0

Happy Birthday, Matt! Oh, you didn't want a lifeless effort from a group of guys trying to leave the stadium as quickly as possible? Sorry. No returns.

This game reminded me so much of last year from the Lions. They looked better on paper, but failed to show up on the field. Samsung starter, Bae Yeong-su allowed a first inning homerun to Choi Jun-seok. Choi was filling in for Doosan slugger, Kim Dong-ju. Kim was announced in the lineup, but scratched before his first at bat. I can't find any info on an injury.

Doosan starting pitcher, Lee Sung-hak, baffled Samsung's bats for 6 2/3 innings(104 pitches, 58 strikes). He allowed only 4 hits and three walks, while striking out 4.

SK 5, Lotte 2

SK is the best team in Asia right now. They play team baseball and are capable of winning even when they're not scoring a ton of runs. They're also a lot of fun to watch.

The story here was the control of Lotte starter, Jang Won-jun. He walked 5 batters in 2/3 of an inning. He also allowed 4 runs on 1 hit. He was given the hook after 32 pitches, only 10 found the strike zone.

Lotte did their best to keep this one close, but the first inning proved to be too devastating. Lotte's Kang Min-ho did at a two-run blast in the 4th inning.

Woori 7, KIA 0

Woori starter, Jang Won-sam, was excellent last night. He tossed a complete game shutout(106 pitches, 69 strikes) while allowing only 4 hits and striking out 10. He dominated this game from the first inning to the 9th.

KIA starter, Jeon Byeong-du, was the opposite of Jang. Jeon pitched only 1 2/3 innings and was charged with 6 runs on two hits(one of them stayed in the park) and 4 walks. Somehow, he managed to strikeout two.

Woori outfielder, Lee Taek-gun, started the scoring in the first inning with a solo homer to leadoff the game. His solo shot proved to be all the scoring Woori would need.

Hanhwa 8, LG 4

LG was cruising to a 4-0 victory when they turned the game over to their bullpen in the 7th. The LG bullpen coughed up 7 runs on 6 hits and three walks. Hanhwa also recieved some help from a generous LG defense.

Hanhwa slugger, Kim Tae-gyun, went 1-3 on the night with 4 RBI and a walk. His 9th inning double proved to be the fatal blow for LG. LG closer, Woo Gyu-min took the loss, but everyone that pitched was responsible for some of the blame last night.

LG cleanup hitter, Choi Dong-su, finished the night 4-4 with a double, two RBI and a walk. LG leadoff man, Lee Dae-hyeong thieved 3 bases while going 1-4 with two walks and two runs scored.

Cheer Babe of the Week

I'd like you to meet Yu Jin-hyeong of the SK Wyverns cheer squad.

She has a lot to cheer for...and so do we. Sadly, no profile at SKsports.net, but I'm sure she wants to do her best to help her team win. Cheers to you, Jin-hyeong!

4/22 Roundup and News

Lots of links to start us off...

First, not one, but two articles from the Korea Times. The first is a really in-depth and well-written piece on Lotte Giants manager, Jerry Royster. The most have forgotten to run that one through the xenophobia machine they keep next to the printing press. The second is questionable piece on foreigners in the KBO. Apparently, Jose Lima has been demoted to the reserve squad and not released....yet.

National hero, Park Chan-ho, recorded a save yesterday. He tossed three innings and only allowed two homeruns. At the bottom of the article, there's a mention of Cubs prospect, Rhee Dae-sun. This kid sounds special and it sounds like he's not going to be on the farm for long.

Also, the Doosan Bears have been wearing a throwback jersey this year to celebrate their inaugural season and first championship in 1982. The jerseys have been changed a bit to reflect the new sponsor. The original sponsor was the Oriental Brewing Co. (OB), which is still in existence and makes my favorite Korean beer.

On to the roundup....

SK and Lotte were washed out last night. This could be a Korean Series preview. SK is definently the hottest team in Asia, if not the best. While Lotte has one of the top offenses in Asia and a legit ace pitcher.

Doosan 7, Samsung 6

This team is slowly killing me. The Lions showed just enough in the first two weeks to get me excited(just like my beloved White Sox. The parallels are getting eerie). Now, we get lifeless efforts and fake rallies. Good times!

Samsung was actually losing 7-0 at one point and that makes the game sound close. Samsung starter, Jeon Byeong-ho, was pummelled during his 2 2/3 innings. Jeon allowed 6 runs on 7 hits and one walk. 5 of the hits stayed in the park.

The game was already well out of hand when Choi Hyeong-woo clubbed a solo homer to start a 6th inning, 3-run fake rally. Samsung mounted an even better fake rally when they scored 3 runs off of Doosan closer, Im Tae-hoon. The winning run was at the plate in the form of Yang Jun-hyeok, the the all-time KBO hits leader and soon-to-be homerun leader. He thumped one to the warning track, just so he could get my hopes as high as possible before dashing them. Thanks Yang.

Kim Dong-ju and Hong Seong-hun both homered for Doosan. Every Doosan started reached base in this game.

KIA 4, Woori 3

Woori had this one wrapped up, until the Woori bullpen coughed up two runs in the 8th to give KIA the lead and after a 1-2-3 from KIA relievers Son Yeong-min and Han Ki-ju. Han recorded a 5 pitch strikeout for the save, while Son recorded the relief W.

Choi Hee-seop made another effort to earn his salary last night. Choi finished 1-2 with a homer, a run scored and two RBI. This continued good play is a disturbing trend. It's completely out of character for the large first baseman. He's currently at .246/.319/.462. He's almost hitting his weight....almost.

Hanhwa 4, LG 3

This game was played under borderline dangerous conditions. The field was sloppy and puddled. By the end of the game, almost everyone had muddy pants. Pitchers had hard time finding footing on a mound that was slowly turning to quicksand. Both teams were lucky to finish this game without serious injury.

The poor weather overshadowed the play. Hanhwa actually held a 4-0 lead at one point. LG was able to slowly chip away at the lead, but never really threatened. The game ball goes to Hanhwa starting pitcher, Jeong Min-cheol. Jeong tossed 6 drenched innings(77 pitches, 52 strikes!) allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and two walks. He also added 4 K's.

4/18 - 4/20 Weekend Roundup

Samsung vs. LG

4/18 - Samsung 7, LG 2
4/19 - LG 4, Samsung 1
4/20 - LG 7, Samsung 3

Samsung is having difficulty scoring runs when the pitcher isn't either ridiculously wild or serving up taters.

A strong effort from We Obermueller and two three-run innings were the keys to Samsung's Friday win. Big Wes tossed 7 innings(87 pitches, 58 for strikes) allowing one run on two hits and one walk. He struck out six. Foreign sensation Jacob Cruz went 3-4 with three RBI, one run and a walk for the Lions. 9 walks by LG pitching(7 by starter Park Myung-hwan!) were also a big help to the Samsung offense.

On Saturday, the story was the knuckleball of LG starter, Chris Oxspring. Oxspring is one of the few(only?) guys in Asia throwing the knuckler with any regularity. Hat tip to Koreabeat for the excellent translation. The line for Oxspring on Saturday was 5 innings(71 pitches, 39 strikes) allowing one run on three hits and two walks. Actually, the stat line makes the game sound close. If it weren't for a 2nd inning homerun by Samsung's Park Jin-man, the mighty Lions would have been shut out.

LG leadoff hitter, Lee Dae-hyong was unstoppable on Sunday. He went 5-5(all singles) with two runs scored and two stolen bases. Whenever LG's big bats came to the plate there was someone on base. The LG 3-4-5 hitters combined to go 4-12 with a walk and 5 RBI.

Woori vs. Lotte

4/18 - Lotte 9, Woori 2
4/19 - Lotte 5, Woori 2
4/20 - Woori 12, Lotte 4

Lotte ace, Son Min-han picked up his 3rd win of the season during the 9-2 route of Our Heroes. Son tossed 7 innings(93 pitches, 64 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and one walk. He struck out 4.

Kang Min-ho and Karim Garcia both homered during the romp. Lee Dae-ho picked up 4 more RBI while going 2-4 with two doubles.

Saturday's game was by far the most exciting of the series. The game was tied 2-2 in the top of the 9th. Woori recieved 8 excellent innings of work from ace Ma Il-yeong. Ma allowed only two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out 6. It took him 117 pitches(73 strikes) to get through 8 innings. Once Ma was out of the game, Lotte feasted on Woori's bullpen. Lotte abused the Woori bullpen for four hits and three runs in the inning. Lotte closer, Im Kyeong-won allowed one hit during the bottom of the ninth and recorded his 4th save of the season.

Cliff Brumbaugh was the story on Sunday. He clobbered Lotte pitching all day long. Brumbaugh went 2-3, both hits were homeruns, with 5 RBI and two runs scored.

Woori recieved solid pitching from their starter, Hwang Du-seong. Hwang tossed 7 innings(94 pitches, 68 for strikes) while allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and two walks. He also struck out 7.

Hanhwa vs. KIA

4/18 - Hanhwa 6, KIA 1
4/19 - KIA 10, Hanhwa 7
4/20 - Hanhwa 7, KIA 3

Ryu Hyeon-jin's return to form could make Hanhwa a playoff contender again this year. Ryu tossed 8 excellent innings(104 pitches, 68 strikes) on Friday. He allowed only one run on 4 hits with no walks. He also struck out 5.

Kim Tae-won was the Hanhwa offense. He clubbed a grand slam in 4th inning that proved to be the difference in the game. Kim finished the game 1-4 with the grand slam and a walk.

Saturday's game was your typical 87 hour Korean grindfest. I think, at one point, time actually stopped.

Kim Tae-won clubbed two more homers for Hanhwa in this one. Kim went 2-2 with 3 RBI, 3 runs scored and a walk. Foreign sensation, Dave Clark, added another homerun in this one. On the season, Clark has 7(!) homeruns already.

KIA's mediocre first baseman, Choi Hee-seop clubbed a grand slam during the 6th inning to put KIA on top for good. Choi is starting to show signs of life for the first time in years, KIA fans! Wilson Valdez also clubbed a solo homerun in the 8th.

Sunday featured a Jose Lima sighting. I swore I read he was released. If he wasn't, he should've been. Lima lasted only 1 1/3 innings(43 pitches, 21 strikes, at least 5 in the dirt) allowing 6 runs on 4 hits with three walks and one strikeout. I hate to say this, but I think Jose needs to find another line of work. I'd suggest English teacher, but I don't think he has the patience.

Doosan vs. SK

4/18 - SK 6, Doosan 3
4/19 - Doosan 6, SK 5
4/20 - SK 11, Doosan 2

This was probably the most interesting series heading into the weekend. A rematch of last season's Korean Series. This time in Seoul. These two teams did face off earlier in the season and Doosan got swept. After Friday's loss, Doosan had dropped 8 consecutive games in a row to SK, dating back to game 3 of last year's championship series.

Friday's game featured 15 pitchers, 9 by Doosan. It also featured me losing my will to watch the game. SK rallied for 4 runs in the 2nd and chased Doosan starter, Lee Sung-hak from the game. After that, I have no idea what happened because I was pounding my skull against the wall. This game was pure torture from a viewing perspective.

Saturday's game featured only 12 pitchers, and was only slightly more watchable because the game went on for 11 innings. Doosan broke a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the 11th. SK relief pitching walked in the winning run. Doosan finally notched one in the win column against SK.

On Sunday, SK beat Doosan in every facet of the game. They hit better. 11 runs is more than 2, I believe. SK's Lee Jin-yeong went 3-3 with 4 RBI, two runs scored, a homerun and a walk. SK pitched better. SK ace Kim Kwang-hyeon tossed 7 shutout innings allowing only 3 hits and two walks. Kim added two strikeouts. The fielding was essentially the same, but things did get more than a little chippy in this one. Thanks to Aaron at the EWC for the pics, links and commentary.

4/17 Roundup and News

Every morning I wake up and I ask for one thing. "Please, let there be a way I can work The Dugout into one of my roundups." Today is that day. It took Jose Lima getting released by the KIA Tigers to make it happen.

Talk to the hand.

Lotte and Doosan were washed out again.


SK 2, Samsung 1

Break out the brooms. It's a sweep!

You could've stopped watching after the second inning and not missed much. Samsung ace Bae Yeong-su pitched well enough to win, but he couldn't get any support. The line for Bae was 6 innings(87 pitches, 54 for strikes) allowing two runs on five hits and two walks. He also struck out 4.

Choi Cheong hit a two RBI double in the first. Choi finished the game 1-3 with SK's only extra base hit in the game.

Hanhwa 5, Woori 4

Woori held a 4-3 heading into the 9th, but couldn't seal the deal. Reliever, Cho Yong-hun picked up the L. A walk, a hit and some poor fielding lead to two Hanwha runs and a loss for Woori.

Hanhwa closer, Brad Thomas, recorded his first KBO victory last night. Hanhwa centerfielder, Doug Clark clubbed his 5th KBO homerun in the 4th inning. Not to be outdone, Hanhwa slugger Lee Beom-ho hit his 5th of the year two innings later.

LG 6, KIA 3

LG starting pitcher "Downtown" Jamie Brown offered his best effort to date in the young season. He worked 5 innings(78 pitches, 49 strikes) allowing two runs on 9 hits and a walk. He also notched his first win of the season.

LG leadoff hitter, Lee Dae-hyeong was a catalyst last night. He helped ignite LG's offense with a 3-5 effort. He recorded an RBI, a run, a double and a stolen base.

KIA mounted a fake rally off of LG closer, Kyeong Heon-ho, but he was relieved by Woo "The Vulture" Gyu-min. Woo recorded a one pitch, one out save.

4/16 Roundup and News

Two bits of news today....

First, we get this article from the Korea Times. It seemed fairly innocuous, but then the writer threw in this barb, "However, it is disturbing that Kim continues to display the bad habits picked up during his anonymous career in the United States." Yeah, the reason Kim Sun-woo is bad is because of the bad habits he picked up in the US. Everything is our fault.

And apparently, Lima Time is over. Jose Lima has been released by the KIA Tigers after only four starts. The final line for Jose, an 0-1 record with a 6.23 ERA over 21 1/3 innings, 28 hits, 8 walks and 7 K's. I can't wait to see who KIA finds to take his place. Jeff Weaver is no longer an option.

Lotte vs. Doosan was rained out last night.

Hanhwa 8, Woori 1

The score was only 2-1 when Woori starter, Lee Hyeon-sung left the ballgame after the 4th inning. The Woori bullpen coughed up 6more runs over the next five innings, while the Woori offense couldn't get much going last night.

Only one Hanhwa starter, infielder Kim Tae-won, failed to record a hit against Woori pitching. Kim was able to draw a walk, so every Hanhwa starter did reach base. 6 starters recorded two hits.

Hanwha starter, Jeong Min-cheol, recorded the W, but a three inning relief appearance was the key to the victory. Hanwha reliever, Yoon Kyu-jin, kept Woori off the board for the tough middle innings. He allowed only 1 hit and two walks during his three innings(36 pitches, 18 strikes).

KIA 1, LG 0

This was probably the most enjoyable game of the night. It moved fairly quick for the first 7 innings and was finished just around the three hour mark.

Our winner was KIA starter, Yoon Seok-min. Yoon worked 7 innings(91 pitches 60 for strikes) and allowed only 5 hits while recording 4 K's. He worked fast and only allowed a handful of hard hit balls.

Han Ki-joo recorded the save. He struck out two in 1 1/3 innings.

The tough luck loser was LG's Choi Won-ho. Choi worked 6 innings(109 pitches, 73 strikes) allowed 1 run on 6 hits and one walk while striking out 6.

SK 7, Samsung 6

At one point Samsung was down 7-1. A five-run fake rally, complete with a Grand Slam from Samsung slugger Yang Jun-hyeok made the final sound closer than the game really was.

Samsung starter, Jeon Byeong-ho, inexplicably stuck around for 5 innings, despite giving up 6 runs in the first two innings. Jeon allowed 10 hits and one walk while striking out 2. All six runs were earned.

SK thumper, Jeong Sang-ho went 2-3 with a homer, an RBI and two runs scored.

SK is now in sole possesion of first place. They own an 11-4 record.

4/15 Roundup and News

Poor Lee Seung-yeop. He skips part of spring training to play in the Olympic Qualifying Tournement and now he gets demoted to Japan's minor league. I get the impression it's more for scapegoating purposes, but Lee has looked lost at the plate since torching international competition in March. He could use a week or two to find his swing. I really have to wonder if anyone in the MLB would take a chance on him now. I get the feeling any chance he had to come to America is probably over now.

SK 4, Samsung 1

SK was simply the better team last night. Samsung couldn't do much at the plate and they couldn't keep SK off the scoreboard.

SK starter, Kim Kwang-hyeon was the big story last night. He silenced Samsung bats until the 7th inning. The only run he allowed was on a solo homerun from Shim Kwang-ho. The final line for Kim was 7 innings pitched(103 pitches, 63 for strikes) while allowing one run on 5 hits and 3 walks. He also struck out 6.

At the plate, infielder, Na Ju-hwan came up big from the #8 slot for SK. Na was 2-3 with two doubles, two RBI and one run scored.

Doosan 10, Lotte 4

At one point Doosan was up 10-0. It wasn't until Doosan warm bodies, Lee Won-jae and Lee Hye-jeon started giving up runs that Lotte could do anything offensively.

The KBO's most potent offense was handcuffed by Doosan starter, Gary Rath last night. Rath tossed 7 effective innings(99 pitches, 59 strikes) while allowing 5 hits, two walks and striking out 7(!).

Lotte starter, Jang Won-jun was a human Christmas tree last night. He was absolutely lit up. In his 1 1/3 innings of work, he allowed 7 runs on 8 hits. He wasn't helped in this field though, Lotte committed two errors while he was on the bump and three on the day.

Hanhwa 5, Woori 4

Hanhwa was cruising to a 5-0 victory, but the Hanhwa bullpen decided the game wasn't interesting enough and cough up 4 runs before recording the final outs.

Hanhwa starter, Yang Hoon, kept Woori hitters off balance for his 6 2/3 innings(89 pitches, 52 strikes) of 2-hit baseball. He also allowed two walks and struck out two while facing 22 batters. Deuces wild!

Hanhwa infielder, Lee Beom-ho, went 3-3 with a double, a homer, 1 RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.

LG 10, KIA 9

This was the wildest 4 1/2 hour game I've ever seen. KIA battled back from an 8-0 deficit to actually take the lead in the 9th....only to lose the game on a walk-off HBP!

Jose Lima suffered through his worst outing of the season last night. During his 3 2/3 innings he allowed 8 runs(all earned) on 8 hits and one walk. Most of the damage came during a 7 run 4th inning.

The real fireworks didn't come until KIA's 5-run 9th inning. The inning featured a pinch hit, two-run homer from struggling slugger Choi Hee-seop and two runs scoring on a botched fielder's choice to give KIA a 9-8 lead.

The KIA bullpen completely collasped in the 9th inning. Reliever Han Ki-ju allowed the tying run on 3 hits and one walk. Then he plunked LG warm body, Kim Yeong-woo, to allow the winning run to cross the plate.

KIA outfielder, Kim Ju-hyeong, went 4-5 with a double, a homer, two RBI and one run scored. LG leadoff hitter, Lee Dae-hyeong also went 4-5 with a double, a stolen base, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.

Cheer Babe of the Week

I believe this is Kim Shin-hong, but I don't have any way to verify. Doosan doesn't have cheerleader profiles on the website....yet. Either way, she loves her beloved Doosan Bears. Go Shing-hong, go!

4/11 - 4/13 Weekend Roundup

Another hat tip to Koreabeat for this article. I'm not going to call it racist, just slightly ignorant. The quote that bugs me the most is, "But it’s a little funny because his style still isn’t 100% Korean." Give the guy a break. He's a foreigner. Of course his style isn't 100% Korean. None of us weirdos from the west are, let alone a guy who's been in country for a few months and has spent most of the time working. I'd love to see the writer come to the US for a few months, then meet the mayor of Chicago. Let's see who screws up then.

Other news, Joongang Daily has a nice article about Sunday's action. They also mention how well Lotte has been drawing.

Doosan vs. LG

4/11 - Doosan 8, LG 3
4/12 - LG 6, Doosan 5
4/13 - LG 5, Doosan 2

On Friday, Doosan was running like a well oiled machine. Starting pitcher, Lee Sung-hak held the Twins to one run during his 7 innings(102 pitches, 64 for strikes) of work. He allowed 4 hits and two walks while striking out 4.

At the plate, Doosan #3 and #4 hitters both homered. Ko Yeong-min was 1-4 with a longball, three RBI and one run scored. Kim Dong-ju was 1-4 with a solo homerun. The big story was Kim Hyeon-su. He went 5-5(!) with 3 RBI and one run scored. 4 of the five hits were singles. The other was a double.

Doosan allowed a fake rally in the 9th. LG scored two runs off of reliever Lee Hye-cheon and that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

Poor fielding and poor pitching doomed Doosan on Saturday and Sunday. A total of 4 errors were committed over the weekend by Doosan fielding. On Saturday, all 6 LG runs came in the 7th inning and Doosan couldn't even mount a fake rally to get back into the game. On Sunday, Doosan starting pitcher, Kim Son-woo was chased from the game after only 2 1/3 innings. He allowed four of the five LG runs on 6 hits and two walks.

Lotte vs. KIA

4/11 - Lotte 7, KIA 3
4/12 - Lotte 8, KIA 4
4/13 - Lotte 4, KIA 3

Break out the brooms. KIA held the lead in all three of these games, but always seemed to give it back to Lotte.

On Friday, Lotte Ace, Kim Son-han went 6 strong innings(94 pitches, 60 strikes) while striking out 8. He allowed 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks. The 8 K's are important because he had only managed 4 K's in his previous 13 innings of work. Kim now sits at 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA. At the plate it was a team effort. Every Lotte starter except #9 hitter, Park Ki-hyeok had a hit.

Lotte was able to overcome a shaky start from Marty McLeary. McLeary didn't miss many bats during his 5 1/3 innings. He allowed 3 runs on 10(!) hits and two walks. He managed to strike out one guy, somehow. There was more action on the basepaths than at the plate. The two teams combined for 9 stolen bases on Saturday. At the plate it was the same story for Lotte. Every had a hit except for poor Park Gi-hyeok.

Song Sung-jun improved to a league best 3-0 on Sunday. He walked a tightrope for 5 innings. He allowed three first inning runs, but settled down and managed to stay in the game for 4 more innings. He allowed 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4.

KIA shortstop, Wilson Valdez, went 4-5 with a run scored and a double.

Hanhwa vs. Samsung

4/11 - Samsung 8, Hanhwa 6
4/12 - Hanhwa 6, Samsung 3
4/13 - Samsung 4, Hanhwa 2

The Friday game was a comedy of errors. At one point, the Hanhwa RF watched a line drive bounce off of his glove. Luckily, CF Doug Clark was there to pick him up. The runner dashed for third and Clark fired an errant throw past the third baseman. It was like a play off of a blooper reel. There were three errors in total on the game. Two occurred on this play alone. The errors helped Samsung during a 4 run 6th inning in which the game was put out of reach.

On Saturday, the errors were committed by Samsung starting pitcher Wes Obermueller. Big Wes lasted only two innings. He allowed all 6 Hanhwa runs on 8 hits and two walks. Two of the hits didn't stay in the park. He allowed one homer in the first inning to Hanhwa slugger Kim Tae-gyun and one in the third to Kim Tae-wan.

Korean sensation, Ryu Hyeon-jin pitched effectively for 6 1/3 innings(104 pitches, 63 strikes). He allowed two runs on two hits(a 3rd inning blast by Park Jin-man accounted for both) and 3 walks. He also recorded 5 punchouts. He wasn't Yu Darvish, but he was effective.

On Sunday, it was Hanhwa's turn to struggle at the plate. Samsung starter, Yoon Sung-hwan went 5 1/3 innings(68 pitches, 46! for strikes) and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk. Yoon is has been used as a reliever, but was stretched out during this game because of Obermueller's early exit the day before. I can only assume that this outing has bought him at least another chance at starting.

Oh Seung-hwan notched his league leading sixth save of the season. He's over the shoulder issues that prevented him from playing on the national team during the winter.

Woori vs. SK

4/11 - SK 6, Woori 4
4/12 - Woori 12, SK 10
4/13 - SK 3, Woori 2

Friday's tilt was watched by 1,629 people and took 13 innings to complete. A credit to the players for staying interested. This Woori team isn't as awful as predicted. I'm willing to say they'll be in the hunt for the playoffs when its all said and done.

This game had one of the strangest statlines I have ever seen for a reliever. Woori's Song Shin-yeong through 5 innings(87 pitches, 55 for strikes) allowed 5 runs on 5 hits with 2 walks and 4 K's. He also allowed the tying and go ahead runs to score...4 innings apart.

SK warm body, Jeong Sang-ho hit a two run blast in the top of the 13th to take the lead. Jeong had exactly 5 homeruns in 218 career at bats. 3 of them have come this year in only 13 at bats. He might need some more PT. This young SK team has shown quite the flair for the dramatic in this young season.

The next game was an ugly 12-10 affair that I believe took 18 hours to complete. The less said the better, but it did feature the ultimate fake rally of all time. Down 12-5, struck back with 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th to make this one sound close and scare the hell out of the 2909 people in attendance.

SK's Jeong Sang-ho struck again with a solo homer in the 7th. He might become my official "Adopt-A-Player" for this year.

On Sunday, Jeong actually earned a start. He went 0-2 with two walks. THEY'RE AFRAID!!!!!

Woori's Ma Il-yeong worked 8 2/3 innings and almost had the complete game shutout, but he ran out of gas in the 9th and allowed the go ahead run to reach base. Reliever Park Jun-su allowed the go ahead run to score and Ma was stuck with his second loss.

The hitter of the day was SK pinch hitter Kim Jae-hyeon. He clubbed the two run double that gave SK the lead in the top of the ninth.

4/10 Roundup and News

Hat tip to Koreabeat for this one. One of the foreign stars of a Korean talk show tried her hand at being a Cheer Babe for the Woori Heroes. Link with pics.

Samsung 2, Lotte 0

The story here was Samsung pitching. Starter Bae Yeong-su went 6 strong innings(80 pitches, 55 strikes) with three hits, no walks and 4 K's. The three hits allowed by Bae were the only hits Lotte could muster last night. Kwon Hyeok and Oh Seung-hwan slammed the door hard, giving up nothing over the last three innings.

Doosan 8, Hanwha 6

This was your typical 4 hour KBO snooze fest. Hanwha was down 8-2, but mounted the perfect fake rally to close the deficit to two runs in the 7th inning. If it weren't for a 3-run bomb off of Doosan warm body, Lee Won-jae by Hanwha reserve, Kim Tae-won, it more than likely would have been an 8-3 final.
Doosan #5 hitter, Hong Seong-hoon was the big man in Seoul last night. He went 3-4 with 5(!) RBI. Most of the damage came on a bases clearing triple in the third inning.

Hanwha centerfielder, Doug Clark, hit his second KBO homerun last night. He finished 2-4 with 1 RBI and two runs scored.

SK 4, KIA 1

This game also took 4 hours to complete, especially frustrating since the score was only 4-1.

It was indeed Lima Time last night, too bad the results haven't matched up with the hype. Jose is still prone to the big inning. He was pumping his fist, pointing and speaking in tongues like it was '01, until he struggled to finish the fifth and was removed after 99 pitches. Lima allowed all 4 runs on 8 hits and three walks. he only managed one strikeout.

SK ace Kim Kwang-hyeon was excellent last night. He threw 6 strong innings(98 pitches, 58 strikes) allowing one run on 6 hits and two walks. He struck out 6.

Woori 6, LG 1

Woori actually looks like a baseball team. If only the locals would come and watch these guys. Woori only drew 2,307 people despite having a foreign cheerleader. I guess white skin isn't selling like it used to.

Woori was leading 6-0 in the 8th when LG slugger Choi Dong-su clubbed a solo shot homerun to give LG its only run of the night.

Woori starter Lee Hyeon-sung was very good last night. He lasted 6 innings(96 pitches, 59 strikes) while allowing 6 hits and two walks. He struck out five.

Only two Woori starters didn't record a hit. One of which was foreign slugger, Cliff Brumbaugh. Big Cliff was 0-5 with 3 K's. The line of the night goes to Cho Jae-ho with a 3-5, two RBI night. This was a team offensive effort in the truest sense. It seemed like eveyrone was contributing.

4/9 Roundup and News

KIA/SK and Samsung/Lotte were both washed out yesterday.

Woori 7, LG 3

With Cliff Brumbaugh given the day off, it looked like Woori would struggle to score runs yesterday.

Woori hit three homeruns in the first 3 innings to take a 7-1 lead. LG attempted two fake rallies, but couldn't overcome some truly awful pitching from starter Jamie Brown. Brown lasted only two innings. He faced a few batters in the third, but he was unable to record an out. The final line for Brown was, 2 innings(58 pitches!) allowing 6 runs on 7 hits with two of them leaving the park.

Cheong Seong-hoon, Kim Il-kyeong and Jeon Geun-pyo homered for Our Heroes.

LG leadoff man, Lee Dae-yeong did a good job of getting on and causing havoc. He was 3-5 with two runs scored and two stolen bases.

Doosan 5, Hanwha 1

Veteran hurler, Gary Rath, continued his success for Doosan. Rath lasted 5 2/3 innings(85 pitches) allowing only one run on 5 hits and struck out two. The only ball that was really clubbed was a solo homerun by Kim Tae-gyun in the 4th inning.

Doosan thumper, Kim Dong-ju had a very good day at the plate for Doosan. Kim went 2-4 with a homer, 3 RBI and a run scored.

4/8 Roundup and News

First things first....A "sky is falling" article from the Korea Times about Lee Seung-yeop. "My god, he hasn't homered in 9 games! Cancel the season!" He'll be fine.

Also, Park Chan-ho made his season debut with the Dodgers the other day. He allowed 1 run in 1 2/3 innings of relief work.

Hanwha 4, Doosan 3

Hanwha starter, Sung Jin-woo tossed 5 strong innings, surrendering 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk. He also struck out 4. Hanwha was able to piece together enough of an offense to outlast Doosan. Hanwha scored 1 run in 4 consecutive innings.

Centerfielder Doug Clark was 2-4 with a triple, two runs scored and a stolen base for Hanwha.

Ko Yeong-min went 3-4 for Doosan. He also stole two bases and scored once.

Lotte 9, Samsung 5

I almost went to this game. One of my friends talked me out of it and we went out drinking instead. I made the right choice. Thanks Kyung-su, from preventing me from watching this. I was reminded of the '99 Korean Series in which Samsung and Lotte faced off.


Samsung starter, Yoon Seong-hwan was chased from the game in the 5th. At the time Samsung was only losing 5-1. Reliever, Lee Sang-mok was an oil can. He was offering up belt high meatballs and Lotte hitters jumped all over him. His stat line was 2/3 of an inning pitched, two runs allowed, three hits and one walk. That makes his outing sound better than it was. By the time the inning was over, Samsung was facing a 7-1 deficit. Samsung mounted a rally in the bottom of the fifth, tagging Lotte starter Jang Won-jun for three runs(he allowed 4 in total). Lotte struck again in the 7th with a two run blast by foreign sensation, Karim Garcia. Samsung countered with a fake rally in the 8th, but couldn't overcome the damage done in the early innings.

Lee Dae-ho clubbed his 3rd homerun of the season in the third inning. Lee went 3-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. Karim Garcia added his 4th homer in the 7th inning.

LG 9, Woori 4

LG clobbered Woori starter, Ma Il-yeong for 8 runs in 3 2/3 innings. Most of the runs came in a 5 run second inning. Ma allowed 8 hits(two of which the ballpark would not hold) and two walks while striking out 2.

Everyone in the LG starting lineup recorded a hit. Kim Jun-ho went 2-4 with a homer and a triple for LG. He also drove in four runs and scored twice. Choi Dong-su and Kwon Yong-kwan also homered for LG.

SK 2, KIA 1

This was probably the most entertaining game of the evening. It was deadlocked at 1-1 until rookie infielder, Mo Chang-min stepped to the plate in the top of the 10th inning and untied the game with a solo homerun. Cheong Dae-hyeon pitched a scoreless tenth to hang on for the W.

Seo Jae-weong pitched well enough to win, but didn't get any support from his KIA teammates. Seo went 8 strong innings(108 pitches). He allowed 1 run on 8 hits and three walks. He also contributed 3 K's to the effort.

SK Ace Kenny Rayborn went 6 1/3 innings(101 pitches). He allowed one run on three hits and two walks. He managed to record one strikeout.

Cheer Babe of the Week

I get bored on Mondays and electing a "Cheer Babe of the Week" is my way of getting around it. Why not start with the poor girls that have had the least to cheer for. The Cheer Babes of the Hanhwa Eagles.

I'd like you to meet Hanwha Cheer Babe, Kim Ji-eun. According to her profile at the Hanwha website(as best I can translate), she'd like to "raise the level of performance," and she started cheering "in middle school as a part-time job." Her favorite player is Ryu Hyeon-jin.

KBO Standings 4/6

KBO standings after Sunday's action.... I'm working on something nicer, so please bear with us until we get it finished. For now, the old "typing by hand" will have to do.


Team Rec WP GB
1. Samsung 6-2 .750 --
-. Lotte 6-2 .750 --
3. Woori 5-2 .714 .5
4. SK 5-3 .625 1
5. KIA 3-5 .375 3
6. Doosan 2-5 .286 3.5
7. Hanwha 2-6 .250 4
7. LG 2-6 .250 4

The only real surprise is Woori, but then again the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox are tied for first right now in the AL Central. Things will change.

4/4 - 4/6 Weekend Roundup

Allergies got the better of me this weekend. I spent the last three days in bed trying to clear my sinuses and watching the Woori Heroes get the better of my Samsung Lions. I see the Lions haven't forgotten how to kick a man when he's down. For five games, they had me fooled.

Onto the roundup...series by series.

Hanwha vs. KIA
4/4 - Hanwha 4, KIA 1
4/5 - KIA 9, Hanwha 4
4/6 - Hanwha 4, KIA 0

The big news from this series was Ryu Hyeon-jin remembering that he's better than most of the guys in the league and throwing a complete game on Friday(112 pitches). The only run he allowed was on a 7th inning homerun by Chang Seong-ho. He struck out 4 while walking three.

KIA retaliated on Saturday by banging out 18 hits and getting two walks on route to 9 runs off Hanwha pitching.

I saw this in the game and checked the boxscore after, but I still can't believe this. Choi Hee-seop hit a triple in this game. I still can't wrap my mind around that one.

On Sunday, Hanwha won the rubber match. 3 pitchers combined to throw a 4-hitter. Even more surprising is that KIA had more stolen bases(5) than hits. This was helped by the 6 walks issued by Hanwha pitching. Hanwha starter, Yu Won-sang allowed 5 of them.

This one was a tight 1-0 battle, until Hanwha's Lee Beom-ho hit a three run blast to put the game well out of reach for KIA.

LG vs. Lotte
4/4 - Lotte 6, LG 4
4/5 - LG 5, Lotte 3
4/6 - Lotte 7, LG 0

The first game was a 3-3 chess match, until the LG pitching and defense fell apart in the 8 and 9th innings. LG was able to mount a fake rally in the 9th, but Lotte reliever Im Kyong-won was able to hang on for the save.

On Saturday, Lotte jumped out to a 3-0 first inning lead on a 3-run bomb by Lee Dae-ho. LG came back with two runs in the second and tied the game in the 3rd on a home run by Chang Dong-su. The teams were stalemated at 3-3 until LG's Lee Dae-hyong walked off Lotte with a two run blast in the 10th.

The story on Sunday was Lotte starter, Song Sung-jun. He went the distance on 117 pitches. Song allowed 4 hits and two walks. He also struck out 12(!).

Every Lotte batter reached base. The only Lotte batter to go hitless was foreign sensation Karim Garcia.

SK vs. Doosan
4/4 - SK 6, Doosan 2
4/5 - SK 5, Doosan 1
4/6 - SK 4, Doosan 1

Including last year's Korean series, I believe SK has won 7 consecutive games against Doosan. Pwned.

SK starting pitchers went at least 6 innings in all of these games, but SK manager, Kim Seung-gun, still managed to use 5 pitchers on Saturday and Sunday. I guess the guys in the bullpen were getting a little restless.

The story at the plate for SK was Park Jae-hong. For the series, he went 5-9 with 4 RBI's and 4 runs scored. Among the five hits, 3 were for extra bases including a double and two homers.

Samsung vs. Woori
4/4 - Woori 3, Samsung 1
4/5 - Woori 6, Samsung 5
4/6 - Samsung 7, Woori 2

What are you talking about. There's nothing to see here. Move along. Come on. Fine.

Ok...in the battle of have's vs. have nots, the have nots were the clear victor. In the have's home park.

Friday, Hero Song Shin-yeong notched a 4 inning save. He only allowed one hit while striking out 5. Samsung was awful at the plate. I had flashbacks to last season. Moving on...

Saturday's game featured a few more runs and a bit better effort. Samsung took a 6-2 deficit into the 9th and managed the ultimate fake rally, scoring 3 runs before the final outs were recorded. Thanks for getting my hopes up fellows. Thanks a lot. The difference in this game proved to be Cliff Brumbaugh's solo shot in the 7th inning.

Sunday featured a battle of foreign pitchers. Wes Obermueller(Samsung) vs. Jason Scobie(Woori). For those of us unfamiliar with Mr. Scobie, I've located his minor league stats here.

Scobie pitched well until he appeared to run out of gas during a 5-run hit parade in the 5th inning.

Obermueller pitched very well. He went 6 1/3 strong innings(74 pitches, 50 strikes), giving up one run on five hits with no walks and 4 strikeouts.

4/3 Roundup and News

First things first. In a stunning turn of events, the Korea Times actually wrote a not very well written, non-racist article about a foreigner player. I can only imagine what would have been written had Karim Garcia started 0-the season. I'm going to stop myself from ripping this, but come on..."Garcia Time???" Was there a "Jose Time" for Felix Jose? No. In Korea, there are two times. Normal time and "Lima Time," and my watch always points to Lima. Seriously, how much would it cost these guys to keep a foreign guy on staff just to talk them out of writing nonsense like this?

The Joongang Daily also writes a piece on the Lotte Giants. I guess their 4-0 start is more interesting than the Lions 5-0 start.

Also, a bit of site news. I've decided on a plan of attack for this season. I'm going to continue the daily recaps. I'll update standings and league leaders on Sunday and I'm going to resist the temptation to do power rankings. I've always thought power rankings were silly and arbitrary.

Samsung 7, LG 2

This team is a buzzsaw right now. The Lions are making fewer mistakes than the other team and pouncing when their opponent makes one. I can count the number of missed opportunities on one hand so far.

The Lions scored 5 runs off of former teammate "Downtown" Jamie Brown. Brown threw 109(!) pitches in 6 innings. He allowed 7 hits, three of which were doubles, and 4 walks while striking out 2.

Samsung's Park Jin-man was the big man at the plate. He went 2-4 with two doubles and 3 RBI.

Samsung ace Bae Yeong-su lasted five innings. He gave up one earned run on 6 hits with 3 strikeouts. He was fairly efficient in his five innings. It took him only 60 pitches, 42 of which were for strikes.

SK 5, Lotte 0

SK Ace Kenny Rayborn didn't miss many bats on Thursday, but when the ball was hit, it was usually to an SK fielder. Rayborn took 82 pitches(51 strikes) to work 6 2/3 innings. He allowed only 5 hits and one walk while striking out 1.

Lotte's Kim Joo-chan was the only hitter able to get to Rayborn. He went 4-4, all singles with a stolen base. The rest of the lineup was 4-28.

Walks were a problem for Lotte. Lotte pitching allowed only 4 hits all night, but they were accompanied by 7(!) walks. Two Lotte fielding errors didn't help their effort either.

Woori 5, Hanwha 2

I don't think this is a case of Woori playing well. I think it has more to do with Hanwha being awful. With this loss, the mighty Eagles have fallen to 0-5 on the season with little relief in sight. They get to face a talented KIA squad this weekend.

The story on the mound was the Woori bullpen. 5 pitchers combined to work 4 innings, allowing only two baserunners and shutting the door on any possible Hanwha comeback.

Cliff Brumbaugh continued to thump on Thursday. He went 2-3 with a double, a walk, 3 RBI and a run scored.

KIA 6, Doosan 3

KIA appeared to be in trouble after starter Yang Hyeon-Jong was chased after just 2 2/3 of an inning. Yang gave up all three Doosan runs on 6 hits with 1 walk. He did managed to sneak in 3 strikeouts.

The KIA bullpen picked up the slack for the battered starter. 5 pitchers pieced together 6 1/3 innings of scoreless work and put KIA in a position to win this one.

KIA struck back with a 4 run 4th inning that proved to be the difference in this one. The inning was essentially a hit parade that was capped by Choi Hee-seop's 2 run homer.

Doosan's Kim Dong-ju was 3-5 with two RBI, while KIA cleanup hitter Jang Seong-ho was 2-4 with two doubles and two RBI.

KBO Stadium Review: Daegu Stadium(Daegu, SK)

One of the goals I have this season is to visit each ballpark in the KBO. I've already got two(technically three, LG and Doosan share facilities in Seoul) out of the way. The first installment, is probably the worst stadium in Korea and the closest to me. I live in Daegu. I'm a Lions fan. I loathe the stadium.

Field:
Surface: Currently turf, but originally grass. The nastiest, brownest grass I have ever seen.
Capacity: 13,000 I don't believe this for a second. Even with standing room, I'd be impressed to see 10,000 people squeeze in.
Dimensions: Left 311 ft. Center field 383 ft. Right 311 ft.
Year constructed: 1981, I believe this is the last of the KBO stadiums from the inaugural year. It's strange seeing replays of old games on TV. Change the clothes and the haircuts and it's essentially the same place.

Food and Concessions:

The choices in Daegu are limited at best.

Alcohol is cheap and easily found. Beers are 2,000 won(roughly $2), but only domestic is available. Unless you bring your own, the best you can do is Max Prime. MP isn't nearly as offensive as some Korean beers are, but you're better off stopping at E-Mart and grabbing a six pack of something imported. Soju is 3,000 won(roughly $3) and is your best bet if the game is awful and you want to get viciously tanked.

The food outside the park is a lot cheaper and a little more exciting than the food inside the park. Ramen is usually the weapon of choice for most Koreans. The only real concession stand is a chicken stand on the "concourse" of the first base side. A reasonably large box of chicken is 10,000 won(roughly $10). It's enough for a couple or one starving fan.

FamilyMart has three "locations" inside the park which offer most drinks and snacks that can be found in most convenience stores. The only item of note is the dried squid.

The area outside the park has a few cheaper options. Gimbap is in large supply and for 2,000 won(again roughly $2) is one of the healthier choices one can make. Chicken outside the park is about half price of that inside the park, but it's of questionable origins.

The one souvenir stand isn't nearly as impressive as the massive stands in Seoul. I also wish I could find authentic merch instead of the crappy replica stuff, but everything is reasonably priced. I'd rather pay 40,000 won for a replica jersey than the $100 plus I'd pay at an MLB stadium.

Parking:

I believe parking is free, but space is very limited. You're better off taking the subway and walking or getting a taxi.

Seating:

As far as I can tell, there are two sections. General admission for 6,000 won and a special seating area behind home plate for 8,000 won. I usually sit behind home plate. It's a covered section, so you're protected from the elements....mostly and seats are assigned. This is where it feels the most like seeing a game back in Chicago at Wrigley Field. Not because of old timey scoreboards, ivy or drunken frat guys, but because of the massive pillars that support the press box and make the site lines awful. For 30,000 won you can get table seating for 4 with waitstaff service. The tables are a little farther away from the pillars and closer to the field. It's worth getting if you have enough people.

Along the third base side of the general admission area is where the Samsung cheering section sits. The away fans sit along the first base line. Families and casual observers usually populate the outfield. The only time I've ever seen the outfield full is during the weekends and playoffs. If you want to be unmolested, sit in the outfield. If you're looking for some excitement, squeeze into the cheering section.

I've also been told that there is also a special beer section, but I can't seem to get any definitive answers. Supposedly, the deal is for 5,000 won you get a free beer for each run the Lions score.

The team does offer discounts for seniors and children. Also, some weekends are free. That's right. Free baseball. Complete pricing information can be found here.

Atmosphere:

Cramped. It's not easy to move around in the stadium because of the narrow aisles and concourses.

Local fans, for the most part, are friendly and helpful. I've been given inning long pronunciation lessons because my western tongue has difficulty making sounds in Korean.

The cheering section is a lot of fun and some the best times I've had at a ballpark have been muddling my way through some of the cheers.

Restrooms:

One word. Disgusting.

Interesting Features:

None. This is as sterile as sterile can be. If the question is, "What is the most boring way to construct a ballpark?" Daegu Stadium is the answer.

They have added a record zone for Samsung lifer Yang Jun-hyeok. Last season he collected his two thousandth hit and a large board is on display in right field to commemorate that event and every hit he collects.

Final Grade and thoughts: D-

The only reason this isn't an F is because it's terribly cheap to make it into a game and drink yourself stupid.

Korea's most expensive team needs a new stadium. Supposedly there has been talk of a domed structure somewhere outside the city, but I'll believe it when I see it.

4/2 Roundup and News

Woori 5, Hanwha 4

Woori tried awfully hard to lose this one. Leading 5-1 in the top of the 9th, the Woori bullpen almost blew the game, giving up three runs before finding a way to record the final out. The key hit was a pinch hit RBI double by Lee Yeong-woo.

Woori starter took only 81 pitches to work 7 innings last night. He allowed 1 run on 4 hits and one walk while striking out 3.

This game had a paid attendence of only 1400 people. Last night Woori drew almost 5,000 for their home opener. At first it was a little funny, but now, I just feel sad for these guys. I'm not buying an Woori jersey any time soon, but I think I'll start rooting for them. As long as their not playing my beloved Lions.

Lotte 6, SK 2

Karim Garcia clubbed his second homerun of the new season while going 2-3 with 2 RBI, 1 run scored and 1 walk. Most of Lotte's damage was done during a 4-run 4th inning. SK starter Song Eun-beom deciding to pitch batting practice and was lifted for reliever Yoon Gil-hyeon, who wasn't much better.

Lotte's starter, Chang Won-Joon took 99 pitches to work 7 innings, striking out 6 and allowing only 1 run on 5 hits.

KIA 6, Doosan 2

Doosan's offense was pathetic in this one. Only one starting player had a hit or a walk. Actually, it was the same player that did both, leadoff man Lee Jong-wook. So, laps for everyone else, but Lee, you can have a water and a towel.

KIA starter, Jeon Byeong-du, was what you might call "effectively wild." He threw 81 pitches in his 6 innings of work, but only 46 for strikes. He only allowed one runner to reach base on a walk and he struck out 6.

Doosan reliever, Lee Hye-cheon is the newly annointed "One pitch, One out" King. He came in for one batter, threw one pitch and then got to hangout in the dugout for the rest of the game. Nice work.

Samsung 5, LG 4

It's becoming obvious that Samsung didn't do much sightseeing while staying at their tropic locale for spring training. This team is prepared to start the season and they look like a championship ballclub right now.

Samsung overcame some shaky pitching that was afraid to find the strike zone last night. 5 Samsung pitchers combined for 8 walks. 3 of them by starter, Yoon Seong-hwan during his 5 innings of work.

Samsung also managed to get 5 runs without a single extra base hit. The ball is just bouncing their way right now.

Samsung's Park Han-Yi is the leading hitter in the KBO right now, hitting a blistering .563. He was 3/4 last night, all singles.

4/1 Roundup and Notes

Woori 6, Hanwha 5

Open the champagne bottles! The Woori Heroes have notched their first of what promises to be at least 30 victories with a dramatic walk off victory! Huzzah!

Woori trailed 5-4 heading into the ninth, but Hanwha reliever, Brad Thomas, was unable to close the door on Woori. Thomas coughed up 3 hits in the 9th, including Hwang Jae-gyun's winning base hit.

Cliff Brumbaugh launched his first homer of the season in the 3rd inning. On the day, Brumbaugh was 3 for 3 with a homer, a double, two walks, 3 RBI and two runs scored.

Lotte 8, SK 4

Lotte scored all 8 runs in the first inning and SK was never able to mount much of a comeback.

Darwin Cubillan was absolutely torched in his first KBO start. He faced 7 batters in the first inning and all 7 reached base.

Every single Lotte player reached base and only Ma Hae-yong failed to record a hit. Kang Min-ho went 3-4 with a homerun, 3 RBI and a run scored.

Doosan 3, KIA 0

Pitching was the name of the game for Doosan. It took Doosan starter, Mark Randel 100 pitches to work 5 1/3 innnings, but seemed to teeter on the edge of disaster for the full 5 1/3. He allowed 4 hits and 4 walks on the day, but KIA couldn't plate anyone. Doosan relievers Im Tae-hoon and Jeong Jae-hoon combined to work the final 3 2/3 innings. They only allowed two base runners between them and combined for 4 strikeouts.

Doosan's Chae Sang-byeong was 2-4 with a double and two rbi.

Samsung 6, LG 2 (10)

This was probably the most entertaining game of the day. This one was notched at 2-2 at the end of nine. The LG bullpen imploded in the 10th, allowing 4 runs to score. The knockout punch came in the form of a 2-run homerun by Cho In-seong. Then, Oh Seung-hwan came on to pitch a 1-2-3 10th, striking out two.

Wes Obermueller had a succesful KBO debut for Samsung, pitching 5 strong innings while only allowing 1 run on 2 hits, 2 walks and striking out 3.

LG's only runs came on homeruns by Park Kyung-su in the fifth and Cho In-seong in the 7th.