5/29 Roundup and News

He's been a good manager, but a mesh hat? What is this? 1982? Gross.

Hanhwa 4, Lotte 1
W - Jeong Min-cheol, L - Seong Sung-jun S - Brad Thomas

Jeong Min-cheol threw six shutout innings(82 pitches, 50 strikes) last night. He allowed only four hits while striking out 2. It seemed like every was pounding the ball into the ground. Brad Thomas struck out the side in the 9th inning.

Lee Hui-gun was the top hitter for the Eagles last night. He went 2-3 with a key 6th inning double that drove in the go ahead runs. He drove in 3 runs total and drew a walk.

No one on Lotte really did anything well, but Karim Garcia had another strong effort. He finished the game 2-4.

Samsung 7, Woori 2
W - Lee Sang-mok, L - Jason Scobey

Samsung must be afraid of big crowds. Woori only drew about 6,000 fans total for the 3 game series and Samsung looked like a baseball team. They scored 7 runs last night without hitting a homerun. Shocking. Samsung delivered most of the damage during a 4-run 4th inning. Kang Bong-gyu and Choi Yeong-woo both delivered RBI doubles in the inning.

Lee Sang-mok tossed 6 shutout innings(79 pitches, 54 strikes). He allowed only 5 hits and one walk, while striking out 6. Woori just wasn't able to tee up any balls last night. Of the 10 hits they banged out, all were singles.

SK 7, KIA 2
W - Jeong Woo-ram, L - Lee Dae-jin

SK tried to set a record last night. They used 8(!) pitches in a 9 inning game in which their opponent scored only two runs. 8 pitchers! 9 innings! No one got clobbered. Rayburn did throw 83 pitches in his 4 innings of work, but he wasn't terrible. I could see pulling him a little early, but that still leaves 7 pitchers for 5 innings of work. In the 5 innings worked by the SK bullpen, they only allowed 3 hits, so its not like KIA was constantly putting guys on base. Just a bizarre strategy that paid off last night. We'll see how these guys are doing come August and September.

The game was tied at 1 heading into the sixth. SK leadoff hitter, Jeong Gun-woo clubbed a double off KIA pitcher, Lee Dae-jin. The next batter, Park Jae-sang, drove him in with an RBI single. In the 8th inning, SK's Park Jae-hong put the game out of reach when he smashed a grand slam off of KIA reliever, Woo Jun-hyeong.

Doosan 8, LG 3 (11)
W - Jeong Jae-hoon, L - Woo Gyu-min

This game was tied at 3 at the end of 9 innings. Neither team threatened until the 11th when Doosan put a 5 spot up on the scoreboard. Woo Gyu-min threw a 1-2-3 10th inning and stayed out for the 11th. He got clobbered. Doosan struck for 5 hits, two walks and one hit batsman in the 11th. It was a "death by a thousand cuts" inning. Doosan scored 8 runs without a single extra base hit. They were helped by the 12 walks allowed by LG pitching.

Doosan leadoff hitter, Lee Jeong-wook gets the game ball. He went 3-5 with a walk, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored and 3 SB's. Doosan closer, Jeong Jae-hoon worked three scoreless innings in relief to earn the W. He only gave up two hits while striking out 3.

LG's Park Kyung-su was their big hitter last night. Park was 4-5 with a double, a homer, one RBI and two runs scored.

5/28 Roundup and News

I was surprised the KBO played at all yesterday. To say it was raining wouldn't be accurate. To say it was pissing all day in Daegu, would be.


A full stadium in Seoul. Fans were packed in to watch Doosan battle LG.

KIA vs. SK PPD

Lotte vs. Hanhwa PPD

Samsung 4, Woori 1
W - Kwon Hyeok(3-0), L - Song Shin-yeong(0-4), S - Oh Seung-hwan(14)

Woori starter, Jang Won-sam(3.39 ERA, 1.25 WHIP), had a no-hitter through 6, but he ran into trouble in the 7th. He surrendered a walk to Park Seok-min(.320/.426/.509), then Jae Tae-in(.367/.444/.600 in only 30 AB's) clubbed a double to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Kim Chang-hee(.333/.425/.377) drove in Park for the game's first run. Woori tied things up in the bottom of the 7th when Kang Gui-tae(.270/.301/.383) struck for a solo homer. Samsung hit right back with a three-run rally in the top of the 8th that was capped by a solo homer from Park Seok-min. Oh Seung-hwan(2.33 ERA 1.03 WHIP) made his first appearance in a week to notch his league leading 14th save. I was two days away from filing a missing persons report on Oh. I was starting to think he was hit by a bus or something.

LG, 7, Doosan 5
W - Bong Jung-gun(5-5), L - No Kyeong-eun(0-1), S - Woo Gyu-min(10)

LG and Doosan both enjoyed 3 run first innings. LG chased Doosan starter, Lee Hye-cheon(6.06 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) after just one inning, but LG's Dr. Bong(3.30 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) managed to gut it out for 6 1/3 innings. Bong did just enough to keep LG in the game and the LG offense did just enough to give the team a lead. Bong allowed all 5 Doosan runs on 6 hits and two walks, while striking out 7.

LG's Cho In-seong(.265/.320/.409) gets the game ball for going 2-4 with a triple and 3 RBI's. His 5th inning triple proved to be the difference in the ballgame. LG's Ahn Chi-yong(.380/.477/.620 in 90 AB's, 22 RBI in 27 games) also deserves a mention for going 2-4 with a homer, 2 RBI and 1 run scored.

5/27 Roundup and News

A pair of signings and a release! Doosan has signed Justin Lehr(I can't wait to see that one written in Korean) and Samsung has signed Tom Shearn. Both are pitchers from the Reds organization. Wilson Valdez has been released. So much for the "MLB 4."

A really cool feature on closers in the KBO from the Joongang Daily's Jung Hoe-hun and Yoo Jee-ho.

While the Donga Ilbo takes a look at the Pythagoras Theorem and the KBO.

Koreabeat is right. These are pretty awful.

Lotte 8, Hanhwa 7
W - Marty McCleary(3-2), L - Yang Hoon(3-5), S - Choi Hyang-nam(3)

It seemed like Lotte's 6-run third inning would be all they would need, until Hanhwa struck for a two fake rallies during the 7th and 8th innings. The 6-run 3rd was capped by a Karim Garcia(.262/.333/.552, 14 HR, 42 RBI) 3-run bomb.

Marty McCleary(5.28 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) enjoyed one of his better KBO starts last night. McCleary pitched into the 8th inning(89 pitches, 55 strikes) before he needed some relief. He surrendered 4 runs on 8 hits and struck out 3. A big key to his success was cutting down on his walks.

Foreign sensation, Doug Clark(.311/.387/.601, 13 HR, 40 RBI, 51 runs), continued to clobber KBO pitching for the Hanhwa Eagles. Clark went 2-5 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI and two runs scored.

Samsung 15, Woori 4
W - Kwan Hyeok(2-0), L - Kim Su-kyeong(2-2)

The Samsung offense delivered an equal opportunity pummeling of Woori pitching. Woori used 7 pitchers and only one of them didn't allow any runs. Samsung's Park Seok-min(.320/.424/.494), Chae Tae-in(.346/.438/.538 in only 26 AB's) and Park Jin-man(.222/.307/.299) drove in 3 runs each during the route. Samsung clobbered Woori starter, Kim Su-kyeong(4.80 ERA, 1.47 WHIP), for 5 runs in just one inning pitched. Samsung starter, Wes Obermueller(4.70 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) was equally as effective, but the Samsung bullpen was able to keep Woori from scoring during their 6 innings of work.

Doosan 8, LG 5
W - Geum Min-cheol(1-0), L - Chris Oxspring(5-2), S- Jeong Jae-hoon(11)

This game was all about the Doosan offense. Leadoffman Lee Jong-wook(.293/.383/.365, 39 runs) went 4-6 with 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored and a stolen base. Both thumper Kim Dong-ju(.302/.441/.583, 11 HR, 35 RBI) and Jae Sang-byeong(.190/.237/.317 in 142 AB's!) homered. Kim Hyeon-su(.360/.453/.488) gets the team player award for drawing 4 walks. Kim went 2-2 with an RBI and a run scored.

Doosan starter, Matt Randel(4.07 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) was chased from the game after just two innings and the Doosan bullpen had to piece together the W. The game ball goes to the bullpen. They kept LG off balance for 7 innings. Only Kim Sang-hyeon allowed any runs and that was during LG's fake rally in the 9th.

SK 9, KIA 5
W - Kim Won-hyeon(4-2) L - Im Jun-hyeok(1-2)

Believe it or not, SK was losing 4-1 heading into the 7th inning. They scored 4 in the 7th thanks to a grand slam from Park Jae-hong(.374/.446/.640). KIA's Lee Jae-ju(.333/.439/.578, 4 HR in his last 4 games) struck for a homer in th 8th to tie the game at 5. Neither team really threatened until the 12th inning. SK loaded the bases in the 12th and Kim Jae-hyeon(.306/.418/.514) worked a full count. He took the next offering from Im Jun-hyeok over the right field fence. KIA had to come back for a "dead man walking" 12th inning. SK's Choi Sang-deok recorded a 1-2-3 12th to end the game.

Both teams combined to use 16 pitchers and the game took 5 hours to complete.

5/23 - 5/25 Weekend Roundup

Sounds like we'll be seeing more jewelry on the mound this year. I have fond memories of Melido Perez wearing the largest cross I've ever seen on the mound for the White Sox in the late 90's. Sadly, the internet does not remember him as well as I do. Can I suggest this?

Another Park Chan-ho article from the Korea Times. This one is about two steps away from a propaganga piece.

Doosan vs. Woori

5/23 - Rain, rain, go away.
5/24 - Rain, rain, go away.
5/25 - Doosan 6, Woori 5

Sunday's game was the only one that was dry enough to play. The game was tied 5-5 in the top of the 9th when Doosan's Kim Hyeon-su(.353/.437/.476, 32 RBI in 44 games) clubbed a double to give Doosan a 6-5 advantage. Jeong Jae-hoon(5.11 ERA, 10 saves, 1.22 WHIP) tossed a 1-2-3 9th inning to record the save.

Woori's Song Ji-man(.318/.357/.496, 31 RBI in 41 games) gets a game ball for going 2-4 with a double and 4 RBI. Doosan's Kim Dong-ju(.304/.442/.570, 10 homers, 33 RBI in 42 games) swatted another homerun. For the day he was 1-2 with two walks, a homer, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.

SK vs. Lotte

5/23 - Lotte 9, SK 3
5/24 - Lotte 7, SK 3
5/25 - Lotte 7, SK 5

Wow, Lotte sent a big message this weekend to the defending champs. The message was, "Don't get too comfortable." SK's lead in the league standing has been cut to just 3.5 games over 2nd place Doosan. It could be a real dogfight over the next 3 months.

Lotte's Karim Garcia was the story on Friday night. He went 2-5 with a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored. Manager, Jerry Royster, bumped Garcia down to the #6 spot in the batting order on May 16th. In the last week he's hitting .421 with 3 homers. I think the change has worked out. Lotte starter, Jang Won-jun(3.31 ERA, 5-3, 1.20 WHIP), tossed 8 strong innings(96 pitches, 64 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and striking out 4.

On Saturday night, it was the Kang Min-ho(.329/.413/.572, 9 HR, 33 RBI) show. Kang homered twice against SK pitching. His line for the night was 2-4 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and two runs scored. Lotte's Cho Seong-hwan went 4-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Lotte ace, Son Min-han(2.23 ERA, 6-0, 1.11 WHIP), had the good stuff working again. He tossed 7 strong innings(103 pitches, 68 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 10 hits and striking out 1.

Karim Garcia(.256/.330/.536, 13 HR, 39 RBI) and Cho Seong-hwan(.347/.390/.453, 10 SB's) struck again on Sunday. Garcia crushed another homer while finishing 2-4 with 4 RBI and 1 run scored. Cho was 2-5 with a double 3 RBI, 1 run scored and a stolen base.

SK Ace Kim Kwang-hyeon(3.12 ERA, 6-2, 1.45 WHIP) was wild again on Sunday. Kim lasted 5 innings(111 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and 5 walks. He struck out 5. The SK offense wasn't much to write home about for this entire series. There were a few multi hit games, but no game balls should be handed out for a sweep.

LG vs. KIA

This time its LG coming through with a cute girl to toss out the first pitch. This time its actress Kim Na-yeong.

5/23 - LG 4, KIA 2
5/24 - KIA 15, LG 13
5/25 - KIA 13, LG 2

The fight for the cellar! Guess which series I did my best to avoid all weekend? This one.

On Friday night LG picked up a W without getting an extra base hit. They dinked and dunked their way to a 4-run 5th inning. The big hit was a two-run single from the bat of Park Kyeong-su(.246/.349/.399). The LG bullpen only allowed 3 baserunners during 4 1/3 innings of work. Lee Jae-ju was the KIA offense on Friday night. Lee went 1-2 with a homer, 2 walks, 2 RBI and 1 run scored.

It didn't say anything on the schedule, but it was fireworks night on Saturday as the two teams combined for 28 runs. The pitching was ugly. Only 4 out of 14 pitchers used didn't allow runs to score.

KIA's Lee Jae-ju had another big night. Lee went 4-6 with a double, 2 homeruns, 5 RBI and two runs scored. KIA's Kim Seon-bin(.260/.349/.288) went 3-4 with a walk, a triple, 2 RBI and 4 runs scored.

LG's Roberto Petagine had his first big game in the KBO. Petagine was 4-5 with 2 doubles, a walk, 4 RBI and 1 run scored. Ahn Chi-yong(.369/.471/.560 in only 84 AB's) went 2-4 with a double, a walk, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.

KIA continued to take BP off of LG pitching on Sunday. KIA scored 13 runs with only one extra base hit. They hit 15 singles, drew 5 walks and were helped by two errors. Lee Jae-ju(.345/.455/.571, 4 HR, 20 RBI in only 84 AB's) cooled off on Sunday. He was only 2-4 with a walk, 2 RBI and 1 run scored. Jang Seong-ho(.375/.516/.583 in 75 AB's) and Kim Jeong-guk(.203/.281/.241) both went 3-5. KIA starter, Yoon Suk-min(2.70 ERA, 6-3, 1.16 WHIP), was the primary benificiary of KIA's 13 run outburst. Yoon lasted 6 innings(106 pitches, 66 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6.

Hanhwa vs. Samsung

5/23 - Samsung 12, Hanhwa 5
5/24 - Samsung 11, Hanhwa 4
5/25- Hanhwa 5, Samsung 1

I should have seen this coming from a mile away. A mediocre effort against LG, followed by a whuppin on Friday and Saturday. I can't believe the Lions scored a run on Sunday.

The Lions are playing .500 ball without Yang Jun-hyeok(bad), Shim Chang-su(injured) or Jacob Cruz (released). Speaking of Cruz' walking papers, Aaron gave him a really nice write up at the EWC.

Samsung brought the pain on Friday night, scoring runs in 6 consecutive innings(4th through the 9th). Park Han-yi(.359/.466/.458) lead the charge for the Lions by going 3-5 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Ryu Hyeon-jin(3.32 ERA, 5-3, 1.36 WHIP) was the story for the Eagles in that the chubby lefty pitched poorly. He worked in and out of trouble for 5 innings(99 pitches, 54 strikes) allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks, while striking out 5. Lions starter, Lee Sang-mok(5.01 ERA, 3-3, 1.25 WHIP), pitched well enough, but ran out of gas in the 8th inning. Lee lasted 7 1/3 innings(96 pitches, 64 strikes) before he had to be lifted. He allowed 5 runs(3 in the 8th) on 8 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 3.

On Saturday night Samsung used a 6-run 1st inning to cruise to an easy victory. The game ball goes to Samsung's Jae Tae-in(.304/.346/.478 in only 23 AB's). Jae was 3-5 with a double, a triple, 5 RBI and 2 runs scored. Kim Tae-won clubbed a two-run bomb in the 6th inning for the Eagles.

I knew it wouldn't last. Samsung followed the two day, 23 run barrage with 5 hits and one run on Sunday. I guess they must have celebrated a little too much after Saturday's W. Hanhwa starter, Song Jin-woo(3.86 ERA, 3-2, 1.56 WHIP) worked 5 effectively wild innings(90 pitches, 46 strikes) allowing one run on 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 2. The Hanhwa bullpen shut the door on Samsung for good. During their 4 innings of work, 3 Hanhwa relievers scattered 2 hits and one walk. Kim Tae-won(.272/.379/.510, 10 HR, 29 RBI) gets his 2nd game ball in two days. He went 2-3 with a walk, a double, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.

5/22 Roundup and News

That's just adorable.

SK 6, Woori 1


SK knocked around mediocre foreign starter, Jason Scobee(6.58 ERA, 2-4, 1.88 WHIP) and their pitching did their job. SK got only 5 innings(63 pitches, 40 strikes) from starter, Song Eun-beom(4.50 ERA, 4-2, 1.47 WHIP), but they were an effective 5 innings. He only allowed one run on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. Park Jae-hong(.393/.464/.631) and Na Ju-hwan(.308/.359/.385) drove in two runs apiece for SK. Woori was just awful at the plate, in the field and on the mound. They were simply outclassed by a superior SK squad last night.

Doosan 4, Hanhwa 3

I almost felt sorry for Hanhwa starter, Jeong Min-cheol(5.24 ERA, 3-5, 1.50 WHIP), last night. He labored through 7 2/3 innings(125 pitches, 73 strikes) while allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and two walks. He added 3 strikeouts. He pitched in and out of trouble in most of the early innings and the game was tied heading into the 8th. Instead of going with a combustable bullpen, Hanhwa manager, Kim In-sik, stuck with a worn out Jeong. Doosan was able to scratch out a run in the 8th inning and Jeong got to hit the showers knowing he would get stuck with the L.

Chae Sang-byong(.188/.238/.301 in 133 AB's!) gets the game ball for Doosan. Chae was 1-3 with a homer, 2 RBI and one run scored. While Jeong Jae-hoon(5.56 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) notched his 9th save.

LG 6, Samsung 3

Roberto Petagine delivered hit first KBO hit last night and it was a big one. He struck in the 5th inning with the sacks full of Twinkies. He knocked in two. The RBI single was his only hit of the night, but it gave the Twinks the lead and they kept it.

LG's Chris Oxspring(4.29 ERA, 5-1, 1.66 WHIP) had the flutterball fluttering last night. He worked 6 2/3 innings(119 pitches, 70 strikes) allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. He struck out five Lions last night.

I refuse to mention the Lions, other than to say that it was a lame effort from a team that makes way too much money. Moving on...

Lotte 6, KIA 2

A 3-run bomb from Karim Garcia(.250/.326/.513, 11 HR, 32 RBI) was all the Giants needed last night. Garcia finished the night 3-5 with a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored. Lee Dae-ho(.349/.449/.586, 9 HR, 41 RBI) tacked on a 9th inning "Eff-you" homer just for good measure. They wanted to make sure KIA knew they lost.

Lotte starter, Song Sung-jun(4.67 ERA, 6-2, 1.56 WHIP) went the distance last night. He tossed all 9(119 pitches, 72 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 8 hits and two walks. He added 6 K's.

5/21 Roundup and News

The Korea Times gives us the Olympic Schedule.

Supposedly, Samsung has released Jacob Cruz. I can't find confirmation on this anywhere, so file it under rumors until I can confirm. He wasn't in the lineup last night. On the season Cruz is sporting a .282/.370/.372 line with only 2 homeruns. He's not exactly setting the league on fire, but he hasn't been awful either.


Kim Yu-hyeon attempts to focus before throwing out the first pitch. Doosan seems to get a lot of attractive women to throw out the first pitch. I, for one, am in favor of this and fully throw my support behind attractive women throwing out the first pitch in the KBO.

Doosan 6, Hanhwa 2

The story here was that Doosan was simply too much for Hanhwa last night. Too much Matt Randel(3.71 ERA, 3-3, 1.50 WHIP) and too much Kim Hyeon-su(.352/.436/.475, 24 runs scored, 31 RBI). Randel lasted only 5 1/3 innings(76 pitches, 45 strikes) last night, but while he was in, he was effective. The only rough spot Randel hit was in the first inning when Hanhwa struck for two runs. The first inning runs were the only runs Randel would allow. He surrendered 7 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 8. Reliever, Im Tae-hoon(3.06 ERA, 2 saves, 7 holds, 0.88 WHIP), was even more effective. Im earned a 3 2/3 innings(35 pitches, 26 strikes) save last night. He didn't allow anything and struck out one.

At the plate, Kim Hyeon-su had a big night for the Bears. He went 1-3 with a walk, a homer, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.

Hanhwa's Lee Beom-ho(.270/.373/.459) was 2-4 with a double and 1 RBI.

Samsung 5, LG 3

Roberto Petagine was 0-3 with a walk in his KBO debut for LG. It's one game, but I don't think he's going to be a savior for the KBO's worst team. Samsung's Park Seok-min(.309/.414/.480) clubbed a two-run bomb in the first inning and Park Jin-man(.209/.293/.295) followed with a solo shot in the 2nd inning. Samsung pieced together enough of an offense to get a lead and their pitching did a good enough job of keeping LG from having a big inning.

Samsung's Wes Obermueller(4.25 ERA, 4-3, 1.07 WHIP) went 6 innings(99 pitches, 63 strikes) while allowing only 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. He also struck out 3.

SK 7, Woori 3

7 different Wyverns drove in runs last night. Woori starter, Jeong Won-sam(3.61 ERA, 2-4, 1.27 WHIP), pitched well until he ran out of gas in the 5th inning. 6 of the 7 SK runs were scored in the 5th. Most of the damage was done on the 4 doubles SK batters hit in the 5th. SK's Mo Chang-min(.160/.222/.260 in only 50 ABs) gets the game ball for going 2-4 with a double, a stolen base, an RBI and 2 runs scored.

Lotte 6, KIA 5

This game featured Marty McCleary(5.30 ERA, 2-2, 1.64 WHIP) pitching for Lotte, while Jose Lima(6.46 ERA, 2-3, 1.56 WHIP) got the nod for KIA. Neither pitched well at all. Both had issues with control as evidenced by both walking five during their limited appearances. All the runs in this game were surrendered by the starters. The bullpens were surprisingly effective last night.

Lotte's usual suspects were quiet last night. It was Jeong Bo-myeong(.292/.373/.492) who delivered most of the damage. Kim went 3-4 with a double, a homer, 4 RBI and one run scored last night. KIA's Cha Il-mok(.284/.344/.420) and Wilson Valdez(.224/.268/.313) drove in two runs apiece.

We get a season review of sorts from the Korea Times. This season doesn't feel nearly as miserable as last year for some reason, the writer disagrees with me. If you can't enjoy watching SK, Doosan or even Hanhwa, you just don't like baseball. Even Woori has shown flashes. Samsung and LG are just depressing teams to watch, made even more depressing by the fact that they're playing each other right now. KIA is just a trainwreck.

An article makes Yang Jun-hyeok's demotion official.

While the Dong-A Ilbo can't spell "baseball." Look at the headline.

LG 1, Samsung 0

There are some games that make you question why you're a fan. Last night was one of those games. With my beloved White Sox flying high and my fantasy team stuck in the toilet, I find myself actually getting worked up over my mediocre Lions. Slow down, Matt. It's just the KBO.

LG starting pitcher, Jeong Chan-heon(2.11 ERA, 3-2, 1.25 WHIP, this was only his 2nd start of the season) baffled Samsung for 7 innings(89 pitches, 54 strikes) while allowing only 2 hits and one walk. He struck out two. A lot of mile high popups and weak dribblers. Reliever, Jeong Jae-bok(2.21 ERA, 2-2 7 holds, 0.98 WHIP) tossed two scoreless to pick up the save.

Samsung pitching deserved better. The only LG run came on an error. If it weren't for that, we would now be in inning 502 of a 0-0 tie.

KIA 3, Lotte 2

The once mighty Giants tumble back to .500. Lotte had baserunners all night, they just couldn't break through. It seemed like every time they had a runner in scoring position, someone would pound the baseball right at a KIA fielder. Lotte banged out 11 hits and patiently waited for 6 walks. 17 baserunners in one game. A professional team should score more than 2 runs.

Lee Dae-ho(.347/.446/.569, 8 HR, 38 RBI) clubbed another homer for Lotte, while KIA's leadoff man, Lee Jong-beom(.313/.368/.396) went 3-3 with a walk and a run scored. Nothing else remotely interesting occurred in this game.

Hanhwa 5, Doosan 2

Talk about your epic meltdown. Doosan led 2-0 in the 9th, but their bullpen totally crapped the bed. After Lee Jae-woo(0.56 ERA, 3-0, 1 save, 8 holds, 0.91 WHIP) surrendered the first run in the 9th, Closer, Jeong Jae-hun(6.10 ERA, 8 saves, 1.35 WHIP), came on to nail the game down. He didn't even finish the inning. He allowed 4 runs on 3 hits and a walk. When the dust cleared, Hanhwa held a three-run lead. Hanhwa closer, Brad Thomas(3.00 ERA, 9 saves, 1.21 WHIP), recorded three quick outs in the 9th. Doosan was too stunned to mount a fake rally.

Game balls go to Doosan's Kim Dong-ju(.300/.422/.538, 9 HR, 31 RBI) Kim went 1-2 with a homer, 2 RBI, one run scored and a walk. Hanhwa's Han Sang-hun(.155/.223/.175 in 103 AB's, wow, Andy "T.Clown" Gonzalez doesn't look so bad) went 2-3 with two RBI and a walk. His two RBI came on a triple that proved to be the key hit in the inning.

SK 10, Woori 9 (11)

This game took five hours. Seriously. I was home looking for a good movie when I discovered this game was still going on. If I was watching live, I would committed suicide by swallowing my hat.

The two teams combined to use 16(!) pitchers. Let's see, two teams, 11 innings, 16 pitchers, that's a new pitcher after every 4 outs.

Kim Kwang-hyeon(2.59 ERA, 6-2, 1.38 ERA) actually started for SK, but he was clobbered and chased before the 4th inning. The final line on Kim was 3 innings(75 pitches, 49 strikes) allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and one walk. He only struck out 3.

The game was tied 7-7 at the end of regulation. It wasn't until the 11th inning that anything happened. Woori reliever, Kim Yeong-min(1st appearance and he's only 20), simply ran out of gas in the 11th. SK leadoff man, Jeong Gun-woo(.271/.337/.355) clubbed a 3-run bomb to give SK the lead. Jeong went 2-6 with 5 RBI, 1 run scored and 1 SB, earning him the Mr. Everything award for SK. Woori somehow found the energy to mount a fake rally in the bottom of the 11th. Woori's, Song Ji-man(.325/.366/.508) came off the bench to club a two-run bomb off of SK reliever, Jeong Woo-ram(2.42 ERA, 2 saves, 11 holds, 1.00 WHIP), but two runs were all they could muster.

There really weren't any ridiculous stat lines in this one from either team. Way back in the first inning Cliff Brumbaugh(.311/.431/.520, 8 HR, 34 RBI) swatted another homerun. He finished the game 2-3 with 2 RBI, 2 runs scored and 3 walks.

5/16 - 5/18 Weekend Roundup

Park Chan-ho made his first start in over a year and Korea couldn't be happier. We even got another bizarre headline from the Korea Times. At least they didn't blame foreigners in this one.

Also, a few pictures from a pretty good brouhaha in the KIA/LG series. At the end there are some killer cheerbabe photos. I love writing about fights at baseball games simply for the chance to use words like "dustup," "imbroglio," "fracas," "tussle," "donnybrook," "melee," and "brouhaha." I've only seen one live in my life. It was the infamous Michael Barrett/A.J. Pierzynski battle of '06. That one featured A.J. destroying Barrett at the plate and Barrett following up with a limp-wristed sucker-punch. Then Scott Podsednik leaping from the on deck circle to tackle Barrett.While Brian Anderson was ready to take on the entire Cubs roster. Ozzie Guillen was not only the first one out of the dugout, but the first one to try to get the situation under control. I still say A.J. hit Barrett harder than Barrett hit A.J.

Doosan vs Samsung

5/16 - Samsung 8, Doosan 3
5/17 - Doosan 11, Samsung 4
5/18 - Rained out :-(

This was probably the best result Lions fans could have hoped for. A split plus a rain delay.

Longtime Samsung OF/1B/DH Yang Jun Hyeok has been demoted to the minor leagues. This could be the beginning of the end for the 39 year old slugger. I believe the move came after Friday's game. I can only imagine how depressing the Korean minors are.

On Friday, the Lions were able to get to a tired Lee Won-jae and a mediocre Doosan bullpen in the late innings. The big hit came from the bat of catcher, Jin Kab-yong in the form of a bases clearing double. Samsung started Lee Sang-mok pitched well enough to earn the W. In his 6 innings(100 pitches, 57 strikes) of work he allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while managing 1 K. Doosan's Ko Yeong-min went 2-4 with a homer, 1 RBI, one run scored and 2 SB's.

I can't believe Samsung used only two pitchers during Saturday's 11-4 shellacking. Samsung starter, Cho Jin-ho only lasted 3 1/3 innings(73 pitches, 46 strikes) in this one. He allowed 7 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks while only striking out one. The big bat belonged to Doosan's Kim Dong-ju. Kim drove in 7(!) RBI while going 3-4 with 2 homers, 3 runs scored and one walk.

Lotte vs. Woori

Cliff Brumbaugh totally loses it with an umpire on Sunday night. To be fair to Cliff, the call was ridiculous. Cliff was getting out the way of some chin music and the umpire claimed he swung. The ump was lucky Cliff didn't tear him in half. In the middle of the dispute, the ump choose to get back in Cliff's face. Cliff's teammates had to restrain the umpire instead of the angry foreigner.

5/16 - Woori 7, Lotte 6
5/17 - Lotte 9, Woori 2
5/18 - Woori 2, Lotte 1 (11)

11 pitchers were used Friday in a 4 hour grindfest. Lotte took a 6-5 lead into the 9th, but closer Im Kyeong-won allowed 2 runs on 3 hits. The knockout punch was a two-run double from Woori's Jeong Seong-hun. Both Lee Dae-ho and Karim Garcia homered for Lotte.

Lotte starter, Jang Won-jun, tossed a complete game on Saturday night. Jang allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 during his 122 pitch(84 strikes) outing. Lotte used some thunder, homeruns from Karim Garcia and Cho Seong-hwan, and lightning, 5 SB's, to beat Woori.

Sunday's game was fairly entertaining. Both offenses didn't seem to like the rainy weather very much, but it was the starting pitching that was the difference. Lotte ace Son Min-han tossed 9 innings(101 pitches, 66 strikes) of 1-run ball allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. Woori ace Ma Il-yeong did his best to match Son. Ma lasted 8 innings(129 pitches, 74 strikes) allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6. This was one of the more memorable regular season games and not just because of Brumbaugh's 11th inning blowup. In the 11th, the Heroes got a walk, a hit and then a costly error to score the winning run.

KIA vs. LG

5/16 - KIA 6, LG 4
5/17 - LG 5, KIA 0
5/18 - LG 11, KIA 2

Wow, the two worst teams together again. Let's just say I wasn't exactly glued to my TV set for this one, although we did get a small imbroglio between the two teams. It's always the frustrated teams that lash out. At least these two lashed out against each other.

LG blew Friday's game because they left Chris Oxspring in way too long. He simply ran out of gas in the 7th inning. At least LG was nice enough to mount a fake rally to make the final a little closer. The less said about this game the better.

Saturday night, LG turned to Dr. Bong to get the W and he delivered. Bong Jung-gun tossed 7 1/3(123 pitches, 78 strikes) scoreless allowing only 4 hits and two walks while striking out 7. The Doc was the difference. KIA couldn't do anything offensively and LG pieced together enough of an offense to get the W.

LG scored a 7 inning W on Sunday night. The game was shortened due to miserable weather. It took KIA starter, Lee Beom-seok 75 pitches(!) to throw 2 innings. I would have hung myself. Park Kyung-su was the big hitter for LG. Park went 2-5 with a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored. Just an ugly game from all aspects.

I can't believe over 10,000 people showed up to each of these games. There must be NOTHING to do in Gwangju.

SK vs. Hanhwa

5/16 - SK 7, Hanhwa 3
5/17 - Hanhwa 5, SK 4
5/18 - Rain, rain go away...

Two of Koreas hottest young teams taking the field against each other? That goes a long way to wash the taste of that KIA/LG series out of my mouth.

On Friday, SK struck early and often against Hanhwa starter, Yoo Won-sang. Yoo was chased from the game after only 3 2/3 innings pitched. He allowed 5 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2. The real stand out was the SK bullpen. 5 relievers combined for 4 innings and allowed only 1 run on 4 hits and two walks.

Saturday's game featured Hanhwa's Ryu Hyeon-jin pitching against SK's Kenny Rayborn. Neither pitched particulary well and the game was in the hands of the bullpens. SK's bullpen surrendered a two-run homer to Hanhwa's foreign sensation, Doug Clark. Clark's homer proved to be the difference in Saturday nights game.

5/15 Roundup and News

"A while ago we were better." (Loosely translated, it literally means, a while ago above)

LG 6, Woori 4

LG held a one run lead heading into the 8th inning. Woori reliever, Jeon Jun-ho(5.94 ERA, 3 saves, 1 hold, 1.74 WHIP), turned this one from close game to lopsided W in just a few batters. When the dust settled, it took 3 Woori pitchers to get out of the 8th and LG held a 6-1 lead.

Woori was able to mount a fake rally in the 9th. It came in the form of a 3-run bomb from Song Ji-man(.318/.364/.495, 24 RBIs), but that was all the Heroes could muster as far as a comeback. At least the final looked respectable.

No one really deserves a game ball here, but I'll give it to LG leadoff hitter Lee Dae-hyeong(.297/.360/.326, 31 runs scored, 21 SB's). Lee went 3-4 with a walk, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.

Doosan 5, SK 1


Wow. I would have thought that SK's solid pitching and patient offense would have helped them to avoid losing streaks, but here they are, losers of 3 straight. Tip of the cap to Doosan. They simply outplayed the defending champs this week.

Doosan starter, Mark Randel(3.75 ERA, 2-3, 1.48 WHIP), pitched in and out of trouble for the first 5 innings. He allowed 9 base runners, but managed to keep most of them from scoring. His final line for his 5 innings(91 pitchers, 50 strikes) was 1 run on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. The Doosan bullpen shut the door for the last 4 innings. From the 6th inning to the 9th, SK only recorded one basehit.

The game ball goes to Doosan leadoff hitter, Lee Jong-wook(.307/.392/.362, 32 runs scored, 15 SB's). Lee went 2-4 with a walk, a double, 2 RBI and 2 SB's.

Samsung 4, Lotte 3

I have no idea what to make of this. Samsung looks fairly mediocre against SK last weekend and then comes out and plays competitive baseball against Lotte. In the words of Joe Morgan, the Lions need to concetrate on their consistency.

Lee Dae-ho(.356/.449/.553, 6 HR, 34 RBI) was a one man wrecking crew for Lotte last night. The Giants really could have won last night if he had a little more help. Lee was 3-4 with a first inning 2-run bomb and an RBI double in the 8th.

Samsung's Bae Yeong-su(4.35 ERA, 3-3, 1.45 WHIP) earned the W, while Oh Seung-hwan(2.65 ERA, 12 saves, 1.18 WHIP) tossed a shaky 9th to earn the save. He gave up 3 hits in the inning.

KIA 6, Hanhwa 5

Jose Lima(5.66 ERA, 2-2, 1.49 WHIP), once thought released and left for dead, has now won 2 consecutive starts. One more and that's a winning streak. Lima didn't pitch incredibly well, but he didn't get torched and he received enough help from the offense to get the W. He should've picked up the team's soju tab for the night. Jose lasted 5 innings(77 pitches, 46 strikes) allowing 3 runs(all earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3.

Hanhwa's Kim Tae-gyun(.311/.414./.698, 12 HR, 33 RBI) continued his recent hot streak by going 3-4 with a homer, a walk, 2 RBI, 3 runs scored and a stolen base. Lee Yong-gyu(.309/.376/.409) gets the game ball for KIA. Lee went 2-4 with a walk, a double, 2 RBI, 1 run scored and a stolen base.

5/15 Roundup and News

I can't believe I missed this. Park Chan-ho has gone 7 innings without allowing a homerun. Good for him.

The Joongang Daily has an interview with professional scout, Aaron Shinsano of the EWC. Check it out.

Speaking of the EWC, ouch.


Getting rowdy in Busan. Family atmosphere indeed.

Woori 4, LG 0

This was a case of inept batting rather than a case of great pitching. LG is just not very good at scoring runs. Woori starter, Kim Su-kyeong(3.09 ERA, 2-1, 1.20 WHIP), tossed 6 scoreless innings(97 pitches, 60 strikes) allowing only 3 hits and two walks while striking out 2. He wasn't exactly overpowering. Woori's Hwang Jae-gyun(.286/.320/.357) gets the game ball for driving in two runs while going 2-4 with a double.

Doosan 8, SK 3

Usually, SK/Doosan games are my favorites to watch. The play is intense, but not vengeful. Both teams seem to bring out the best in each other and there appears to be a genuine rivalry forming. Both teams are young, have a playoff history and are close in proximity. It's a natural fit. As I was saying, I usually enjoy these games, but last night was the exception. It was a sloppy, drawn out affair with an inevitable outcome. I actually caught myself flipping to the LG/Woori game.

Doosan's Kim Hyeon-su(.378/.455/.497, 27 RBI, 22 runs scored) had a great game at the plate last night. Almost every time he came to bat he had an opportunity to drive in runs and more often than not, he capitalized. Kim finished the night 4-5 with a double, 3 RBI and one run scored. Kim Dong-ju(.286/.403/.454, 6 HR) added a "Pilin' On" homer in the 9th.

The only Wyvern that noticed a game was going on was Park Kyeong-won(.308/411/.479). Park finished the night 2-5 with a homer, two RBI and one run scored.

KIA 10, Hanhwa 4

You wouldn't guess from the final, but Hanhwa actually held a lead in this one. The Eagles lead 3-1 heading into the 7th, but starter Yang Hoon(5.89 ERA, 3-3, 1.51 WHIP)ran out of gas and the Hanhwa bullpen crapped the bed. Batting from the 9th slot, KIA's Wilson Valdez(.229/.271/.305) went 2-4 with 4 RBI. KIA's Lee Hyeon-gun(.262/.310/.355) also went 2-4 with a double, 3 RBI and two runs scored.

The big bat for Hanhwa was Kim Tae-gyun(.294/.398/.667!, 11 HR 31 RBI)). Kim went 2-4 with a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored.

Samsung 5, Lotte 3

This was actually a fairly wild one.

The Lions held a 3-1 lead heading into the 9th. Naturally, they brought in their 9th inning hammer, Oh Seung-hwan(11 saves, 2.81 ERA, 1.06 WHIP), to nail the game down. Oh surrendered 4 hits, all singles, and allowed the Giants to tie the game at 3. Fast forward to the top of the 12th, Samsung warm body, Park Jong-ho(.233/.292/.256 in only 43 AB's), clubbed a two-run double off of Lotte reliever, Kim Il-yeop(4.96 ERA, 3 holds, 1.59 WHIP). Samsung reliever, Jeong Hyeon-wook(3.79 ERA, 3-2, 1.45 WHIP) pitched all 3 extra innings to be credited with the W.

5/13 Roundup and News

The Joonang Daily posts a report card of sorts. I'm guessing this guy is a KIA fan.

I've been asked about the whereabouts of Darwin Cubillian. A rough translation of this article leads me to believe he's been released, but I may be mistaken. His picture still appears on the SK team page, so he may just be inactive or with the minor league team. Jamie Brown has been dumped by LG, while 1B/DH/mediocre hitter Roberto Petagine has been added to their roster. Gary Rath has also been dumped. I have no idea why. His WHIP is a little high at 1.55, but his record(3-2) and ERA(2.84) are both respectable. My guess would be family issues, but that's just wild speculation.

Awesome. I'm sure I'll be hearded into the special "Foreigners Only" section at Daegu Stadium fairly soon. Thank you Korean Media and Foreign Jackass. We needed more sensationalism and xenophobia. With this American beef crisis, we were starting to run low. I'm willing to bet these guys are Canadian. They were probably confused by the lack of ice and only one stick on the field.

Hanhwa 1, KIA 0

KIA's Lee Beom-seok(2.12 ERA, 1-2, 1.03 WHIP) deserved better than this. Lee threw 8 innings(99 pitches, 71 strikes) allowing one run on 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8. The only Hanhwa run came on a solo homerun from Lee Beom-ho(.266/.363/.468, 8 HR, 26 RBI). Hanhwa starter, Song Jin-woo(4.14 ERA, 2-2, 1.60 WHIP) picked up the W, while Brad Thomas(3.43 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 7 saves) pitched a 1-2-3 9th to record the save.

Doosan 5, SK 3

This game was tied at 3 heading into the 7th, but between some poor fielding and SK ace, Kim Kwang-hyeon(2.05 ERA, 6-2, 1.31 WHIP), running out of gas, Doosan was able to take the lead and hang on for the W. The Doosan bullpen was excellent last night. Im Tae-hoon(4.21 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 5 holds) threw 3 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out 6. Doosan closer, Jeong Jae-hoon(2.70 ERA, 8 saves, 1.00 WHIP) pitched a perfect 9th for the save.

Lotte 4, Samsung 1

Karim Garcia pulls a Bo Jackson after a strikeout.


A dustup between Samsung catcher, Jin Kab-yong and the umpire. Jin stayed in the game.

The real story was Lotte ace, Son Min-han(2.54 ERA, 5-0, 1.16 WHIP). Son threw 8 innings(113 pitches, 75 strikes) allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 12. Son was simply too much for the already strikeout prone Lions. The only Samsung run came on a solo homerun from Park Seok-min. Wes Obermueller(4.43 ERA, 3-3, 1.08 WHIP) deserved better. Wes tossed 6 innings(87 pitches, 57 strikes) allowing 4 runs(3 earned) on 4 hits and one walk. Big Wes struck out 6.

The big hitter for Lotte was leadoff man, Jeong Su-gun(.314/.421/.390, 24 runs scored). Jeong went 2-4 with 2 RBI.

Woori 5, LG 2

You know what's good for a struggling ballclub? A series with the LG Twins. Woori was winning 4-0 when the Twins mounted their fake rally to make the score 4-2 heading into the 9th. Almost on cue, the LG bullpen coughed up another run, just to dash whatever hope the 2,399 fans in attendance and the dozens watching around Korea had.

No one really stood out on either side, but Woori's Kang Gui-tae(.257/.286/.330) went 3-5 with an RBI.

Woori Ace, Ma Il-yeong(3.18 ERA, 3-3, 1.27 WHIP) recorded the W. Ma threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings(92 pitches, 54 strikes) allowing 2 hits and 4 walks. He struck out one batter.

5/9 - 5/11 Weekend Roundup and News

This weekend we got a fairly critical view of the KIA Tigers from the Korea Times. Choi Hee-seop is singled out in particular.

In Daejon, a foreign moron ran onto the field. Hat tip to the EWC.

Woori vs. KIA



5/9 - KIA 12, Woori 1
5/10 - KIA 4, Woori 1

5/11 - KIA 3, Woori 1

Good news Tigers fans, KIA is showing signs of life for the first time all year. On Friday, the story was Jose Lima(5.70 ERA, 1-2, 1.47 WHIP). I guess he realized that KIA was getting serious about that whole "releasing" thing. Lima tossed 7 strong innings(89 pitches, 55 strikes) allowing only two hits and 1 walk while striking out 4. Woori helped out the KIA offense more than it should have by allowing 7 walks and committing three errors in the field during the Friday romp. The big bat for KIA was Lee Hyeon-gon(.254/.306/.343). Lee went 2-3 with a homer, a walk, 3 RBI and two runs scored.

KIA continued its hot pitching on Saturday and Sunday. Seo Jae-weong(3.72 ERA, 2-3, 1.49 WHIP) tossed 7 innings(100 pitches, 64 strikes) on Saturday. He allowed only 1 run on 4 hits and struck out 5. Lee Dae-jin(3.80 ERA, 1-3, 1.61 WHIP) started on Sunday. He tossed 5 innings(83 pitches, 49 strikes) while surrendering 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks. Han Ki-ju(2.13 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 8 saves) saved both games for the Tigers.

Lotte vs. Doosan

5/9 - Lotte 9, Doosan 2
5/10 - Lotte 5, Doosan 3
5/11 - Doosan 4, Lotte 1


It was throwback uni Sunday for both Doosan and Lotte.


Han Yeong-yi threw out the first pitch.

Friday's lopsided affair featured a complete game from Lotte starter Marty McCleary(4.78 ERA, 2-1, 1.57 WHIP). McCleary needed 126 pitches(82 strikes) to go the distance against Doosan. He allowed 2 runs on 9 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 9. Both Lee Dae-ho(.350/.448/.525, 5 HR, 31 RBI) and Karim Garcia(.252/.326/.504, 8 HR, 25 RBI) clubbed homers on Friday.

Starting pitching was also the story on Saturday for Lotte. Lotte's Song Sung-jun(4.99 ERA, 5-2, 1.51 WHIP) threw 7 strong innings( 107 pitches, 65 strikes). He allowed 3 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks. He added 4 punchouts. The game was 5-0 when Doosan mounted a fake rally in the 7th off of a weary Song. Doosan's Kim Hyeon-su(.366/.449/.485, 24 RBI, 8 SB) hit a two-run bomb in the inning. Cho Seong-hwan(.339/.377/.449) was Lotte's top hitter on Saturday. Cho was 3-4 with a double, a homer, a walk, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored.

On Sunday, it was Doosan who recieved some strong starting pitching. Lee Hye-cheon(5.13 ERA, 2-1, 1.25 WHIP) tossed 6 1/3 innings(91 pitches, 57 strikes) allowing only one run on two hits and two walks while striking out 5. Lotte's only run came from a Kang Min-ho(.349/.424/.632, 7 HR, 22 RBI) solo homer in the 2nd inning. Doosan's offense did muster 4 runs, but they came with a lot of help. Doosan only had 2 hits and three walks all day. Most of the runs came with help from 3 Lotte fielding errors.

Hanhwa vs. LG

5/9 - Hanhwa, 11 LG 5
5/10 - Hanhwa 7, LG 6
5/11 - LG 6, Hanhwa 1

Hanhwa clubbed three homers during their Friday night trouncing of LG. Kim Tae-gyun(.295/.4.05/.663, 10HR 28 RBI), Doug Clark(.320/.409/.660, 12 HR, 33 RBI) and Lee Yeong-woo(.347/.409/.512) all went long in the romp. LG starter Jamie Brown had another rough inning. He only lasted three innings while giving up 5 runs on 7 hits and two walks.

Doug Clark continued to make his early case for league MVP on Saturday night. Clark clubbed two more homeruns while going 2-3 with 4 RBI and two runs scored. Brad Thomas(3.60 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 6 saves) struck out three and only gave up 1 hit during his 1 1/3 inning of work. He recorded the save.

On Sunday it took an excellent effort from LG starter, Bong Jung-gun(3.71 ERA, 3-5, 1.34 WHIP), to beat Hanhwa and ace pitcher, Ryu Hyeon-jin(2.60 ERA, 5-2, 1.23 WHIP). Dr. Bong threw 8 1/3 innings(114 pitches, 66 strikes) allowing one run on 4 hits and three walks while striking out 5. The lone Hanhwa run came on a solo homer by Kim Tae-won(.294/.399/.563, 9 HR, 25 RBI). Ryu took the loss for Hanhwa, but it was the Hanhwa bullpen that allowed most of the damage. Ryu threw 6 innings(101 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and 4 walks. He only struck out 4. LG's top hitter was Ahn Chi-yong(.410/.540/.692 in only 39 AB's). Ahn went 2-4 with a homer, 3 RBI and 1 run scored.

Samsung vs. SK

5/9 - SK 8, Samsung 5
5/10 - Samsung 7, SK 4
5/11 - SK 10, Samsung 7

I went into this series wanting to decide if SK was the best team in Asia. My answer? If they're not the best, they're awfully close. This team is Korea's best chance to win the Asian Series in November. SK is the most complete baseball team in Korea.

Friday night's game was a 4 hour grindfest. Perfect for the falling temperatures in Daegu. Thanks guys! Both teams were fairly sloppy and both teams tried to use as many pitchers as possible. The big bats were SK's Park Kyeong-won(.306/.417/.463) and Samsung's Choi Hyeong-woo(.267/.347/.456). Park went 2-5 with a homer, 4 RBI and one run scored. Choi was 2-4 with a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored.

Saturday's game featured both better weather and a better result for the home team. SK banged out 14 hits, but Samsung pitching didn't give them much help. Samsung's 5 pitchers didn't walk anyone. Park Kyeong-won clubbed another homer while going 3-4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored. Samsung's catcher, Jin Kab-yong(.337/.404/.547, 6 HR, 19 RBI) also clubbed a homer while going 3-4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.

I am convinced that Sunday's game never actually ended. The two teams just got bored with changing pitchers and left. Samsung games tend to be ugly affairs that take days to end. Sunday was one of the worst examples of this. Between the two teams, there were over 90 at bats. Samsung 1st baseman, Jacob Cruz(.304/.385/.400, 20 RBI) went 2-4 with a homer, a walk, 2 RBI and one run scored. SK's Kim Jae-hyeon(.326/.433/.558) was 3-6 with two doubles, 3 RBI and two runs scored. The less said about this game, the better.

5/8 Roundup and News

"Ha, ha."

I guess Lim Chang-yong has found success in the NPB.

Doosan 5, Woori 4

Doosan is starting to get predictable. They were down 4-2 in the 9th and that combustable Woori bullpen struck again. This time Woori closer Jeon Jun-ho(4.05 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 3 saves) was torched for 3 runs in the 9th. All three runs came in a hurry thanks to a 3-run bomb from Doosan warm body, Choi Jun-seok(.237/.313/.356).

Woori starting pitchers have yet another reason to hate the bullpen. A strong effort from starter Hwang Du-seong(2.72 ERA, 3-2, 1.04 WHIP) was wasted last night. Hwang tossed 7 2/3 innings(103 pitches, 67 strikes), allowing 2 runs on 5 hits an two walks while striking out 2.

KIA 3, Samsung 0

After watching this series against KIA, I'm absolutely terrified that SK is invading Daegu this weekend to battle my beloved Lions. Tip of the cap to KIA pitching last night. They deserved to win. KIA starter, Yoon Seok-min(2.59 ERA, 4-3, 1.08 WHIP) threw 7 innings of 4-hit baseball. Yoon also struck out five. KIA closer, Han Gi-ju(2.61 ERA, 1.16 WHIP), tossed an 1 1/3, only allowing one walk and striking out 2, to earn his 6th save of the season. KIA's Lee Jong-beom(.246/.303/.328) went 2-4 with 2 RBI.

SK 6, LG 4


During this series SK played better than LG in every facet of the game. They pitched better, they hit better, they caught the ball better. This was a very clear example of one team with a direction and a future and one team that appears to be rudderless.

The game was tied at 4 heading into the 8th, but SK battered LG reliever, Jeong Jae-bok, for 2 runs on 3 hits. The knockout punch was an RBI double from SK leadoff hitter, Park Jae-hong(.351/.429/.662).

SK's Cho Dong-hwa(.211/.307/.250) also went 2-3 with a triple, 1 RBI and two runs scored. The only concern for SK was that ace Kim Kwang-hyeon(1.76 ERA, 6-1, 1.30 WHIP, 47 K's in 46 IP) didn't fare very well against LG. Kim only threw 4 2/3 innings(84 pitches, 53 strikes) allowing 4 runs on 4 hits, 3 walks and one plunked batter. Kim did record 8 K's on the evening.

This weekend, I will finally get to see SK in person and attempt to answer a burning question. "Are these guys the best team in Asia?"

Hanhwa 5, Lotte 3


Hanhwa swept Lotte. I didn't see that one coming. One of the few bright spots was Lotte's Ma Hae-yeong(.162/.333/.324) recording his 1000th RBI on a bases loaded walk. He kept the ball, eventually. Lotte held a 3-0 lead heading into the 8th, but starter Jo Jeong-hoon(Made his 1st start last night) ran out of gas and Bae Jang-ho didn't spell relief. When the third out of the inning was finally recorded, Lotte had surrendered 5 runs. Hanhwa's Ahn Yeong-myeong(2.04 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 3 holds) threw both the 8th and 9th inning to record his 1st save this season.

Doug Clark(.316/.405/.618) and Lee Beom-ho(.280/.379/.480) had 2 RBI apiece for Hanhwa. Doug Clark is making a strong push for KBO MVP this season. If Hanhwa makes the playoffs, he'll probably deserve it.

5/7 Roundup and News

"Overcome complex."

Doosan 6, Woori 4 (10)

Another day, another come-from-behind W for Doosan. Woori held a 4-3 lead heading into the 9th, but the Woori bullpen coughed up the lead in the 9th and completely collapsed in the 10th.

Cliff Brumbaugh(.307/.407/.509) had a big day for the Heroes. Cliff went 3-4 with a walk, a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored. Woori starting pitcher, Ma Il-yeong(3.65 ERA, 2-3, 1.33 WHIP), pitched well enough to win last night. Ma tossed 7 1/3 innings(97 pitches, 61 strikes) while allowing 3 runs on 9 hits and two walks. He also struck out 3.

This was truly a team effort from Doosan. Every starter, except Chae Sang-byeong, had at least one hit. Ko Yeong-min(.252/.380/.378) did the most damage. He went 2-5 with two RBI.

Attendance is starting to become a concern for Woori. Only 1,189 fans made it to the ballpark last night.

KIA 6, Samsung 1

Samsung was only down 3-1 in the 7th, but Samsung Lions warm body, Kim Gi-tae, was slapped around by KIA hitting and put the game well out of reach. This was also the first time I remember Samsung sitting both Yang Jun-hyeok(.211/.297/.316) and Shim Chang-su(.235/.409/.368) Yang did come in for a pinch hit appearance. I'm thinking injury of some sort for Shim. It's uncharacteristic for him to miss so much time so early in the season.

KIA starter Lee Beom-seok(2.42 ERA, 1-1, 1.19 ERA) was effective. He allowed only one run during his six innings(85 pitches, 51 strikes) of work. He surrendered only 6 hits and one walk while striking out 5.

Kim Won-seop(.386/.458/.494), Lee Hyun-gon(.250/.298/.325) and Lee Jae-ju(.351/.400/.432) had two RBI apiece for KIA.

SK 7, LG 0

7-0 makes this game sound close. It might as well have been 700-0 the way LG played last night. SK pitching held the anemic LG offense to only two hits, but they did surrender 8 walks. 7 of the walks came from starter, Jeon Byeong-do(5.82 ERA, 2-3, 1.53 WHIP). Jeon lasted only 5 innings(98 pitches, 49 strikes). He allowed 1 hit and 7 walks while striking out 4.

Park Jae-hong(.348/.430/.667 in only 69 AB), Kim Jae-hyeon(.301/.416/.507) and Park Kyeong-won(.286/.407/.396) all had two RBI apiece for the SK offense.

Hanhwa 6, Lotte 3

Lotte's bullpen crapped the bed last night. In the 8th inning, 3 pitchers trotted in from the bullpen, but only one of them recorded any outs. Errors also played a big part in this ballgame. Each team had 3. 6 errors in one ballgame. This was a fairly sloppy affair with both sides committing more than a few mental errors during the game. Lotte doesn't look nearly as invicible as they did during the first few weeks.

The big bats in this one were all for Hanhwa. Kim Tae-gyun(.276/.387/.632) went 2-3 with a homer, 1 RBI and 1 run scored. While, Kim Tae-won(.286/.384/.543) went 1-2 with a homer, a walk, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.

5/6 Roundup and News

Unfortunately, I had computer issues yesterday. Here are the winners and losers from 5/6. I'll do a full update for last night's action this afternoon.

Samsung 6, KIA 4 - W:An Jin-man(2-0), L: Lee Dae-jin(0-3) S: Oh Seung-hwan(10)
Hanhwa 4, Lotte 3 - W: Yoon Gyu-jin(1-2), L: Im Kyeong-won(1-2) S: Brad Thomas(5)
SK 7, LG 5 - W: Kim Won-hyeong(3-1), L: Bong Jung-geun(2-5), S: Cho Wong-cheon(3)
Doosan 11, Woori 5 - W: Im Tae-hoon(2-2), L: Song Shin-yeong (0-2)

5/3 - 5/5 Weekend Roundup

Happy Children's Day!

This weekend we recieved a very good article from the Joongang Daily on Samsung starter, Cho Jin-ho. In addition to having pantheon level facial hair, Jin also spent time in the MLB(he was awful), tried to dodge national service, went to jail(!), came back with SK, suffered a torn ligament in his pitching arm, had TJS and has now started a comeback with the Samsung Lions. Whew! He's an interesting guy. When I first read that he spent time in jail, I was worried he was a scumbag. He still might be, but it sounds like he just made a mistake.

I also feel the need to call attention to this guy. Mr. Baek Jeong-hyeon. A crooked cap in the KBO. I never would have believed it...

On to the roundup...

SK vs. Woori

5/3 - SK 2, Woori 0
5/4 - Woori 6, SK 1
5/5 - Woori 3, SK 1

Stop the presses! SK actually loses a series. I'm as surprised as anyone. Woori actually beat them at their own game.

Saturday's game belonged to SK's pitching. 1 starter and 5 SK relievers scattered 8 hits and allowed 6 walks(5 by starter Kim Kwang-hyeon alone), but Woori couldn't plate anyone. SK's Jeong Gun-woo(.252/.331/.287) was 2-4 with a double, two runs scored and a stolen base.

The rest of the weekend belonged to Woori pitching. Neither of the performances could really be described as dominant. SK either hit the ball at people or let the Woori pitching staff off the hook with a double play or lazy fly ball. Just an ugly series for hitters, but a great one for fans. The games went by fairly quickly from what I observed.

Sunday's "hero" was Woori's Kang Byeong-sik(.296/.424/.407). He went 1-2 with a two run homer that gave Woori the lead for good. On Monday, Hwang Jae-gyun(.306/.342/.389) went 3-4 with a homerun, one RBI, 2 runs scored and a stolen base.

Samsung vs. Hanwha

5/3 - Samsung 13, Hanwha 5
5/4 - Samsung 4, Hanwha 2
5/5 - Hanwha 8, Samsung 1

Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in. 13-5 makes Saturday's game sound close. Before the 6th inning, Hanwha was losing 12-1. They tagged Samsung starter, Lee Sang-mok(5.59 ERA 1-2, 1.24 WHIP), for 3 runs in the 6th and then added another in the 8th off of a Samsung warm body. Samsung's Park Seok-min(.294/.402/.422) went 3-5 with a double, a homer, two RBI and 3 runs scored. Kim Chang-hee(.276/.417/.345 in only 29 AB's) went 2-3 with 3 RBI. Yang Jun-hyeok(.209/.293/.318) also continued his recent luke warm streak by going 2-3 with and RBI and two runs scored.

Sunday's game belong to Samsung starting pitcher, Cho Jin-ho, making his first start in 4 years. Cho tossed 6 innings(80 pitches, 53 strikes) allowing 4 hits and striking out one. Park Seok-min continued to clobber Hanwha pitching. He went 2-3 with 2 RBI. Oh Seung-hwan notched his 9th save.

Monday's game was closer than it sounded. If Samsung warm body, Choi Won-jae didn't allow 4 runs in the top of the 9th, the final wouldn't sound so bad. Hanwha's Lee Beom-ho(.279/0389/.468, 22 runs scored, 21 RBI) went 2-5 with 3 RBI and one run scored, while Lee Do-hyeong(.233/.281/.333 in 30 AB's) went 2-4 with two RBI. Hanhwa's Yoo Won-sang(5.55 ERA 2-2, 1.88 WHIP) earned the W with 5 2/3 innings(93 pitches, 49 strikes) allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out 5.

Doosan vs. LG

5/3 - Doosan 16, LG 4
5/4 - Doosan 8, LG 3
5/5 - Doosan 4, LG 2

Break out the brooms!!! If you outscore an opponent 28 to 9, you deserve to sweep them. On Satuday night, Doosan banged out 22 hits and earned 3 free passes during their 16-run assault on LG pitching. Every Doosan starter got in on the action. Doosan didn't hit any homeruns, but they did manage 2 doubles and 3(!) triples. Jae Sang-byeong(.198/.255/.291) went 4-5 with a triple, 3 RBI and 1 run scored during the route. Hong Seong-hun(.341/.365/.455) went 3-5 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. LG leadoff man, Lee Dae-hyeong(.309/.361/.338, 19 SB's) went 4-5 with a double, 1 RBI, one run scored and a stolen base.

This one wasn't as bad as the final sounded. Doosan tacked on two "just because we can" runs in the top of the 9th to put the game out of reach for good. Doosan's Ko Yeong-min(.225/.362/.333) was 2-4 with a double, 3 RBI and one run scored. The lone bright spot for LG was cleanup hitter, Choi Dong su's(.267/.341/.457) 2-run homer in the 3rd inning when the game was still in reach. "Downtown" Jamie Brown(7.29 ERA, 1-4, 1.83 WHIP) was awful . He lasted only three innings(plus a couple batters in the 4th, using 61 pitches, 34 strikes) while allowing 6 runs on 7 hits, two walks, and two hit batsmen.

Monday's game was tied at 2 at the end of 9 innings. Doosan scored two runs in the top of the tenth on a triple from Lee Jong-wook(.333/.413/.400). Doosan reliever, Lee Jae-woo(0.38 ERA, 1 save, 5 holds, 0.92 WHIP) kept LG off the scoreboard for 3 innings after starter Mark Randel(3.55 ERA, 1-2, 1.34 WHIP) allowed LG to tie the game in the 7th. Jang Jae-hun notched his 5th save.

KIA vs. Lotte

5/3 - KIA 4, Lotte 2
5/4 - Rain, rain, go away!
5/5 - Lotte 6, KIA 3

On Saturday night, the big story was KIA starter, Yoon Seok-min(2.96 ERA, 3-3, 1.15 WHIP). Yoon tossed 8 strong innings(112 pitches, 70 strikes), allowing only two runs on 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 8. The usually potent Lotte lineup was held in check all night. Lotte managed only one extra base hit, a double by foreign sensation Karim Garica(.289/.364/.567, 7 HR, 22 RBI).

At the plate for KIA, Kim Won-seop(.365/.448/.473) was 3-4 with a double and an RBI.

Sunday's game was a washout.

On Children's Day, KIA sent mediocre ex-MLB player, Seo Jae-weong(4.14 ERA, 1-3, 1.65 WHIP) to the mound. Seo disappointed the children of Gwangju by lasting only 5 innings(104 pitches, 67 strikes). He allowed 5 runs on 9 hits and three walks, while only striking out 2 batters.

Lotte's foreign sensation, Karim Garcia, went 2-4 with a double, 2 RBI and a run scored. While Kang Min-ho(.326/.394/.609 was 1-3 with a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored.

5/1 Roundup and News

There's already some worries over the next week in the KBO. Today(Friday) is an off day in the KBO because teams are playing on Monday. Monday is Children's Day here in Korea, so to cater to the few young fans the KBO actually has, they've added a slate of day games. KBO teams will play 9 games in 9 days and they're actually worried about this. Maybe this will lead to managers not using ten pitchers in a game.

Lee Dae-ho embracing local tradition.


Doosan 5, KIA 1

The running theme this week seems to be bullpens. The teams whose bullpens perform well appear to win. Teams with bullpens that meltdown seem to lose. I know, earthshattering. Doosan held a 2-1 lead after KIA starter, Lee Dae-jin(4.30 ERA, 0-2, 1.84 WHIP) was pulled. The KIA bullpen coughed up 3 more runs and put the game essentially out of reach. KIA looks awful right now.

Doosan starter, Lee Hye-jeon(5.79 ERA, 1-1, 1.50 WHIP) threw 6 innings(78 pitches, 44 strikes) allowing one run on 4 hits and a walk. He added one strike out. Doosan leadoff man, Lee Jong-wook(.311/.388/.368) went 4-5 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored.

Woori 2, Samsung 0

Samsung also looks awful right now. The paralells between this team and my beloved White Sox are eerie. A lineup of free swingers, all trying to hit three-run homers with no one on base? Check. Craptacular bullpen? Check. Shutdown closer? Check. Mediocre starting pitching? Check. No bench? Check. It's just fate that I root for teams that, at times, turn my stomach.

Samsung was really good at getting guys on 2nd base with two outs. Leadoff man, Park Han-yi(.352/.455/.462) went 2-3 with a double and a walk, but Samsung's 2-3-4 hitters were a combined 0-9 with two walks.

Woori's Ma Il-yeong(3.65 ERA, 2-3, 1.30 WHIP threw 6 innings(87 pitches, 53 strikes) while allowing 3 hits and 3 walks. He also plunked a guy and threw 4 K's. Yoo Jae-shin(.281/.281/.281, not a misprint) went 2-4 with 1 RBI and a stolen base.

Lotte 8, LG 5

This game was actually tied at 3 in the 7th inning. Then LG starter, Bong Jung-gun(3.26 ERA, 2-4, 1.30 WHIP) ran out of gas and the LG bullpen crapped the bed. LG trailed 8-3 in the 9th inning, but they mounted a fake rally to make the line score appear closer than the game actually was.

Lotte ace Son Min-han(2.59 ERA, 4-0, 1.30 WHIP) tossed 7 innings(99 pitches, 65 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 9 hits(season high) and one walk, while striking out 4.

Lotte 3rd baseman, Lee Dae-ho(.363/.453/.560, 4 HR, 29 RBI , 19 runs) went 3-5 with 3 more RBI. Lee never seems to have just one RBI. It's always 0 or multi. When he hits, he doesn't screw around. Cho Sung-hwan(.337/.387/.434) also drove in 3 runs. Cho went 1-3 with a double and two runs scored as well.

SK 6, Hanhwa 4

SK was leading 4-2 heading into the 9th inning. SK reliever, Jeong Dae-hyeon, stayed on for the 9th after finishing the 8th. Jeong appeared to run out of gas and allowed Hanhwa to tie the game at 4. In the 10th, Hanhwa turned to embattled foreign pitcher, Brad Thomas(4.60 ERA, 3 saves, 1.53 WHIP). Thomas pitched well in the 10th, but stayed on for the 11th. He allowed a walk, then a hit, then surrendered a two-run double to Park Jae-sang to give SK the lead. SK reliever, Lee Han-jin, tossed a 1-2-3 to earn SK yet another victory.

The game ball goes to Park Jae-sang(.307/.415/.432). He drove in the winning runs while going 3-6 with two RBI, one run scored and two stolen bases.

Hanhwa's Doug Clark(.321/.412/.652, 9 homers, 33 runs scored) and Lee Beom-ho(.280/.395/.490) both homered in the game.

4/30 Roundup and News

Former Samsung Lion and current Yakult Swallow, Lim Chang-yeong is enjoying success in the NPB. It does bug the hell out of me that he stole Shingo Takatsu's nickname, but it could just be that the Japanese press is being lazy.

"We need a nickname." "What did we call the last guy?" "Uh, Mr. Zero." "Works for me."

Woori 4, Samsung 3

It was the battle of the mediocre foreign pitchers last night. Samsung sent out Wes Obermueller(4.26 ERA, 3-2, 1.07 WHIP)and Woori called upon Jason Scobie(6.54 ERA, 2-2, 1.71 WHIP).

Woori jumped all over Wes Obermueller in the first three innings and kept Samsung off the basepaths for most of the game. Obermueller tossed 6 innings(88 pitches, 59 strikes) allowing all 4 Woori runs on 9 hits while striking out 5. Woori's Scobie had his finest outing to date. He went 7 2/3 innings(99 pitches, 60 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and one walk. He also added 3 K's.

Samsung's Yang Jun-hyeok(.200/.290/.326) busted out of a month long slump. He finished 1-3 with a homer, one RBI, two runs scored and a walk. Woori's Song Ji-man(.296/.330/.432) delivered a two-run double in the third inning that proved to be the difference in the game.

Doosan 7, KIA 6

This game was almost uncomfortable to watch. KIA entered the 8th inning with a 6-1 lead and ended with a 7-6 deficit. Their relief corps melted down and their infield melted down. Wilson Valdes may find himself with Jose Lima if he turns in more perfromances like last night. First, he booted a hot grounder into centerfield, then he screwed up the exchange on a double play, both within five minutes of each other. At the end of the inning, the shot of the poor KIA fans in the stands was priceless. You'd think the concession stands ran out of ramyon. Eyes glazed over, mouths open and arms crossed. The poor bastards.

The story was the KIA bullpen. During the 8th and 9th innings KIA pitching allowed three hits, four walks, and one hit batter. One error and one dropped ball also helped. I was surprised the manager didn't explode. Every time the broadcast cut to a shot of him in the dugout the vein in his neck got bigger. At one point I thought KIA reliever, Yoo Dong-hoon was going to strangle his entire infield. Awkward, awkward situation.

LG 4, Lotte 3

Another late inning meltdown in this one. Lotte held a 3-2 lead heading into the 9th. Lotte closer, Im Kyong-won(4 saves, 4.76 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) came in to nail it down. After few hits and walks, LG's Park Yong-taek(.292/.361/.344) clubbed a double to give LG the lead.

The only things of note in this game were that LG starter Chris Oxspring(3.09 ERA, 4-0, 1.49 WHIP) pitched reasonably well and Lotte's Chong Bo-myung(.275/.348/.450) clubbed a two-run homer.

Hanwha 6, SK 2

Oh the zoomanity! The rolling baseball juggernaut that is the SK Wyverns was stopped last night by Ryu Hyeon-jin(2.52 ERA, 5-1, 1.14 WHIP, 30K in 39 1/3 IP). Hanwha batter SK starter Kim Won-hyeong and reliever Yoon Gil-hyeon for all 6 runs during the first 3 innings. Ryu was able to put on the cruise control and glide to an easy victory. Ryu tossed 6 innings, allowing two runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 5. Another strong effort from the chubby ace.

The biggest offensive effort was from Hanwha's Han Sang-hun(.123/.180/.123 in 57! AB's). Han went 2-4 with two RBI and one run scored.