The Cubs signed another Korean guy. I hope he gets traded, for his sake.
On to the roundup...
Lotte 4, Doosan 3
W - Kang Yeong-sik(5-2), L - Justin Lehr(0-6)
Doosan held a 3-0 lead heading into the top of the 9th inning, but Lotte was able to mount a 3-run rally and take the game into extras. Kim Ju-chan started the inning right with a basehit to left. Kim was forced at 2nd when Jo Seong-hwan hit a grounder to short for the 1st out. Lee Dae-ho slapped a single into right to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Kim Min-sang came on to pinch run for Lee. Both runners advanced on a passed ball. Karim Garcia poked a single past the outstretched glove of the Doosan first baseman to drive in both runners. Seo Jeong-ho came in to pinch run for Garcia. Justin Lehr botched a pickoff attempt to advance the runner to all the way to third with one out. Kang Min-ho hit a sac fly to center to plate the tying run. In the top of the tenth, Lee Seung-hwa singled to center to put a runner on with one out. Lee In-gu singled to left to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Kim Joo-chan hit a ball over the centerfielder's head for a basehit and to score the go ahead run. Lotte was unable to plate any other runners. Kang Yeong-sik stayed in to face Doosan in the bottom of the 10th and put all 3 Bears down in order to earn the W.
Hanhwa 10, Woori 6
W - Ahn Yeong-myeong(7-0), L - Ma Il-yeong(9-7)
Woori ace, Ma Il-yeong was simply awful last night. In his 5 innings(104 pitches, 55 strikes) of work he allowed 7 runs on 10 hits and 4 walks with only 1 K. Hanhwa's Song Kwang-min, Doug Clark, Kim Tae-gyun and Kim Tae-won had 2 RBI each last night. Woori actually held a 6-2 advantage in the 6th inning, but a 6-run rally from the Eagles erased the deficit and gave Hanhwa the lead last night. Cliff Brumbaugh and Jeon Joon-ho both hit solo homers for the Heroes last night.
Samsung 6, SK 3
W - Bae Yong-su(7-6), L - Kim Kwang-hyeon(11-4), S - Oh Seung-hwan(26)
I guess Kenny Ray was dropped by SK because Esteban Yan showed up last night in an SK uni.
Thanks to a solo homer from Choi Hyeong-woo, Samsung carried a 2-1 advantage into the 8th inning. In the 8th, Samsung rallied for 4 runs with the big hit coming again from Choi Hyeong-woo. Choi drilled a pitch into center for a single. Choi drove in the first run of the 8th inning and put runners at the corners with no outs. SK did offer a fake rally in the top of the 9th. Jeong Song-ho hit a two-run blast to make the game a save opportunity for Oh Seung-hwan. Oh retired the last batter on 4 pitches.
Kim Kwang-hyeon was given the hook after the third inning. In 3 innings of work, Kim threw 66 pitches(36 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks with 3 K's.
KIA 5, LG 0
W - Kane Davis(2-1), L - Chris Oxspring(8-8)
Kane Davis turned in his finest performance of the season last night. Davis tossed 8 shutout innings(102 pitches, 60 strikes) allowing only 1 hit and two walks while striking out 6. Chris Oxspring allowed all 5 Tigers runs last night. A two-run homer from KIA catcher, Lee Jae-joo, chased Oxspring from the game.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
7/25 - 7/27 Weekend Roundup
Yang Joon-hyeok is closing in on the Korean homerun record. He currently sits at 337. He needs 3 more to tie and 4 more to break the record.
This is the silliest rule change I've ever heard. I just hope none of the games go into extras.
The Joongang Daily has an Olympic Preview of sorts. I love the quote from Samsung Lions' manager Sun Dong-yeol. “We might as well decide the outcome with a card game.” Sun is awesome.
Lee Seung-yeop is back in the NPB. Just this weekend he clubbed his first homer of the year.
On to the roundup....
Lotte vs. Hanhwa
7/25 - Lotte 5, Hanhwa 1
7/26 - Hanhwa 5, Lotte 3
7/27 - Lotte 9, Hanhwa 2
This was the only series to get all three games in during the weekend. The weather wasn't nearly as wet in the south as it was around Seoul.
Lotte won Friday's contest in 5 innings. The game was called after five on account of rain. A 4-run rally in the 3rd was the difference in this one. During the rally, Lee Dae-ho clubbed a 2-run double. Jang Won-joon tossed all 5 innings(97 pitches, 58 strikes) for the Giants. He allowed only 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks with 2 K's.
Losing 3-1 on Saturday night, Hanhwa struck for a 4-run rally in the top of the 9th to steal the lead away from the Giants. Kim Tae-gyun lead off the inning with a basehit to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hanhwa's Lee Beom-ho grounded to second to advance Kim to 3rd with one out. Kim Tae-won clubbed a basehit to center to score Kim Tae-gyun. Lee Yeo-sang came in to pinch-run for Kim. Han Sang-hoon singled to right to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Shin Kyeong-hyeon singled to center. Lee was able to score on the hit, but the play at the plate was fairly close. In fact, based on the replay, Lee was probably out. Lee's dash tied the game at 3. Runners were at the corners, still with only 1 out. The next batter, Kim Min-jae, dropped a bunt down the first base line. The ball essentially stopped dead just before rolling foul. Lotte catcher, Kang Min-ho, had no play. Kim's "single" loaded the bases with 1 out. Song Kwang-min singled to score the go ahead run. Yeon Kyeong-heum hit a fly ball to center, the fifth run was able to slide under Kang's tag. Hanhwa's Brad Thomas pitched the bottom of the 9th to record the save.
On Sunday, Lee Dae-ho had his first big game in a long time. Lee homered in the 1st(two runs) and 3rd inning(3 runs). He also doubled in the 5th. Lee finished the game 3-3 with a walk, a double, 2 homers, 5 RBI and 3 runs scored. Jo Jeong-hoon worked 8 strong innings(104 pitches, 59 strikes) for the Giants. He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk with 5 K's. Both runs came on solo homeruns from Hanhwa's Kim Tae-won.
Doosan vs. Samsung
7/25 - PPD
7/26 - PPD
7/27 - Samsung 5, Doosan 4 (12)
Sunday's W makes it 3 in a row for the Baby Lions. That's called a winning streak friends. I wish I still cared. The game was tied 4-4 at the end of 9 innings. Doosan came back from a 4-2 deficit to tie the game in the 7th. Woo Jae-won ripped a sing just inside of the 3rd baseline to score the tying run. Doosan would threaten in the 11th, but was unable to plate anyone. The inning ended thanks to a called third strike on Min Byeong-han with the bases loaded to kill the threat. In the top of the 12th, Samsung's Hyeon Jae-yoon started the inning right with a leadoff double off of Doosan pitcher, Kim Sun-woo. Yang Joo-hyeok clobbered a fly ball to deep right/center. Hyeon would score, but Yang was called out trying to stretch it into a triple. Oh Seung-hwan pitched a 1-2-3 12th inning to record the save.
Woori vs. KIA
7/25 - PPD
7/26 - PPD
7/27 - KIA 8, Woori 2
8-2 makes Sunday's game sound closer than it was. If it weren't for a two-run fake rally, Woori would have been shut out. Thanks to the damage inflicted early, KIA's Yoon Seok-min was able to cruise to an easy W on Sunday. Yoon tossed 6 innings(93 pitches, 58 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk with 3 K's. KIA's Jang Seong-ho had a big day at the plate. Jang went 3-5 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI and 1 run scored. The homer was of the solo variety and came in the first inning.
SK vs LG
7/25 - PPD
7/26 - PPD
7/27 - SK 11, LG 0
LG ace, Bong Jung-geun, looked awful with 2 extra days rest. He only lasted 4 innings and was clobbered when he was on the mound. SK starting pitcher, Song Eun-beom looked much better. Song tossed 7 shutout innings (107 pitches, 70 strikes) allowing only 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7. SK leadoff man, Jeong Geun-woo had himself a day on Sunday. Jeong went 3-4 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and 3 runs scored. SK's Park Jae-hong went 2-4 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI and 1 run scored.
This is the silliest rule change I've ever heard. I just hope none of the games go into extras.
The Joongang Daily has an Olympic Preview of sorts. I love the quote from Samsung Lions' manager Sun Dong-yeol. “We might as well decide the outcome with a card game.” Sun is awesome.
Lee Seung-yeop is back in the NPB. Just this weekend he clubbed his first homer of the year.
On to the roundup....
Lotte vs. Hanhwa
7/25 - Lotte 5, Hanhwa 1
7/26 - Hanhwa 5, Lotte 3
7/27 - Lotte 9, Hanhwa 2
This was the only series to get all three games in during the weekend. The weather wasn't nearly as wet in the south as it was around Seoul.
Lotte won Friday's contest in 5 innings. The game was called after five on account of rain. A 4-run rally in the 3rd was the difference in this one. During the rally, Lee Dae-ho clubbed a 2-run double. Jang Won-joon tossed all 5 innings(97 pitches, 58 strikes) for the Giants. He allowed only 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks with 2 K's.
Losing 3-1 on Saturday night, Hanhwa struck for a 4-run rally in the top of the 9th to steal the lead away from the Giants. Kim Tae-gyun lead off the inning with a basehit to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hanhwa's Lee Beom-ho grounded to second to advance Kim to 3rd with one out. Kim Tae-won clubbed a basehit to center to score Kim Tae-gyun. Lee Yeo-sang came in to pinch-run for Kim. Han Sang-hoon singled to right to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Shin Kyeong-hyeon singled to center. Lee was able to score on the hit, but the play at the plate was fairly close. In fact, based on the replay, Lee was probably out. Lee's dash tied the game at 3. Runners were at the corners, still with only 1 out. The next batter, Kim Min-jae, dropped a bunt down the first base line. The ball essentially stopped dead just before rolling foul. Lotte catcher, Kang Min-ho, had no play. Kim's "single" loaded the bases with 1 out. Song Kwang-min singled to score the go ahead run. Yeon Kyeong-heum hit a fly ball to center, the fifth run was able to slide under Kang's tag. Hanhwa's Brad Thomas pitched the bottom of the 9th to record the save.
On Sunday, Lee Dae-ho had his first big game in a long time. Lee homered in the 1st(two runs) and 3rd inning(3 runs). He also doubled in the 5th. Lee finished the game 3-3 with a walk, a double, 2 homers, 5 RBI and 3 runs scored. Jo Jeong-hoon worked 8 strong innings(104 pitches, 59 strikes) for the Giants. He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk with 5 K's. Both runs came on solo homeruns from Hanhwa's Kim Tae-won.
Doosan vs. Samsung
7/25 - PPD
7/26 - PPD
7/27 - Samsung 5, Doosan 4 (12)
Sunday's W makes it 3 in a row for the Baby Lions. That's called a winning streak friends. I wish I still cared. The game was tied 4-4 at the end of 9 innings. Doosan came back from a 4-2 deficit to tie the game in the 7th. Woo Jae-won ripped a sing just inside of the 3rd baseline to score the tying run. Doosan would threaten in the 11th, but was unable to plate anyone. The inning ended thanks to a called third strike on Min Byeong-han with the bases loaded to kill the threat. In the top of the 12th, Samsung's Hyeon Jae-yoon started the inning right with a leadoff double off of Doosan pitcher, Kim Sun-woo. Yang Joo-hyeok clobbered a fly ball to deep right/center. Hyeon would score, but Yang was called out trying to stretch it into a triple. Oh Seung-hwan pitched a 1-2-3 12th inning to record the save.
Woori vs. KIA
7/25 - PPD
7/26 - PPD
7/27 - KIA 8, Woori 2
8-2 makes Sunday's game sound closer than it was. If it weren't for a two-run fake rally, Woori would have been shut out. Thanks to the damage inflicted early, KIA's Yoon Seok-min was able to cruise to an easy W on Sunday. Yoon tossed 6 innings(93 pitches, 58 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk with 3 K's. KIA's Jang Seong-ho had a big day at the plate. Jang went 3-5 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI and 1 run scored. The homer was of the solo variety and came in the first inning.
SK vs LG
7/25 - PPD
7/26 - PPD
7/27 - SK 11, LG 0
LG ace, Bong Jung-geun, looked awful with 2 extra days rest. He only lasted 4 innings and was clobbered when he was on the mound. SK starting pitcher, Song Eun-beom looked much better. Song tossed 7 shutout innings (107 pitches, 70 strikes) allowing only 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7. SK leadoff man, Jeong Geun-woo had himself a day on Sunday. Jeong went 3-4 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and 3 runs scored. SK's Park Jae-hong went 2-4 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI and 1 run scored.
Friday, July 25, 2008
7/24 News and Roundup
Hanhwa 6, Doosan 3
W - Ahn Yeong-myeong (6-0), L - Justin Lehr (0-5), S - Brad Thomas (24)
Game Ball: I'm going unusual with this one. Hanhwa Eagles reliever Ahn Yeong-myeong gets the game ball in this one. Both starting pitchers were chased after the 1st inning. This game was a battle of the bullpens. Ahn worked 4 1/3 innings(74 pitches, 43 strikes) of no-hit baseball to keep the Eagles in a position to win. Ahn was "effectively wild," he walked 4, but he also struck out 6. At the plate, Hanhwa's Kim Min-jae was 4-4 with a double and 3 RBI.
Samsung 13, KIA 2
W - Jeon Byeon-ho (4-4), L - Kane Davis (1-1)
Game Ball: I've got to go with two Lions here. It's a split decision. Samsung manager, Sun Dong-yeol went with a funky lineup. He let Woo Dong-gyun leadoff, followed by Yang Jun-hyeok and Park Han-yi batting 3rd. It paid off. Park went 3-4 with a walk, 4 RBI and a run scored. He did most of his damage before the 8-run 7th inning that busted the game wide open. Samsung starting pitcher, Jeon Byeong-ho was very good last night. Jeon went 8 2/3 innings(117 pitches, 74 strikes) allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks with 2 K's.
LG v. Woori
PPD
SK v. Lotte
PPD
W - Ahn Yeong-myeong (6-0), L - Justin Lehr (0-5), S - Brad Thomas (24)
Game Ball: I'm going unusual with this one. Hanhwa Eagles reliever Ahn Yeong-myeong gets the game ball in this one. Both starting pitchers were chased after the 1st inning. This game was a battle of the bullpens. Ahn worked 4 1/3 innings(74 pitches, 43 strikes) of no-hit baseball to keep the Eagles in a position to win. Ahn was "effectively wild," he walked 4, but he also struck out 6. At the plate, Hanhwa's Kim Min-jae was 4-4 with a double and 3 RBI.
Samsung 13, KIA 2
W - Jeon Byeon-ho (4-4), L - Kane Davis (1-1)
Game Ball: I've got to go with two Lions here. It's a split decision. Samsung manager, Sun Dong-yeol went with a funky lineup. He let Woo Dong-gyun leadoff, followed by Yang Jun-hyeok and Park Han-yi batting 3rd. It paid off. Park went 3-4 with a walk, 4 RBI and a run scored. He did most of his damage before the 8-run 7th inning that busted the game wide open. Samsung starting pitcher, Jeon Byeong-ho was very good last night. Jeon went 8 2/3 innings(117 pitches, 74 strikes) allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks with 2 K's.
LG v. Woori
PPD
SK v. Lotte
PPD
7/23 News and Roundup
Park Chan-ho has been moved back to the bullpen. If Jonathan Broxton can't fill the closer's role, Park could pick up a save or two.
The Joongang Daily's Yoo Jee-ho offers his ideas on the Giants recent struggles. I think the lax attitude toward conditioning may have something to do with their struggles. This team looks a little fried.
The Donga Ilbo offers another article shoved into a translator program. It's not nearly as entertaining as the last one.
On to the round up...
Woori 5, LG 1
W - Ma Il-yeong (9-6), L - Chris Oxspring (8-7), S - Song Shin-yeong (4)
Game Ball: Woori did all of its scoring during a 5-run 4th inning. The rally featured doubles from Lee Taek-gun, Kim Dong-su and Kim Il-kyeong, but the player that was most Game Ball worthy was the Woori ace, Ma Il-yeong. Ma worked 6 1/3 innings(96 pitches, 58 strikes) allowing 1 run on 7 hits with 1 walk. He struck out 3 Twinkies on the night.
SK 7, Lotte 6
W - Kim Won-hyeong (8-3), L - Na Seung-hyeon (0-3)
Game Ball: The game was tied 6-6 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. SK had already used 8(!) pitchers to throw 9 innings, so they were looking at a thin bullpen if this ballgame went into extras. SK's Lee Jae-won started the inning right with a leadoff single. Mo Chang-min was brought on as a pinch runner. Park Jae-hong hit a lazy fly to right for the first out. Park Kyeong-won laced a single into left field to put runners at the corners with only 1 out. Ha Joon-hyeok came in to pitch for the Giants. The first batter he faced, Na Ju-hwan laid down an awkward bunt right in front of home plate. Ha attempted to flip the ball to the catcher, but Mo was able to sprint in from third to score the winning run. Na gets the game ball for a walk off suicide squeeze.
Samsung 6, KIA 3
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook (6-3), L - Lee Beom-seok (6-7), S - Oh Seung-hwan (24)
Game Ball: Samsung outfielder, Woo Dong-gyun. Woo hit in the lead off spot last night and made the most of it. He finished 2-3 with a triple, 3 RBI and one run scored. His triple came during a 4-run second inning. The Baby Lion tripled with the bases loaded and was driven on a single from Park Han-yi.
Hanhwa v. Doosan
PPD
The Joongang Daily's Yoo Jee-ho offers his ideas on the Giants recent struggles. I think the lax attitude toward conditioning may have something to do with their struggles. This team looks a little fried.
The Donga Ilbo offers another article shoved into a translator program. It's not nearly as entertaining as the last one.
On to the round up...
Woori 5, LG 1
W - Ma Il-yeong (9-6), L - Chris Oxspring (8-7), S - Song Shin-yeong (4)
Game Ball: Woori did all of its scoring during a 5-run 4th inning. The rally featured doubles from Lee Taek-gun, Kim Dong-su and Kim Il-kyeong, but the player that was most Game Ball worthy was the Woori ace, Ma Il-yeong. Ma worked 6 1/3 innings(96 pitches, 58 strikes) allowing 1 run on 7 hits with 1 walk. He struck out 3 Twinkies on the night.
SK 7, Lotte 6
W - Kim Won-hyeong (8-3), L - Na Seung-hyeon (0-3)
Game Ball: The game was tied 6-6 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. SK had already used 8(!) pitchers to throw 9 innings, so they were looking at a thin bullpen if this ballgame went into extras. SK's Lee Jae-won started the inning right with a leadoff single. Mo Chang-min was brought on as a pinch runner. Park Jae-hong hit a lazy fly to right for the first out. Park Kyeong-won laced a single into left field to put runners at the corners with only 1 out. Ha Joon-hyeok came in to pitch for the Giants. The first batter he faced, Na Ju-hwan laid down an awkward bunt right in front of home plate. Ha attempted to flip the ball to the catcher, but Mo was able to sprint in from third to score the winning run. Na gets the game ball for a walk off suicide squeeze.
Samsung 6, KIA 3
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook (6-3), L - Lee Beom-seok (6-7), S - Oh Seung-hwan (24)
Game Ball: Samsung outfielder, Woo Dong-gyun. Woo hit in the lead off spot last night and made the most of it. He finished 2-3 with a triple, 3 RBI and one run scored. His triple came during a 4-run second inning. The Baby Lion tripled with the bases loaded and was driven on a single from Park Han-yi.
Hanhwa v. Doosan
PPD
Thursday, July 24, 2008
7/22 Roundup and News
Woori 4, LG 0
W - Jang Won-sam (8-6), L - Bong Jung-geun (8-6)
Game Ball: Jang Won-sam for his 6 innings of 2-hit, shutout ball. Jang only walked one and struck out 3 en route to his 8th victory on the season. Woori's Lee Taek-geun clubbed a 3-run bomb in the 3rd inning that proved to be all the runs Jang would need.
SK 6, Lotte 3
W - Jeong Dae-heon (3-2), L - Yom Jong-seok (0-1), S - Jeong Woo-ram (4)
Game Ball: SK infielder, Na Joo-chan. In the 7th inning he hit an RBI triple that gave SK the lead and with some solid work from the SK bullpen, the Wyverns held on for the W. SK simply ran the Giants off the field on Tuesday. The speedy Wyverns thieved 5 bases.
Hanhwa 5, Doosan 4
W - Gu Dae-seong (1-1), L - Jeong Jae-hoon (2-2)
Game Ball: Doosan held a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th and they called on closer, Jeong Jae-hoon, to record the final 3 outs. Hanhwa's Shin Kyeong-heon lead off the inning with a basehit off the glove of the Doosan 1st baseman. Kim Min-jae sacrificied Shin to second. Then Choo Seung-woo hit a SLOW(really slow) roller just inside the third base line. The ball and Shin arrived at third at the same time, but the Doosan third baseman couldn't find the handle. Hanhwa had runners on the corners with one out. Yoon Jae-gook swatted a double into the gap in right/center. Shin scored easily. Doosan intentionally walked Doug Clark to load the bases with one out. Kim Tae Gyun crushed a ball down the line to drive in Choo and walk off the Bears. Kim also gets the game ball. Nice work.
KIA 7, Samsung 1
W - Yoon Seok-min (11-4), L - Bae Yong-su (6-6)
Game Ball: KIA starting pitcher, Yoon Seok-min. Yoon tossed 7 strong innings(95 pitches, 59 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 5 hits and 3 walks with 5 K's. He kept the baby Lions off balance all night while recording his 11th W on the season.
W - Jang Won-sam (8-6), L - Bong Jung-geun (8-6)
Game Ball: Jang Won-sam for his 6 innings of 2-hit, shutout ball. Jang only walked one and struck out 3 en route to his 8th victory on the season. Woori's Lee Taek-geun clubbed a 3-run bomb in the 3rd inning that proved to be all the runs Jang would need.
SK 6, Lotte 3
W - Jeong Dae-heon (3-2), L - Yom Jong-seok (0-1), S - Jeong Woo-ram (4)
Game Ball: SK infielder, Na Joo-chan. In the 7th inning he hit an RBI triple that gave SK the lead and with some solid work from the SK bullpen, the Wyverns held on for the W. SK simply ran the Giants off the field on Tuesday. The speedy Wyverns thieved 5 bases.
Hanhwa 5, Doosan 4
W - Gu Dae-seong (1-1), L - Jeong Jae-hoon (2-2)
Game Ball: Doosan held a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th and they called on closer, Jeong Jae-hoon, to record the final 3 outs. Hanhwa's Shin Kyeong-heon lead off the inning with a basehit off the glove of the Doosan 1st baseman. Kim Min-jae sacrificied Shin to second. Then Choo Seung-woo hit a SLOW(really slow) roller just inside the third base line. The ball and Shin arrived at third at the same time, but the Doosan third baseman couldn't find the handle. Hanhwa had runners on the corners with one out. Yoon Jae-gook swatted a double into the gap in right/center. Shin scored easily. Doosan intentionally walked Doug Clark to load the bases with one out. Kim Tae Gyun crushed a ball down the line to drive in Choo and walk off the Bears. Kim also gets the game ball. Nice work.
KIA 7, Samsung 1
W - Yoon Seok-min (11-4), L - Bae Yong-su (6-6)
Game Ball: KIA starting pitcher, Yoon Seok-min. Yoon tossed 7 strong innings(95 pitches, 59 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 5 hits and 3 walks with 5 K's. He kept the baby Lions off balance all night while recording his 11th W on the season.
Monday, July 21, 2008
7/18 - 7/20 Weekend Roundup and News
No news to report. Well, I guess rain counts as news. So, it rained a lot this weekend.
On to the weekend that was...
LG vs Lotte
7/18 - LG 4, Lotte 3
7/19 - PPD
7/20 - PPD
On Friday night, Lotte actually held a 3-1 lead heading into the 8th inning. LG's Ahn Ji-yong clobbered a double to put a runner on for Roberto Petagine. Petagine tied the score with a two-run bomb. The next batter, Choi Dong-su blasted a solo shot to untie the game. LG's Jeong Jae-bok retired the final two outs to give LG the come-from-behind-win. Son Min-han pitched very well for the Giants and deserved better than a ND. Son tossed 7 innings(108 pitches, 67 strikes) allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks with 2 K's.
Saturday and Sunday were both washed out.
Woori vs SK
7/18 - SK 3, Woori 2 (10)
7/19 - PPD
7/20 - PPD
It took 10 innings for the Heroes and the Wyverns to sort out Friday night's affair. With the score tied at 2, the game headed for extras. It didn't take SK long to untie the score. SK's Lee Jin-yeong drew the dreaded leadoff walk. Kim Jae-hyeon followed with another walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Park Jae-hon clubbed a fly ball to DEEP centerfield. Lee was able to advance to third to put runners on the corners with 1 out. Choi Jeong hit a ground ball to the hole at short. LG was able to get the force at second, but Lee was able to scamper across the plate to untie the game. SK reliever, Jo Wong-cheon was able to retire all 7 batters he faced in order during his 2 1/3 innings of relief work. He closed the door on any attempt of a late inning comeback from Woori.
Samsung vs. Hanhwa
7/18 - Samsung 3, Hanhwa 0
7/19 - Samsung 4, Hanhwa 3
7/20 - Samsung 5, Hanhwa 4
The weather in Daegu was actually quite nice last weekend. Suprisingly, Samsung was able to take advantage and sweep the Eagles.
Friday night was simply a case of Yoon Seung-hwan beating an aggressive Hanhwa lineup. In Yoon's 7 scoreless innings(107 pitches, 73 strikes) of work, he allowed only 1 walk and 4 hits while striking out 9. I honestly can't remember the last time a Samsung pitcher looked as good as Yoon did on Friday. Samsung outfielder, Park Han-yi, had a big night at the plate for the Lions. Park finished 3-4 with a homer, 2 runs scored and an RBI.
Saturday was turn back the clock night at Citizen Ballpark in Daegu. The Lions dressed in their uni's from 1985. I have no idea what they were celebrating. The 23rd anniversary? Strange. The boys looked razor sharp. Hanhwa held a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th inning, but Samsung struck for a 3 spot to take the lead. Choi Yong-woo lead off the inning with a double. Then, the Hanhwa reliever drilled Kim Chang-hee in the leg to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Hanhwa called on Brad Thomas to get them out of the jam. After recording the first out quickly, Jin Kab-yong hit a lazy fly ball to short rightfield. The Hanhwa outfielder couldn't find the handle on the ball and allowed it to fall in for a hit. Samsung's Kim Myeong-cheol hit a lazy fly ball to left that wasn't quite deep enough to score Choi from 3rd. With two outs and the bases loaded, Thomas uncorked a wild pitch to allow the 2nd Samsung run to score. Park Han-yi laced a single into left to score two runs. Samsung took a 4-2 lead. In the 9th inning, Hanhwa was able to offer up a fake rally, but were unable to get the tying run across the plate.
Sunday was more of the same for the Lions. This time, they scored 3 runs in the 8th inning to tie the game at 4 and then walked off the Eagles in the 9th inning. The 8th inning rally was capped by a 3-run bomb from Samsung centerfielder, Park Han-yi. In the 9th inning, Choi Yeong-woo lead off with a double. Chae Tae-in was intentionally walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Shin Myeong-cheol hit a deep fly ball to center. Hanhwa centerfielder, Doug Clark was playing very shallow and was unable to track down the monster fly. The winning run scored and Shin was doused with ice water by his teammates.
KIA vs Doosan
7/18 - KIA 4, Doosan 3
7/19 - KIA 5, Doosan 4
7/20 - PPD
Doosan held a 3-2 lead on Friday night heading into the 6th inning, but a 2-run double from Lee Jong-beom gave the Tigers the lead for good. Lee finished the night 3-4 with a double, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Kane Davis was very effective for the KIA on Friday. Davis tossed 7 1/3 innings(120 pitches, 81 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks with 8 K's.
KIA followed a similar recipe for success on Saturday night. They mixed adequate pitching with enough timely hitting to earn another W. Lee Jae-joo finished the night 3-4 with 3 RBI and 1 run scored. Choi Hee-seop(remember him?) clobbered a 2-run bomb in the 5th inning that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. KIA starting pitcher, Lee Dae-jin, tossed 6 2/3 innings(92 pitches, 52 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks with 3 K's.
On to the weekend that was...
LG vs Lotte
7/18 - LG 4, Lotte 3
7/19 - PPD
7/20 - PPD
On Friday night, Lotte actually held a 3-1 lead heading into the 8th inning. LG's Ahn Ji-yong clobbered a double to put a runner on for Roberto Petagine. Petagine tied the score with a two-run bomb. The next batter, Choi Dong-su blasted a solo shot to untie the game. LG's Jeong Jae-bok retired the final two outs to give LG the come-from-behind-win. Son Min-han pitched very well for the Giants and deserved better than a ND. Son tossed 7 innings(108 pitches, 67 strikes) allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks with 2 K's.
Saturday and Sunday were both washed out.
Woori vs SK
7/18 - SK 3, Woori 2 (10)
7/19 - PPD
7/20 - PPD
It took 10 innings for the Heroes and the Wyverns to sort out Friday night's affair. With the score tied at 2, the game headed for extras. It didn't take SK long to untie the score. SK's Lee Jin-yeong drew the dreaded leadoff walk. Kim Jae-hyeon followed with another walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Park Jae-hon clubbed a fly ball to DEEP centerfield. Lee was able to advance to third to put runners on the corners with 1 out. Choi Jeong hit a ground ball to the hole at short. LG was able to get the force at second, but Lee was able to scamper across the plate to untie the game. SK reliever, Jo Wong-cheon was able to retire all 7 batters he faced in order during his 2 1/3 innings of relief work. He closed the door on any attempt of a late inning comeback from Woori.
Samsung vs. Hanhwa
7/18 - Samsung 3, Hanhwa 0
7/19 - Samsung 4, Hanhwa 3
7/20 - Samsung 5, Hanhwa 4
The weather in Daegu was actually quite nice last weekend. Suprisingly, Samsung was able to take advantage and sweep the Eagles.
Friday night was simply a case of Yoon Seung-hwan beating an aggressive Hanhwa lineup. In Yoon's 7 scoreless innings(107 pitches, 73 strikes) of work, he allowed only 1 walk and 4 hits while striking out 9. I honestly can't remember the last time a Samsung pitcher looked as good as Yoon did on Friday. Samsung outfielder, Park Han-yi, had a big night at the plate for the Lions. Park finished 3-4 with a homer, 2 runs scored and an RBI.
Saturday was turn back the clock night at Citizen Ballpark in Daegu. The Lions dressed in their uni's from 1985. I have no idea what they were celebrating. The 23rd anniversary? Strange. The boys looked razor sharp. Hanhwa held a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th inning, but Samsung struck for a 3 spot to take the lead. Choi Yong-woo lead off the inning with a double. Then, the Hanhwa reliever drilled Kim Chang-hee in the leg to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Hanhwa called on Brad Thomas to get them out of the jam. After recording the first out quickly, Jin Kab-yong hit a lazy fly ball to short rightfield. The Hanhwa outfielder couldn't find the handle on the ball and allowed it to fall in for a hit. Samsung's Kim Myeong-cheol hit a lazy fly ball to left that wasn't quite deep enough to score Choi from 3rd. With two outs and the bases loaded, Thomas uncorked a wild pitch to allow the 2nd Samsung run to score. Park Han-yi laced a single into left to score two runs. Samsung took a 4-2 lead. In the 9th inning, Hanhwa was able to offer up a fake rally, but were unable to get the tying run across the plate.
Sunday was more of the same for the Lions. This time, they scored 3 runs in the 8th inning to tie the game at 4 and then walked off the Eagles in the 9th inning. The 8th inning rally was capped by a 3-run bomb from Samsung centerfielder, Park Han-yi. In the 9th inning, Choi Yeong-woo lead off with a double. Chae Tae-in was intentionally walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Shin Myeong-cheol hit a deep fly ball to center. Hanhwa centerfielder, Doug Clark was playing very shallow and was unable to track down the monster fly. The winning run scored and Shin was doused with ice water by his teammates.
KIA vs Doosan
7/18 - KIA 4, Doosan 3
7/19 - KIA 5, Doosan 4
7/20 - PPD
Doosan held a 3-2 lead on Friday night heading into the 6th inning, but a 2-run double from Lee Jong-beom gave the Tigers the lead for good. Lee finished the night 3-4 with a double, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Kane Davis was very effective for the KIA on Friday. Davis tossed 7 1/3 innings(120 pitches, 81 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks with 8 K's.
KIA followed a similar recipe for success on Saturday night. They mixed adequate pitching with enough timely hitting to earn another W. Lee Jae-joo finished the night 3-4 with 3 RBI and 1 run scored. Choi Hee-seop(remember him?) clobbered a 2-run bomb in the 5th inning that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. KIA starting pitcher, Lee Dae-jin, tossed 6 2/3 innings(92 pitches, 52 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks with 3 K's.
Friday, July 18, 2008
7/17 Roundup and News
This is awesome. Exactly what has to happen in order for an outfielder to come home wasted and then beat his building's janitor AND a cop? How rough of a Tuesday night did this guy have? At the time of his suspension Jeong Su-geun was posting a .290/.343/392 line for the Giants with 25 RBI and 51 runs scored in 80 games. It sounds like he's done for the rest of the year at least.
Doosan 6, SK 2
W - Matt Randel, L - Chae Byeong-yong, S - Im Tae-hoon
Game Ball: Doosan starting pitcher, Matt Randel, worked 6 strong innings(97 pitches, 56 strikes) allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. Doosan third baseman, Kim Hyeon-su gets an honorable mention for his triple in the 6th inning. With runners on 1st and 3rd, Kim thumped a triple off the wall in left center to give Doosan its first lead of the game. Kim finished the game 2-4 with a walk, a triple, 2 RBI and a run scored.
Hanhwa 11, LG 7
W - Choi Yeong-pil, L - Shim Su-chang, S - Ma Jeong-gil
Game Ball: LG's Roberto Petagine and Ahn Ji-man both drove in 3 runs on the day, but the game ball goes to Kim Tae-gyun. Kim finished the game 3-4 with a walk, 2 doubles, a homer, 6(!) RBI and 2 runs scored. His first double came in the first inning and drove in Doug Clark for the first run of the game. He drove in Clark again in the 4th inning with another RBI double. Then in th 5th, he struck again with a monster grand slam that easily cleared the wall in centerfield.
Samsung 9, Woori 6
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook, L - Jo Yong-hoon, S - Oh Seung-hwan
Game Ball: Samsung Warm Body, Cho Dong-chan for his pinch hit grand slam in the 6th inning that gave Samsung the lead for good. Samsung's Kim Chang-hui gets an honorable mention for going 2-3 with a homer, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.
Lotte 3, KIA 2 (10)
W - Im Kyeong-won, L - Son Yeong-min
Game Ball: Lotte finally snapped its losing streak, but it took 10 innings to do so. The ballgame was tied at 2 at the end of 9, so on to extras! In the bottom of the 10th, Jo Seong-hwan lead off with a walk. The next batter, Lee Dae-ho, struck out on a botched hit and run attempt, but Jo was able to advance to second. The KIA Tigers intentionally walked Karim Garcia to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Then, Kang Min-ho laced a base hit off the wall in right field. The outfielder was drawn way in and got a lousy jump on the ball. An excited Giants team mobbed the field and beat the tar out of poor Min-ho. It's just a matter of time before someone gets hurt during one of these "celebrations." Either way, Game ball goes to Kang Min-ho for ending the game. Honorable mentions to both KIA starter Felix Diaz and Lotte starter Jo Jeong-hoon. Both deserved better than an ND for their trouble.
Doosan 6, SK 2
W - Matt Randel, L - Chae Byeong-yong, S - Im Tae-hoon
Game Ball: Doosan starting pitcher, Matt Randel, worked 6 strong innings(97 pitches, 56 strikes) allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. Doosan third baseman, Kim Hyeon-su gets an honorable mention for his triple in the 6th inning. With runners on 1st and 3rd, Kim thumped a triple off the wall in left center to give Doosan its first lead of the game. Kim finished the game 2-4 with a walk, a triple, 2 RBI and a run scored.
Hanhwa 11, LG 7
W - Choi Yeong-pil, L - Shim Su-chang, S - Ma Jeong-gil
Game Ball: LG's Roberto Petagine and Ahn Ji-man both drove in 3 runs on the day, but the game ball goes to Kim Tae-gyun. Kim finished the game 3-4 with a walk, 2 doubles, a homer, 6(!) RBI and 2 runs scored. His first double came in the first inning and drove in Doug Clark for the first run of the game. He drove in Clark again in the 4th inning with another RBI double. Then in th 5th, he struck again with a monster grand slam that easily cleared the wall in centerfield.
Samsung 9, Woori 6
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook, L - Jo Yong-hoon, S - Oh Seung-hwan
Game Ball: Samsung Warm Body, Cho Dong-chan for his pinch hit grand slam in the 6th inning that gave Samsung the lead for good. Samsung's Kim Chang-hui gets an honorable mention for going 2-3 with a homer, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.
Lotte 3, KIA 2 (10)
W - Im Kyeong-won, L - Son Yeong-min
Game Ball: Lotte finally snapped its losing streak, but it took 10 innings to do so. The ballgame was tied at 2 at the end of 9, so on to extras! In the bottom of the 10th, Jo Seong-hwan lead off with a walk. The next batter, Lee Dae-ho, struck out on a botched hit and run attempt, but Jo was able to advance to second. The KIA Tigers intentionally walked Karim Garcia to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Then, Kang Min-ho laced a base hit off the wall in right field. The outfielder was drawn way in and got a lousy jump on the ball. An excited Giants team mobbed the field and beat the tar out of poor Min-ho. It's just a matter of time before someone gets hurt during one of these "celebrations." Either way, Game ball goes to Kang Min-ho for ending the game. Honorable mentions to both KIA starter Felix Diaz and Lotte starter Jo Jeong-hoon. Both deserved better than an ND for their trouble.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
7/16 News and Roundup
Karim Garcia is leading the fan voting for the all-star game. If he holds onto his lead, he will be the first forienger to win the fan voting.
Doosan vs. SK
PPD
Samsung 6, Woori 2
W - Bae Yong-su (6-5), L - Ma Il-yeong (8-6)
Game Ball: Samsung third baseman, Park Seok-min. Park hit a three-run bomb in the first inning that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. His homer was also the only extra base hit for the Lions last night. Park finished 1-4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.
KIA 4, Lotte 1
W - Lee Beom-seok (6-6), L - Jang Won-joon (7-7), S - Han Ki-ju (19)
Game Ball: KIA starting pitcher, Lee Beom-seok. Lee worked 8 1/3 innings (94 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks with 7 K's. The only run he allowed came on a 9th inning solo homer from Lotte Warm Body, Lee In-gu.
Lotte is in the middle of a 5 game losing streak and the Giants are 2-8 in their last 10. The KIA Tigers are only 2 1/2 games behind Lotte for 4th place.
Hanhwa 11, LG 4
W - Ryu Hyeon-jin (10-5), L - Lee Seung-ho (0-2)
Game Ball: Hanhwa's Kim Tae-won and Shin Kyeong-hyeon. Kim finished the night 3-3 with 2 walks, a homer, 1 RBI and 3 runs scored. He got the party started right with a solo homer in the 2nd inning that put Hanhwa on the scoreboard. Shin went 3-3 with a walk, a stolen base 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Ryu Hyeon-jin gets an honorable mention for working 7 strong innings (116 pitches, 74 strikes) allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk with 7 K's. The only run he allowed came on a 4th inning solo homer from LG 1st baseman/foreign sensation Roberto Petagine.
Doosan vs. SK
PPD
Samsung 6, Woori 2
W - Bae Yong-su (6-5), L - Ma Il-yeong (8-6)
Game Ball: Samsung third baseman, Park Seok-min. Park hit a three-run bomb in the first inning that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. His homer was also the only extra base hit for the Lions last night. Park finished 1-4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.
KIA 4, Lotte 1
W - Lee Beom-seok (6-6), L - Jang Won-joon (7-7), S - Han Ki-ju (19)
Game Ball: KIA starting pitcher, Lee Beom-seok. Lee worked 8 1/3 innings (94 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks with 7 K's. The only run he allowed came on a 9th inning solo homer from Lotte Warm Body, Lee In-gu.
Lotte is in the middle of a 5 game losing streak and the Giants are 2-8 in their last 10. The KIA Tigers are only 2 1/2 games behind Lotte for 4th place.
Hanhwa 11, LG 4
W - Ryu Hyeon-jin (10-5), L - Lee Seung-ho (0-2)
Game Ball: Hanhwa's Kim Tae-won and Shin Kyeong-hyeon. Kim finished the night 3-3 with 2 walks, a homer, 1 RBI and 3 runs scored. He got the party started right with a solo homer in the 2nd inning that put Hanhwa on the scoreboard. Shin went 3-3 with a walk, a stolen base 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Ryu Hyeon-jin gets an honorable mention for working 7 strong innings (116 pitches, 74 strikes) allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk with 7 K's. The only run he allowed came on a 4th inning solo homer from LG 1st baseman/foreign sensation Roberto Petagine.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
7/15 Roundup and News
The Joongang Daily offers up its, erm, mid-July awards. Not much there to disagree with. Although if you look at Bong Jung-geun's number's, it's hard to exclude him from the "Best Pitcher" conversation. I'd like to see the KBO adopt a Cy Young award, or better yet, a Cy ìš© award.
According to The Korea Times, the roster for the Korean Olympic team has been finalized. I can't believe they left off Son Min-han.
I've been ambushed with a series of English Camp meeting today, so here are your winners, losers, saves and game balls for last night's action.
Doosan 8, SK 7
W - Lee Jae-woo(10-1), L - Jeong Woo-ram (6-2), S - Jeong Jae-hoon (17)
Game Ball: This game wasn't nearly as exciting as it sounds. Doosan had an 8-2 lead at one point and SK used 7 different pitchers. If it weren't for a 5-run fake rally off of a tired starting pitcher, the score would have been a lot more lopsided. Doosan's Lee Seong-yeol gets the game ball for going 2-3 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.
Hanhwa 5, LG 3
W - Jeong Min-cheol (6-8), L - Chris Oxspring (8-6), S - Brad Thomas (23)
Game Ball: And the award goes to......Hanhwa's foreign sensation, Doug Clark! Clark only went 1-4, but his one hit was a 2-run double in the 7th inning that proved to be the difference in the final score.
Woori 9, Samsung 3
W - Jang Won-sam (7-6), L - Tom Shearn (0-6)
Game Ball: My prediction for the Lions to come in 2nd place just looks better and better, doesn't it. I'm really happy no one reads this. Woori's Kang Jeong-ho gets the game ball for battering poor Tom Shearn last night. Kang went 2-3 with a walk, a double, a homer, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored. The homer came in the 2nd and the double came during a 5-run 3rd inning that chased Shearn from the game. Jeong Won-sam gets the honorable mention treatment for his 6 scoreless innings(72 pitches, 52! strikes) allowing only 3 hits and striking out 9.
KIA 3, Lotte 2
W - Yoon Seok-min (10-4), L - Song Seung-joon (9-6), S - Han Ki-joo (18)
Game Ball: KIA's Kim Won-sam. He finished the game 1-2 with 2 walks, a double and 2 RBI. Both RBI came on his double in the third inning that proved to be the difference in the game. Yoon Seok-min also gets an honorable mention for tossing 7 innings(103 pitches, 63 strikes) while allowing only 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk to the slumbering Giants. He also struck out 5.
According to The Korea Times, the roster for the Korean Olympic team has been finalized. I can't believe they left off Son Min-han.
I've been ambushed with a series of English Camp meeting today, so here are your winners, losers, saves and game balls for last night's action.
Doosan 8, SK 7
W - Lee Jae-woo(10-1), L - Jeong Woo-ram (6-2), S - Jeong Jae-hoon (17)
Game Ball: This game wasn't nearly as exciting as it sounds. Doosan had an 8-2 lead at one point and SK used 7 different pitchers. If it weren't for a 5-run fake rally off of a tired starting pitcher, the score would have been a lot more lopsided. Doosan's Lee Seong-yeol gets the game ball for going 2-3 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.
Hanhwa 5, LG 3
W - Jeong Min-cheol (6-8), L - Chris Oxspring (8-6), S - Brad Thomas (23)
Game Ball: And the award goes to......Hanhwa's foreign sensation, Doug Clark! Clark only went 1-4, but his one hit was a 2-run double in the 7th inning that proved to be the difference in the final score.
Woori 9, Samsung 3
W - Jang Won-sam (7-6), L - Tom Shearn (0-6)
Game Ball: My prediction for the Lions to come in 2nd place just looks better and better, doesn't it. I'm really happy no one reads this. Woori's Kang Jeong-ho gets the game ball for battering poor Tom Shearn last night. Kang went 2-3 with a walk, a double, a homer, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored. The homer came in the 2nd and the double came during a 5-run 3rd inning that chased Shearn from the game. Jeong Won-sam gets the honorable mention treatment for his 6 scoreless innings(72 pitches, 52! strikes) allowing only 3 hits and striking out 9.
KIA 3, Lotte 2
W - Yoon Seok-min (10-4), L - Song Seung-joon (9-6), S - Han Ki-joo (18)
Game Ball: KIA's Kim Won-sam. He finished the game 1-2 with 2 walks, a double and 2 RBI. Both RBI came on his double in the third inning that proved to be the difference in the game. Yoon Seok-min also gets an honorable mention for tossing 7 innings(103 pitches, 63 strikes) while allowing only 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk to the slumbering Giants. He also struck out 5.
Monday, July 14, 2008
7/11 - 7/13 Weekend Roundup
Well, I didn't want to start with this....buuuuuut, apparently the Donga Ilbo has hired a Swedish third grader to write English language articles about baseball. I really can't make heads or tails of this. The grammar is dreadful and vocabulary is unusual. I'm hoping the editor took the weekend off. I get the impression that this article was written in Korean, shoved into a translation program and then published. There is no other reasonable explanation, other than the writer has never seen a baseball game before. It's made all the more bizarre by including a picture of, I believe, Minnesota Twins outfielder Denard Span??? I thought the article was about Choo Shin-soo? The Indians aren't even playing the Twins.
Lee Seung-yeop is going to play in the Olympics. Well, it has to be better than knocking around in the Japanese minors.
Samsung vs. LG
7/11 - LG 6, Samsung 4
7/12 - LG 3, Samsung 0
7/13 - LG 2, Samsung 0
A fake rally loss and two shutouts to the worst team in the KBO. It was an awful weekend to be a Lions fan.
Friday night's game was a fairly dull affair, but at least the Lions held a lead...for about two minutes. After a 3-run 4th inning(the inning featured a triple from Yang Joon-hyeok. I thought he would need an oxygen mask) gave Samsung a 3-2 lead, they promptly gave in right back in the bottom of the 4th. LG catcher, Kim Jeong-min delivered a 2-run single to give LG a 4-3 lead. LG tacked on insurance runs in the 6th and 8th to have a 6-3 lead heading into the top of the 9th. Samsung offered a 9th inning fake rally just so the visiting fans wouldn't be bummed out.
I can't believe Samsung couldn't score on Saturday. LG starting pitcher, Lee Beom-joon wasn't effectively wild. He was just wild. During his 4 innings of work(73 pitches, 37 strikes) he walked 6 batters, but Samsung couldn't score because they couldn't get any hits. 5 Twins pitchers combined to hold the Lions to 1 hit. It was one of the most pathetic offensive efforts I have ever seen. Moving on...
On Sunday, the Lions got more than one hit. They got 8 of them, in fact, but still couldn't find a way to get on the scoreboard. Samsung's Park Seok-min accounted for 4 of the hits(he finished 4-4), so 8 hits isn't that impressive when half of them came from one guy. LG ace, Bong Jung-geun, worked 7 2/3 innings(91 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing only 7 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. He got the Lions to ground into 12 outs. All the Lions could do is tip their caps.
KIA vs SK
7/11 - KIA 2, SK 1
7/12 - PPD
7/13 - SK 3, KIA 1
SK held a 1-0 lead heading into the top of the 9th on Friday night. In the top of the 9th, KIA's Kim Won-seop drew a walk to start the inning. SK brought in reliever, Jeong Dae-hyeon to face Na Ji-won. Na was able to work a full count and draw a walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Then, Jang Seong-ho hit a deep fly ball to right field. Kim Won-seop was able to advance to third. Chae Jeong-beom struck out for the 2nd out. Lee Hyeon-gon ripped a single down the right field line to score Kim and put the go ahead run on third with two out. KIA's Kim Hyeong-cheol punched the first pitch he saw into center to drive in the go ahead run. The next batter, Lee Seong-woo struck out to end the inning. KIA's Han Ki-joo tossed a 1-2-3 9th inning to record his 17th save.
On Sunday, Kane Davis pitched well enough to win, but left with an ND and watched KIA's middle relief self destruct. Davis worked 7 innings(113 pitches, 60 strikes) allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 4 walks with 4 K's. The score was tied, 1-1, in the bottom of the 8th when the Wyverns struck for a 2-run rally off of KIA reliever, Yoo Dong-hoon. Both Park Jae-hong had an RBI sac fly and Choi Jeong hit an RBI single to give SK a 2 run advantage. SK reliever, Jo Wong-cheon tossed a scoreless 9th to pick up his 4th save.
Woori vs. Hanhwa
7/11 - Hanhwa 7, Woori 4
7/12 - Woori 11, Hanhwa 5
7/13 - Hanhwa 7, Woori 6
Hanhwa held a 4-2 lead heading into the 8th inning on Friday night, but Woori was able to tie the game at 4 thanks to a 2-run bomb from outfielder Song Ji-man. Hanhwa mounted it's own rally in the bottom of the inning to take the lead back. Doug Clark swatted an RBI single and Kim Tae-gyun crushed a 2-run homer of his own to give Hanhwa a 7-4 advantage. Brad Thomas allowed a single and a walk, but he was able to retire the side in the 9th inning to record his 21st save.
Saturday night's game was actually closer than the 11-5 score indicates. Woori was only leading 6-5 in the 8th when they tacked on an insurance run and then struck for a 4-run rally off of a trio of Hanhwa relievers in the 9th. Woori centerfielder, Lee Taek-gun finished the night 2-4 with a 3-run homer in the 5th inning and a stolen base in the 8th. Shingo Takatsu worked two scoreless innings to record his 5th save in only 2 weeks. Shingo-mania has yet to grip the country, but I'm legitimately excited. Hanhwa scored 5 runs, but 4 of them came on solo homeruns. This team went into "Rex Grossman-screw-it-we're-going-deep-or-nothing mode" and stayed there for the whole game.
Hanhwa jumped out to an early 5 run lead thanks to a 3-run bomb in the 1st inning from Lee Beom-ho and a 2-run jack from shortstop, Kim Min-jae, in the 2nd. Woori clawed its way back into the game, but a 9th inning rally fell short. They got to within one run thanks to a 2-run homer from pinch hitter/backup catcher, Kim Gui-tae, so I can't give the 9th inning official fake rally status, but it was close. Despite giving up the homer, Brad Thomas still earned his 22nd save. I'm not giving out game balls, but a tip of the cap goes to the Woori bullpen. They kept this team in the game after starter, Hwang Doo-seong, hit the showers early.
Doosan vs. Lotte
7/11 - Doosan 8, Lotte 3
7/12 - Doosan 1, Lotte 0
7/13 - Doosan 3, Lotte 2
Wow. How the mighty have fallen. 5 runs in 3 days is not what these guys are used to. If any team could use a series of days off because of monsoon season, it's the Lotte Giants. These guys need a break.
On Friday night, Doosan starter, Matt Randel, picked up his 6th win of the season. Randel gutted his way through 6 1/3 innings(91 pitches, 59 strikes) allowing 3 runs(2 earned) on 7 hits and 3 walks with 3 K's. Lotte starter, Jo Jeong-hoon, ran out of gas in the 6th inning and Doosan clobbered him for 5 runs. Doosan's Lee Dae-su swatted a 2-run double that accounted for a good portion of the damage. Lotte's 3-4-5 hitters were a combined 0-the night. Again, these guys need a day off.
Saturday was a 0-0 tie until the top of the 9th. Lotte ace, Son Min-han, was the tough luck loser. Son worked 8 innings(120 pitches, 75 strikes) allowing 1 run on 8 hits and 2 walks with 3 K's. In the 9th inning, Doosan mounted a rally that ended in Ahn Kyeong-hyeon driving in pinch runner Min Byeong-hoon with a base hit. Lotte was able to get two baserunners in the bottom of the 9th, but Doosan reliever, Im Tae-hoon, shut the door on the rally and recorded his 3rd save. The game ball goes to Doosan starter, Lee Hye-cheon. Lee worked 7 shutout innings(92 pitches, 61 strikes) allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while recording 9 punchouts.
Sunday was more of the same for these struggling offenses, but Doosan was able to hang on to a slim lead thanks to some excellent relief work from Im Tae-hoon, Geun Min-cheol and closer, Jeong Jae-hoon. Doosan knocked around Lotte starter, Marty McCleary, in the 3rd inning for a 3-run rally. Ko Yeong-min recorded an RBI single and Kim Hyeong-su drove in two runs with a single. Jo Seong-hwan was the Lotte offense. He hit two solo homeruns to account for Lotte's only runs on the day.
Lee Seung-yeop is going to play in the Olympics. Well, it has to be better than knocking around in the Japanese minors.
Samsung vs. LG
7/11 - LG 6, Samsung 4
7/12 - LG 3, Samsung 0
7/13 - LG 2, Samsung 0
A fake rally loss and two shutouts to the worst team in the KBO. It was an awful weekend to be a Lions fan.
Friday night's game was a fairly dull affair, but at least the Lions held a lead...for about two minutes. After a 3-run 4th inning(the inning featured a triple from Yang Joon-hyeok. I thought he would need an oxygen mask) gave Samsung a 3-2 lead, they promptly gave in right back in the bottom of the 4th. LG catcher, Kim Jeong-min delivered a 2-run single to give LG a 4-3 lead. LG tacked on insurance runs in the 6th and 8th to have a 6-3 lead heading into the top of the 9th. Samsung offered a 9th inning fake rally just so the visiting fans wouldn't be bummed out.
I can't believe Samsung couldn't score on Saturday. LG starting pitcher, Lee Beom-joon wasn't effectively wild. He was just wild. During his 4 innings of work(73 pitches, 37 strikes) he walked 6 batters, but Samsung couldn't score because they couldn't get any hits. 5 Twins pitchers combined to hold the Lions to 1 hit. It was one of the most pathetic offensive efforts I have ever seen. Moving on...
On Sunday, the Lions got more than one hit. They got 8 of them, in fact, but still couldn't find a way to get on the scoreboard. Samsung's Park Seok-min accounted for 4 of the hits(he finished 4-4), so 8 hits isn't that impressive when half of them came from one guy. LG ace, Bong Jung-geun, worked 7 2/3 innings(91 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing only 7 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. He got the Lions to ground into 12 outs. All the Lions could do is tip their caps.
KIA vs SK
7/11 - KIA 2, SK 1
7/12 - PPD
7/13 - SK 3, KIA 1
SK held a 1-0 lead heading into the top of the 9th on Friday night. In the top of the 9th, KIA's Kim Won-seop drew a walk to start the inning. SK brought in reliever, Jeong Dae-hyeon to face Na Ji-won. Na was able to work a full count and draw a walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Then, Jang Seong-ho hit a deep fly ball to right field. Kim Won-seop was able to advance to third. Chae Jeong-beom struck out for the 2nd out. Lee Hyeon-gon ripped a single down the right field line to score Kim and put the go ahead run on third with two out. KIA's Kim Hyeong-cheol punched the first pitch he saw into center to drive in the go ahead run. The next batter, Lee Seong-woo struck out to end the inning. KIA's Han Ki-joo tossed a 1-2-3 9th inning to record his 17th save.
On Sunday, Kane Davis pitched well enough to win, but left with an ND and watched KIA's middle relief self destruct. Davis worked 7 innings(113 pitches, 60 strikes) allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 4 walks with 4 K's. The score was tied, 1-1, in the bottom of the 8th when the Wyverns struck for a 2-run rally off of KIA reliever, Yoo Dong-hoon. Both Park Jae-hong had an RBI sac fly and Choi Jeong hit an RBI single to give SK a 2 run advantage. SK reliever, Jo Wong-cheon tossed a scoreless 9th to pick up his 4th save.
Woori vs. Hanhwa
7/11 - Hanhwa 7, Woori 4
7/12 - Woori 11, Hanhwa 5
7/13 - Hanhwa 7, Woori 6
Hanhwa held a 4-2 lead heading into the 8th inning on Friday night, but Woori was able to tie the game at 4 thanks to a 2-run bomb from outfielder Song Ji-man. Hanhwa mounted it's own rally in the bottom of the inning to take the lead back. Doug Clark swatted an RBI single and Kim Tae-gyun crushed a 2-run homer of his own to give Hanhwa a 7-4 advantage. Brad Thomas allowed a single and a walk, but he was able to retire the side in the 9th inning to record his 21st save.
Saturday night's game was actually closer than the 11-5 score indicates. Woori was only leading 6-5 in the 8th when they tacked on an insurance run and then struck for a 4-run rally off of a trio of Hanhwa relievers in the 9th. Woori centerfielder, Lee Taek-gun finished the night 2-4 with a 3-run homer in the 5th inning and a stolen base in the 8th. Shingo Takatsu worked two scoreless innings to record his 5th save in only 2 weeks. Shingo-mania has yet to grip the country, but I'm legitimately excited. Hanhwa scored 5 runs, but 4 of them came on solo homeruns. This team went into "Rex Grossman-screw-it-we're-going-deep-or-nothing mode" and stayed there for the whole game.
Hanhwa jumped out to an early 5 run lead thanks to a 3-run bomb in the 1st inning from Lee Beom-ho and a 2-run jack from shortstop, Kim Min-jae, in the 2nd. Woori clawed its way back into the game, but a 9th inning rally fell short. They got to within one run thanks to a 2-run homer from pinch hitter/backup catcher, Kim Gui-tae, so I can't give the 9th inning official fake rally status, but it was close. Despite giving up the homer, Brad Thomas still earned his 22nd save. I'm not giving out game balls, but a tip of the cap goes to the Woori bullpen. They kept this team in the game after starter, Hwang Doo-seong, hit the showers early.
Doosan vs. Lotte
7/11 - Doosan 8, Lotte 3
7/12 - Doosan 1, Lotte 0
7/13 - Doosan 3, Lotte 2
Wow. How the mighty have fallen. 5 runs in 3 days is not what these guys are used to. If any team could use a series of days off because of monsoon season, it's the Lotte Giants. These guys need a break.
On Friday night, Doosan starter, Matt Randel, picked up his 6th win of the season. Randel gutted his way through 6 1/3 innings(91 pitches, 59 strikes) allowing 3 runs(2 earned) on 7 hits and 3 walks with 3 K's. Lotte starter, Jo Jeong-hoon, ran out of gas in the 6th inning and Doosan clobbered him for 5 runs. Doosan's Lee Dae-su swatted a 2-run double that accounted for a good portion of the damage. Lotte's 3-4-5 hitters were a combined 0-the night. Again, these guys need a day off.
Saturday was a 0-0 tie until the top of the 9th. Lotte ace, Son Min-han, was the tough luck loser. Son worked 8 innings(120 pitches, 75 strikes) allowing 1 run on 8 hits and 2 walks with 3 K's. In the 9th inning, Doosan mounted a rally that ended in Ahn Kyeong-hyeon driving in pinch runner Min Byeong-hoon with a base hit. Lotte was able to get two baserunners in the bottom of the 9th, but Doosan reliever, Im Tae-hoon, shut the door on the rally and recorded his 3rd save. The game ball goes to Doosan starter, Lee Hye-cheon. Lee worked 7 shutout innings(92 pitches, 61 strikes) allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while recording 9 punchouts.
Sunday was more of the same for these struggling offenses, but Doosan was able to hang on to a slim lead thanks to some excellent relief work from Im Tae-hoon, Geun Min-cheol and closer, Jeong Jae-hoon. Doosan knocked around Lotte starter, Marty McCleary, in the 3rd inning for a 3-run rally. Ko Yeong-min recorded an RBI single and Kim Hyeong-su drove in two runs with a single. Jo Seong-hwan was the Lotte offense. He hit two solo homeruns to account for Lotte's only runs on the day.
Friday, July 11, 2008
7/10 Roundup and News
Baek Cha-seung lost his last start and the Joongang daily covered it from all angles.
My face feels 8 feet thick. You lock about 100 Korean elementary school teachers, administrators and one foreign teacher in a restaurant for 3 hours and things get out of hand. Only one guy puked. It was the "maintenence guy"/drunken ajeosshi. I was surprised he was invited. During the ride back from Pohang I distinctly remember pretending to fall asleep while my principal kicked me to wake me up. He wanted me to drink more. I knew if I drank more, I would probably yack. I'd rather fake sleep than be known as the guy who spewed all over his principal. I just re-signed with the school. Having a rep like that would make for a long year.
Either way, here's the action I missed while having fun in Pohang. My head is killing me.
Doosan 4, LG 0
W - Lee Won-jae (3-4), L - Chris Oxspring (8-5)
Game Ball: Doosan 2nd baseman, Ko Yong-min. Ko went 1-3 with a double, 2 RBI and a run scored. He figured prominently in both of Doosan's first two runs scored. He recorded an RBI groundout for Doosan's first run and turned an RBI single into an RBI double thanks to a little hustle in the 5th.
Lotte 1, Woori 0
W - Jang Won-joon (7-6), L - Ma Il-yeong (8-5)
Game Ball: Both starting pitchers. We had dueling complete games last night! Both starters went the full nine. Jang Won joon threw 114 pitches(74 strikes) during his shutout of the Heroes. He only allowed 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. It took Woori's Ma Il-yeong 111 pitches(78 strikes) to go the full nine. Ma allowed 1 run on 5 hits with 6 K's. Lotte slugger Lee Dae-ho lead off the 2nd inning with a double. Two batters later, Lotte DH, Jeong Bo-myeong drove Lee in with another double. The RBI double proved to be all the offense Lotte needed last night.
Samsung 6, SK 2
W - Bae Yong-su (5-5), L - Kenny Ray (1-2)
Game Ball: I'm going with my favorite player in the KBO, Mr. Park Han-yi. The Samsung centerfielder/lead off hitter was the catalyst for the Samsung offense last night. It felt like he was on base all night. He finished the night 2-4 with a walk, a double, a stolen base and 2 runs scored.
Hanhwa 2, LG 0
W - Ryu Hyeon-jin (9-5), L - Lee Beom-seok(5-6), S - Brad Thomas (20)
Game Ball: Hanhwa ace, Ryu Hyeon-jin. He dominated the Twins for 8 shutout innings(107 pitches, 72 strikes) last night. He allowed all of 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 Twins. Ryu didn't get any help from the Eagles offense until the 7th inning when Hanhwa struck for a 2-run rally. With 1 out in the top of the 7th, Hanhwa 3rd baseman, Lee Beom-ho, reached on an error by KIA shortstop, Kim Seon-bin. Kim lost an infield pop up in the lights(moon?). Then, Hanhwa's Song Kwang-min slapped a base hit into leftfield. Doug Clark loaded the bases with another base hit to left. The next batter, Shin Kyeong-heon, grounded into a fielder's choice to drive in Lee and make the 2nd out of the inning. Finally, Lee Dong-ho hit a hot grounder that ate up KIA third baseman, Lee Hyeon-gon and scored Song for Hanhwa's 2nd run.
This game did have a scary moment in the 5th. Hanhwa slugger, Kim Tae-won, had a Lee Beom-seok pitch deflect off his jaw. Kim left the game, but appeared to be okay and was walking around while a large welt formed on his chin.
My face feels 8 feet thick. You lock about 100 Korean elementary school teachers, administrators and one foreign teacher in a restaurant for 3 hours and things get out of hand. Only one guy puked. It was the "maintenence guy"/drunken ajeosshi. I was surprised he was invited. During the ride back from Pohang I distinctly remember pretending to fall asleep while my principal kicked me to wake me up. He wanted me to drink more. I knew if I drank more, I would probably yack. I'd rather fake sleep than be known as the guy who spewed all over his principal. I just re-signed with the school. Having a rep like that would make for a long year.
Either way, here's the action I missed while having fun in Pohang. My head is killing me.
Doosan 4, LG 0
W - Lee Won-jae (3-4), L - Chris Oxspring (8-5)
Game Ball: Doosan 2nd baseman, Ko Yong-min. Ko went 1-3 with a double, 2 RBI and a run scored. He figured prominently in both of Doosan's first two runs scored. He recorded an RBI groundout for Doosan's first run and turned an RBI single into an RBI double thanks to a little hustle in the 5th.
Lotte 1, Woori 0
W - Jang Won-joon (7-6), L - Ma Il-yeong (8-5)
Game Ball: Both starting pitchers. We had dueling complete games last night! Both starters went the full nine. Jang Won joon threw 114 pitches(74 strikes) during his shutout of the Heroes. He only allowed 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. It took Woori's Ma Il-yeong 111 pitches(78 strikes) to go the full nine. Ma allowed 1 run on 5 hits with 6 K's. Lotte slugger Lee Dae-ho lead off the 2nd inning with a double. Two batters later, Lotte DH, Jeong Bo-myeong drove Lee in with another double. The RBI double proved to be all the offense Lotte needed last night.
Samsung 6, SK 2
W - Bae Yong-su (5-5), L - Kenny Ray (1-2)
Game Ball: I'm going with my favorite player in the KBO, Mr. Park Han-yi. The Samsung centerfielder/lead off hitter was the catalyst for the Samsung offense last night. It felt like he was on base all night. He finished the night 2-4 with a walk, a double, a stolen base and 2 runs scored.
Hanhwa 2, LG 0
W - Ryu Hyeon-jin (9-5), L - Lee Beom-seok(5-6), S - Brad Thomas (20)
Game Ball: Hanhwa ace, Ryu Hyeon-jin. He dominated the Twins for 8 shutout innings(107 pitches, 72 strikes) last night. He allowed all of 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 Twins. Ryu didn't get any help from the Eagles offense until the 7th inning when Hanhwa struck for a 2-run rally. With 1 out in the top of the 7th, Hanhwa 3rd baseman, Lee Beom-ho, reached on an error by KIA shortstop, Kim Seon-bin. Kim lost an infield pop up in the lights(moon?). Then, Hanhwa's Song Kwang-min slapped a base hit into leftfield. Doug Clark loaded the bases with another base hit to left. The next batter, Shin Kyeong-heon, grounded into a fielder's choice to drive in Lee and make the 2nd out of the inning. Finally, Lee Dong-ho hit a hot grounder that ate up KIA third baseman, Lee Hyeon-gon and scored Song for Hanhwa's 2nd run.
This game did have a scary moment in the 5th. Hanhwa slugger, Kim Tae-won, had a Lee Beom-seok pitch deflect off his jaw. Kim left the game, but appeared to be okay and was walking around while a large welt formed on his chin.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
7/9 Roundup and News
I have to go to Pohang this afternoon for a "Teacher's Field Trip." Teacher's field trips are just like children's field trips except they have a lot more alcohol. We're probably going to eat raw fish. I like raw fish, but raw fish in Korea destroys my guts. I think it has to do with chemicals in the water. Just my guess.
This story is actually a little sad. KIA Tigers 38 year old righty, Jeong Min-tae, has called it a career. Jeong finished his 15 year career with 124-96 record, a 3.48 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP and Korean Series MVP awards in 1998 and 2003.
I'd love to give each game it's full write up, but I've got to catch a bus to Pohang. Sadly, just scores, winners, losers and game balls.
Doosan 5, LG 1
W - Kim Sun-woo, L - Jeong Chan-heon
Game Ball: Doosan's Hong Seong-heun. Hong finished the night 3-4 with a double, 2 RBI and a run scored.
SK 3, Samsung 0
W - Kim Kwang-hyeon, L - Wes Obermueller, S - Yoon Gil-hyeon
Game Ball: SK ace, Kim Kwang-hyeon. Kim threw 7 shutout innings(96 pitches, 57 strikes) allowing only 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 3.
Woori 9, Lotte 4
W - Jeong Won-sam, L - Song Seung-joon
Game Ball: Woori's foreign slugger, Cliff Brumbaugh. Big Cliff went 3-4 with 2 RBI's.
Hanhwa 7, KIA 4
W - Kim Hyeok-min, L - Im Joon-hyeok, S - Brad Thomas
Game Ball: Hanhwa third baseman, Lee Beom-ho. Lee was Mr. Everything last night. He went 3-4 with a double, a homer, 2 RBI's, 2 runs scored and a stolen base. He was a double away from a cycle.
This story is actually a little sad. KIA Tigers 38 year old righty, Jeong Min-tae, has called it a career. Jeong finished his 15 year career with 124-96 record, a 3.48 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP and Korean Series MVP awards in 1998 and 2003.
I'd love to give each game it's full write up, but I've got to catch a bus to Pohang. Sadly, just scores, winners, losers and game balls.
Doosan 5, LG 1
W - Kim Sun-woo, L - Jeong Chan-heon
Game Ball: Doosan's Hong Seong-heun. Hong finished the night 3-4 with a double, 2 RBI and a run scored.
SK 3, Samsung 0
W - Kim Kwang-hyeon, L - Wes Obermueller, S - Yoon Gil-hyeon
Game Ball: SK ace, Kim Kwang-hyeon. Kim threw 7 shutout innings(96 pitches, 57 strikes) allowing only 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 3.
Woori 9, Lotte 4
W - Jeong Won-sam, L - Song Seung-joon
Game Ball: Woori's foreign slugger, Cliff Brumbaugh. Big Cliff went 3-4 with 2 RBI's.
Hanhwa 7, KIA 4
W - Kim Hyeok-min, L - Im Joon-hyeok, S - Brad Thomas
Game Ball: Hanhwa third baseman, Lee Beom-ho. Lee was Mr. Everything last night. He went 3-4 with a double, a homer, 2 RBI's, 2 runs scored and a stolen base. He was a double away from a cycle.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
7/8 Roundup and News
KIA 4, Hanhwa 1
W - Yoon Seok-min (9-4), L - Choi Yeong-pil(4-7)
Hanhwa scored 1 in the 1st inning, but that was all they could get off of KIA starter, Yoon Seok-min. Yoon tossed a complete game(135 pitches!, 88 strikes) allowing only the 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks with 9 K's. KIA got on the board in the 2nd inning with RBI singles from Lee Yong-gyu and Na Ji-won. KIA added two more insurance runs in the 7th with a pair of RBI singles from Kim Won-seop and Chae Jong-beom. It was a solid all around effort from a surging Tigers team. KIA has won 5 straight and has a firm grip on 6th place at 38-43. They're 1/2 game out of 5th and 5 games out of 4th.
Woori 4, Lotte 2
W - Hwang Doo-seong (6-3), L - Lee Yong-hoon (2-6), S - Shingo Takatsu (3)
The statline on Shingo so far, 3 saves, 3 attempts, 3 goofy smiles, 3 days that have been made a little brighter for me by his prescence.
Hwang Doo-seong pitched very well last night. Hwang threw 6 innings(98 pitches, 61 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks with 5 K's. Both Lotte runs came on sacrifices from 2nd baseman, Jo Seong-hwan. I'm starting to think Jerry Royster rode his big bats a little too hard in the first half of the season. I can't remember the last time Lee Dae-ho or Kang Min-ho had a multi-hit game. Woori was nursing a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 4th when Kim Il-kyeong delivered a 2 RBI single to open the lead up to 4-1. It took Shingo only 13 pitches(11 strikes) to record the last 4 outs for the save.
Samsung 9, SK 3
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (6-8), L - Song Eun-beom (6-5)
The baby Lions jumped all over SK starter, Song Eun-beom, in the first two innings and rode their lead to victory of the best team in the KBO. I had zero confidence heading into this one and I still feel the same way. Let's see these sad sacks do it against Kim Kwang-hyeon or Chae Byeong-ryong. Samsung catcher, Jin Kab-yong, delivered a 2 RBI single in the first inning to get the party started right. Samsung followed with a 4-run rally in the 2nd inning. The rally was helped along with a pair of costly errors from SK's Jeong Geun-woo. After the 2nd error he was replaced. Ouch. The game ball goes to the ageless one, Samsung DH Yang Joon-hyeok. Yang added 2 more hits to his total, putting the KBO record at 2,153. Yang also drove in a run. Samsung starter, Yoon Seung-hwan also deserves a mention. Yoon threw 5 2/3 innings(97 pitches, 64 strikes) allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk. Yoon also struck out 6 Wyverns.
Doosan 3, LG 2 (11)
W - Lee Jae-woo(8-1), L - Jeong Jae-bok (4-7)
LG ace, Bong Jung-geun had the good stuff working last night, but LG's mediocre offense didn't help him out much. Bong took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the 9th inning, but he couldn't hang on against a patient Doosan offense. Kim Hyeon-su and Lee Jong-wook both struck with RBI singles in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into extras and give Bong a ND for his trouble. Dr. Bong's final line was 9 innings(119 pitches, 78 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks with 8 K's. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Doosan's Ko Yeong-min drilled a base hit into left to put the go ahead run on 1st with 1 out. Then, Ko stole second when LG catcher, Kim Jeong-min, couldn't find the handle after recieving the pitch. Kim Hyeon-su drew a walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Then Kim Dong-ju stepped to the plate and drilled a pitch into the gap to score the winning run and receive "The Beatdown of Victory" from his teammate. Seriously, I think someone is going to be seriously hurt during one of these "celebrations." You can call me culturally ignorant if you want, but I don't think its a good idea to kick my teammates when they're lying in a prone position.
W - Yoon Seok-min (9-4), L - Choi Yeong-pil(4-7)
Hanhwa scored 1 in the 1st inning, but that was all they could get off of KIA starter, Yoon Seok-min. Yoon tossed a complete game(135 pitches!, 88 strikes) allowing only the 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks with 9 K's. KIA got on the board in the 2nd inning with RBI singles from Lee Yong-gyu and Na Ji-won. KIA added two more insurance runs in the 7th with a pair of RBI singles from Kim Won-seop and Chae Jong-beom. It was a solid all around effort from a surging Tigers team. KIA has won 5 straight and has a firm grip on 6th place at 38-43. They're 1/2 game out of 5th and 5 games out of 4th.
Woori 4, Lotte 2
W - Hwang Doo-seong (6-3), L - Lee Yong-hoon (2-6), S - Shingo Takatsu (3)
The statline on Shingo so far, 3 saves, 3 attempts, 3 goofy smiles, 3 days that have been made a little brighter for me by his prescence.
Hwang Doo-seong pitched very well last night. Hwang threw 6 innings(98 pitches, 61 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks with 5 K's. Both Lotte runs came on sacrifices from 2nd baseman, Jo Seong-hwan. I'm starting to think Jerry Royster rode his big bats a little too hard in the first half of the season. I can't remember the last time Lee Dae-ho or Kang Min-ho had a multi-hit game. Woori was nursing a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 4th when Kim Il-kyeong delivered a 2 RBI single to open the lead up to 4-1. It took Shingo only 13 pitches(11 strikes) to record the last 4 outs for the save.
Samsung 9, SK 3
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (6-8), L - Song Eun-beom (6-5)
The baby Lions jumped all over SK starter, Song Eun-beom, in the first two innings and rode their lead to victory of the best team in the KBO. I had zero confidence heading into this one and I still feel the same way. Let's see these sad sacks do it against Kim Kwang-hyeon or Chae Byeong-ryong. Samsung catcher, Jin Kab-yong, delivered a 2 RBI single in the first inning to get the party started right. Samsung followed with a 4-run rally in the 2nd inning. The rally was helped along with a pair of costly errors from SK's Jeong Geun-woo. After the 2nd error he was replaced. Ouch. The game ball goes to the ageless one, Samsung DH Yang Joon-hyeok. Yang added 2 more hits to his total, putting the KBO record at 2,153. Yang also drove in a run. Samsung starter, Yoon Seung-hwan also deserves a mention. Yoon threw 5 2/3 innings(97 pitches, 64 strikes) allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk. Yoon also struck out 6 Wyverns.
Doosan 3, LG 2 (11)
W - Lee Jae-woo(8-1), L - Jeong Jae-bok (4-7)
LG ace, Bong Jung-geun had the good stuff working last night, but LG's mediocre offense didn't help him out much. Bong took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the 9th inning, but he couldn't hang on against a patient Doosan offense. Kim Hyeon-su and Lee Jong-wook both struck with RBI singles in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into extras and give Bong a ND for his trouble. Dr. Bong's final line was 9 innings(119 pitches, 78 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks with 8 K's. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Doosan's Ko Yeong-min drilled a base hit into left to put the go ahead run on 1st with 1 out. Then, Ko stole second when LG catcher, Kim Jeong-min, couldn't find the handle after recieving the pitch. Kim Hyeon-su drew a walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Then Kim Dong-ju stepped to the plate and drilled a pitch into the gap to score the winning run and receive "The Beatdown of Victory" from his teammate. Seriously, I think someone is going to be seriously hurt during one of these "celebrations." You can call me culturally ignorant if you want, but I don't think its a good idea to kick my teammates when they're lying in a prone position.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
7/4 - 7/6 Weekend Roundup
Park Chan-ho looks like he's going to stay in the rotation for now. At least until Brad Penny makes his return.
The Joongang Daily offers up some criticism of Centennial Investment and the current, erm, issues it's experiencing. I agree with the article, but the KBO was desperate for an 8th team. The fact that anyone was willing to join the league after the KBO screwed up 3 seperate negotiations was very fortunate.
KIA vs Samsung
7/4 - KIA 11, Samsung 0
7/5 - KIA 5, Samsung 4
7/6 - KIA 4, Samsung 3 (15)
Wow. A bad weekend to be a Lions fan. Thank god there aren't any of those around here (Matt sobs softly). A pantsing followed by two one-run losses. This after about a week of competent play.
The story on Friday wasn't really the 11 runs. It was KIA starter Lee Beom-seok. Lee threw a 0ne-hit, 4 walk shutout. It took Lee 122 pitches with 77 of them for strikes. Lee also struck out 9 baby Lions. KIA's #9 hitter had himself a night. 2nd baseman, Kim Jong-guk finished 5-5 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and a run scored.
In Saturday nights game Samsung actually recorded a hit. Actually, they hit 4 of them this time. Felix Diaz pitched better than his statistics indicate. He seemed to run out of gas during a 4-run Samsung rally in the 6th inning. KIA's Kim Won-seop hit an RBI double in the top of the the 7th to give KIA the lead. KIA's Na Ji-won came up big for the Tigers. Na finished the night 3-4 with a homer, a double, 3 RBI and two runs scored.
I honestly thought Sunday night's game would still be going on today. On Sunday nights my family usually calls from Chicago around 10:30 PM. This was the first time I remember a baseball game almost running into my parents phone call. Both offenses were equally awful. Both teams went 7 consecutive innings without scoring. KIA went from the 2nd inning to the 15th without scoring. There were a lot of zeroes on the scoreboard. In the top of the 15th with one out, Na Ji-won drew a walk and was replaced by pinch runner, Lee Jong-beom. Jang Sang-ho hit a grounder to the second baseman and Lee was forced out at second, but he broke up the double play. Then with two outs, Jang stole second base and Chae Jong-beom drew a walk. Kim Joo-hyeong came on to pinch hit for the Tigers and did just that. He drove a pitch into left-center for an RBI single and a KIA lead. KIA reliever, Yoo Dong-hoon, tossed a scoreless 15th to finish the victory.
SK vs Hanhwa
7/4 - Hanhwa 3, SK 1
7/5 - Hanhwa 7, SK 4
7/6 - SK 4, Hanhwa 3
SK faced Ryu Hyeon-jin again on Friday night and Ryu was true to form. The Eagles ace tossed 7 2/3 innings(123 pitches, 75 strikes) allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 3 walks. He recorded 12 K's on the night. SK starter, Kenny Ray, was effectively wild. He walked 6 batters in 6 innings, but only allowed 3 hits. One of the hits was a two-run homer from Hanhwa catcher, Shin Kyeong-hyeon. Shin finished the game 3-4. It took Brad Thomas only 5 pitches to record the last two outs and nail down the save.
Saturday was more of the same, but at least this time SK held a lead. Thanks to a 3-run 3rd inning rally, SK was actually in a position to win, but the Hanhwa offense had other ideas. The Eagles scored runs in 4 consecutive innings to take a 6-3 lead. SK offered a fake rally in the 6th, but Hanhwa responded with another run in the 7th to keep the Wyverns at a distance. Brad Thomas struck out two in the 9th to record his 18th save. Hanhwa slugger, Kim Tae-won, gets the game ball for going 2-3 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.
On Sunday, SK simply decided they were winning and that was that. No matter how poorly Kenny Rayborn pitched, they were winning. Kenny wasn't that awful, but he was usually in trouble during his 5 innings of work. He allowed 4 walks and 4 hits, only two of which stayed in the park, but somehow, he as still the pitcher of record when he left the game. The SK bullpen worked their magic for the last 4 innings and managed to hang on to record SK's 53rd W. The game ball goes to SK catcher, Park Kyeong-won. Park finished 2-4 with 2 RBI and 1 run scored. He clubbed a 2-run bomb in the 2nd to put SK on the scoreboard.
LG vs Lotte
7/4 - Lotte 7, LG 0
7/5 - LG 6, Lotte 2
7/6 - Lotte 4, LG 1
Friday night was a dominating effort from the Lotte offense and Lotte starting pitcher, Jang Won-joon. Jang threw 8 innings(103 pitches, 64 strikes) of shutout baseball. He allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. Karim Garcia had a two homer night. He clubbed a solo shot in the 2nd and struck again with a 2-run bomb in the 4th. Foreign, erm, guy, Marty McCleary pitched the 9th inning(I guess he lost his starting role, but still has to bring the pretzels to Jerry Royster's poker game) and allowed as many hits in one inning as Jang did in 8.
I have no problem admitting that I openly cheer for Chris Oxspring. He throws a knuckleball. I will always respect the knuckler. Chris had it fluttering for 7 innings(104 pitches, 63 strikes) on Saturday. He allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks with 1 K while recording his 8th victory. The only run he surrendered came on a solo homer from, you guessed it, Karim Garcia. The LG offense took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning with a 2-RBI double from catcher, Kim Jeong-min. LG piled on for a 4-run rally in the 8th to put the game out of reach.
Lotte sent their ace, Son Min-han, to the hill on Sunday. He was every bit the ace he's been all season. Son went 7 strong innings(94 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 6 Twins on the day. Karim Garcia didn't homer on Sunday, but he did drive in two runs on an RBI single during a 3-run 4th inning rally. His hit proved to be the difference in the game as the Lotte pitching staff and defense cruised to another series win.
Woori vs Doosan
7/4 - Woori 8, Doosan 0
7/5 - PPD
7/6 - Doosan 4, Woori 2
What's the best way to celebrate paying your expansion dues? By scoring 8 runs during a shutout! Woori, erm, ace(?) Ma Il-yeong worked 7 shutout innings(82 pitches, 48 strikes) allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. Ma recorded 10 outs on the ground. The 8-run outburst was a team effort. Only one Woori regular didn't record a hit and he scored two runs. Leadoff man/DH Jeon Joon-ho went 0-4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Lee Sung-yong and Lee Taek-geun both had 2 RBI's on the night. Nothing remotely good happened for Doosan, but Doosan starter, Lee Won-jae worked 8 innings during the blowout and allowed all 8 runs. Way to take one for the team, Lee.
Saturday's game was a plot from Centennial Investment Co. to get out of paying the KBO. Or as I like to call it, a "rainout."
Doosan was able to think about what they had done for an extra day, thanks to the rain out, and they didn't enjoy it! Doosan came out firing with a 3-run rally in the 1st inning! Bears slugger, Kim Dong-ju, a two run bomb to get the rally started right and Hong Seong-hoon followed with a solo shot. Doosan recieved adequate starting pitching from foreign ringer, Matt Randel and cruised to an easy W. Randel threw 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 7 hits and 1 walk with 3 K's. Doosan closer, Jeong Jae-hoon, thew a 1-2-3 9th to nail down the W.
The Joongang Daily offers up some criticism of Centennial Investment and the current, erm, issues it's experiencing. I agree with the article, but the KBO was desperate for an 8th team. The fact that anyone was willing to join the league after the KBO screwed up 3 seperate negotiations was very fortunate.
KIA vs Samsung
7/4 - KIA 11, Samsung 0
7/5 - KIA 5, Samsung 4
7/6 - KIA 4, Samsung 3 (15)
Wow. A bad weekend to be a Lions fan. Thank god there aren't any of those around here (Matt sobs softly). A pantsing followed by two one-run losses. This after about a week of competent play.
The story on Friday wasn't really the 11 runs. It was KIA starter Lee Beom-seok. Lee threw a 0ne-hit, 4 walk shutout. It took Lee 122 pitches with 77 of them for strikes. Lee also struck out 9 baby Lions. KIA's #9 hitter had himself a night. 2nd baseman, Kim Jong-guk finished 5-5 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and a run scored.
In Saturday nights game Samsung actually recorded a hit. Actually, they hit 4 of them this time. Felix Diaz pitched better than his statistics indicate. He seemed to run out of gas during a 4-run Samsung rally in the 6th inning. KIA's Kim Won-seop hit an RBI double in the top of the the 7th to give KIA the lead. KIA's Na Ji-won came up big for the Tigers. Na finished the night 3-4 with a homer, a double, 3 RBI and two runs scored.
I honestly thought Sunday night's game would still be going on today. On Sunday nights my family usually calls from Chicago around 10:30 PM. This was the first time I remember a baseball game almost running into my parents phone call. Both offenses were equally awful. Both teams went 7 consecutive innings without scoring. KIA went from the 2nd inning to the 15th without scoring. There were a lot of zeroes on the scoreboard. In the top of the 15th with one out, Na Ji-won drew a walk and was replaced by pinch runner, Lee Jong-beom. Jang Sang-ho hit a grounder to the second baseman and Lee was forced out at second, but he broke up the double play. Then with two outs, Jang stole second base and Chae Jong-beom drew a walk. Kim Joo-hyeong came on to pinch hit for the Tigers and did just that. He drove a pitch into left-center for an RBI single and a KIA lead. KIA reliever, Yoo Dong-hoon, tossed a scoreless 15th to finish the victory.
SK vs Hanhwa
7/4 - Hanhwa 3, SK 1
7/5 - Hanhwa 7, SK 4
7/6 - SK 4, Hanhwa 3
SK faced Ryu Hyeon-jin again on Friday night and Ryu was true to form. The Eagles ace tossed 7 2/3 innings(123 pitches, 75 strikes) allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 3 walks. He recorded 12 K's on the night. SK starter, Kenny Ray, was effectively wild. He walked 6 batters in 6 innings, but only allowed 3 hits. One of the hits was a two-run homer from Hanhwa catcher, Shin Kyeong-hyeon. Shin finished the game 3-4. It took Brad Thomas only 5 pitches to record the last two outs and nail down the save.
Saturday was more of the same, but at least this time SK held a lead. Thanks to a 3-run 3rd inning rally, SK was actually in a position to win, but the Hanhwa offense had other ideas. The Eagles scored runs in 4 consecutive innings to take a 6-3 lead. SK offered a fake rally in the 6th, but Hanhwa responded with another run in the 7th to keep the Wyverns at a distance. Brad Thomas struck out two in the 9th to record his 18th save. Hanhwa slugger, Kim Tae-won, gets the game ball for going 2-3 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.
On Sunday, SK simply decided they were winning and that was that. No matter how poorly Kenny Rayborn pitched, they were winning. Kenny wasn't that awful, but he was usually in trouble during his 5 innings of work. He allowed 4 walks and 4 hits, only two of which stayed in the park, but somehow, he as still the pitcher of record when he left the game. The SK bullpen worked their magic for the last 4 innings and managed to hang on to record SK's 53rd W. The game ball goes to SK catcher, Park Kyeong-won. Park finished 2-4 with 2 RBI and 1 run scored. He clubbed a 2-run bomb in the 2nd to put SK on the scoreboard.
LG vs Lotte
7/4 - Lotte 7, LG 0
7/5 - LG 6, Lotte 2
7/6 - Lotte 4, LG 1
Friday night was a dominating effort from the Lotte offense and Lotte starting pitcher, Jang Won-joon. Jang threw 8 innings(103 pitches, 64 strikes) of shutout baseball. He allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. Karim Garcia had a two homer night. He clubbed a solo shot in the 2nd and struck again with a 2-run bomb in the 4th. Foreign, erm, guy, Marty McCleary pitched the 9th inning(I guess he lost his starting role, but still has to bring the pretzels to Jerry Royster's poker game) and allowed as many hits in one inning as Jang did in 8.
I have no problem admitting that I openly cheer for Chris Oxspring. He throws a knuckleball. I will always respect the knuckler. Chris had it fluttering for 7 innings(104 pitches, 63 strikes) on Saturday. He allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks with 1 K while recording his 8th victory. The only run he surrendered came on a solo homer from, you guessed it, Karim Garcia. The LG offense took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning with a 2-RBI double from catcher, Kim Jeong-min. LG piled on for a 4-run rally in the 8th to put the game out of reach.
Lotte sent their ace, Son Min-han, to the hill on Sunday. He was every bit the ace he's been all season. Son went 7 strong innings(94 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 6 Twins on the day. Karim Garcia didn't homer on Sunday, but he did drive in two runs on an RBI single during a 3-run 4th inning rally. His hit proved to be the difference in the game as the Lotte pitching staff and defense cruised to another series win.
Woori vs Doosan
7/4 - Woori 8, Doosan 0
7/5 - PPD
7/6 - Doosan 4, Woori 2
What's the best way to celebrate paying your expansion dues? By scoring 8 runs during a shutout! Woori, erm, ace(?) Ma Il-yeong worked 7 shutout innings(82 pitches, 48 strikes) allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. Ma recorded 10 outs on the ground. The 8-run outburst was a team effort. Only one Woori regular didn't record a hit and he scored two runs. Leadoff man/DH Jeon Joon-ho went 0-4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Lee Sung-yong and Lee Taek-geun both had 2 RBI's on the night. Nothing remotely good happened for Doosan, but Doosan starter, Lee Won-jae worked 8 innings during the blowout and allowed all 8 runs. Way to take one for the team, Lee.
Saturday's game was a plot from Centennial Investment Co. to get out of paying the KBO. Or as I like to call it, a "rainout."
Doosan was able to think about what they had done for an extra day, thanks to the rain out, and they didn't enjoy it! Doosan came out firing with a 3-run rally in the 1st inning! Bears slugger, Kim Dong-ju, a two run bomb to get the rally started right and Hong Seong-hoon followed with a solo shot. Doosan recieved adequate starting pitching from foreign ringer, Matt Randel and cruised to an easy W. Randel threw 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 7 hits and 1 walk with 3 K's. Doosan closer, Jeong Jae-hoon, thew a 1-2-3 9th to nail down the W.
Monday, July 7, 2008
7/3 Roundup and News
Sorry for the lack of updates, but between a horrible summer cold, a horrible summer camp and the hottest weekend in the history of Daegu, I haven't had the energy to get myself to a pc room and type this up. That's right. Matt is the only guy in all of Korea that doesn't own a computer and he's proud of it.
I promise, unless my principal goes berserk and forces me to redo the entire plan for English camp(unlikely, but I am prepared for anything), I will post a full weekend update with stats tomorrow morning.
If KIA was going to do this, they should have done it a month ago. Jose Lima has actually been adequate of late. Happy trails, Jose, I'm sure you'll land on your feet. Hat tip to Aaron at the EWC.
I'm not sure what's more surprising. That Park Chan-ho looked like a major league pitcher or that he was beaten by Barry "I won a Cy Young Award Once" Zito.
Baek Cha-seung also threw during the weekend and he pitched pretty well.
I guess Centennial Investment chose to pay up and it sounds like we'll get a new sponsor next year. I want to stock up on Woori Heroes gear right now, just in case I can't get any in the future. Actually, no. “I don’t think there was any intention on the Heroes’ part not to pay the fees,” said KBO secretary general Ha Il-sung. Suuuuuuure, just, you know, intentionally missing deadlines and all.
KIA 12, Woori 2
W - Lee Dae-jin (4-8), L - Jang Won-sam (5-6)
The KIA Tigers jumped all over poor(literally) Heroes. 7 of the 12 runs surrendered came in the first 3 innings. Not a good start. KIA centerfielder and leadoff man, Lee Yong-gyu finished 5-6(all singles) with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. KIA's Lee Jong-beom went 2-4 with a triple, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI from the #2 slot. It was a good day to be at the top of KIA's lineup.
The game ball goes to KIA starting pitcher Lee Dae-jin. Lee worked 6 strong innings(88 pitches, 46 strikes) of 2-hit baseball. He allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 4 walks with 1 lonely K. 11 of the 18 outs recorded were groundballs.
Lotte 11, Samsung 3
W - Song Seung-joon (9-4), L - Wes Obermueller (6-7)
Samsung foreign ringers Tom Shearn and Wes Obermueller both made cases for getting an early release on Thursday. Between the two of them, they allowed 9 runs(only 7 earned) on 10 hits and 2 walks in 4 2/3 innings. I think it might be time for these guys to join the management training program at State Farm Insurance, because this baseball thing isn't working out. To add insult to injury, Lotte's Karim Garcia clubbed a 3-run bomb of Shearn in the 9th inning. Garcia finished the night 2-5 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBI. Most of the damage on Obermueller came during a 6-run 5th inning. A two-run double from Lotte's Jo Seong-hwan and a two-run triple from Son Kwang-min accounted for most of the damage.
The game ball goes to Song Seun-joon. Song was the "anti-Obermueller" last night. Song threw 6 innings(94 pitches, 50 strikes), allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 5(!) walks with 4 K's. He pitched in and out of trouble all night and he never gave up the big hit. For that, he gets a game ball.
Hanhwa 6, Doosan 5
W - Yoon Gyu-jin (5-2), L - Lee Jae-woo (7-1), S - Brad Thomas (16)
Both teams battled to a 5-5 tie heading into the bottom of the 8th inning. Hanhwa slugger, Kim Tae-won, untied the game with a solo shot off Lee jae-woo to give the Eagles a 6-5 advantage. Brad Thomas walked 1 batter, but struck out the other 3 to close the door on the Bears.
The gameball goes to Hanhwa shortstop, Kim Min-jae. Kim finished the game 1-3, but the hit was a 2-run bomb in the 4th inning to give Hanhwa a 4-3 advantage.
LG 4, SK 3
W - Jeong Jae-bok (4-6), L - Kim Won-hyeong (7-3)
This one had a wild finish that didn't result in an SK win. Amazing. SK was leading 3-0 in the bottom of the 8th when LG's Jeong Eui-yoon and Park Yong-taek both hit RBI singles to put the score at 3-2. In the bottom of the 9th, LG infielder, Lee Jong-yeol clubbed a solo homer to tie the game and send it into extras. In the bottom of the 10th, it went walk, walk, Sac, hit, ballgame. LG's Ahn Chi-yong drove in the winning run and was subsequently battered by his teammates.
Games balls go to both starting pitchers. SK's Song Eun-beom threw 6 1/3 innings(89 pitches, 57 strikes) of shutout baseball, allowing only 4 hits while striking out 4. LG ace, Bong Jung-geun went 7 strong innings(107 pitches, 64 strikes) he allowed 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks with 6 K's. Both deserved better than an ND.
I promise, unless my principal goes berserk and forces me to redo the entire plan for English camp(unlikely, but I am prepared for anything), I will post a full weekend update with stats tomorrow morning.
If KIA was going to do this, they should have done it a month ago. Jose Lima has actually been adequate of late. Happy trails, Jose, I'm sure you'll land on your feet. Hat tip to Aaron at the EWC.
I'm not sure what's more surprising. That Park Chan-ho looked like a major league pitcher or that he was beaten by Barry "I won a Cy Young Award Once" Zito.
Baek Cha-seung also threw during the weekend and he pitched pretty well.
I guess Centennial Investment chose to pay up and it sounds like we'll get a new sponsor next year. I want to stock up on Woori Heroes gear right now, just in case I can't get any in the future. Actually, no. “I don’t think there was any intention on the Heroes’ part not to pay the fees,” said KBO secretary general Ha Il-sung. Suuuuuuure, just, you know, intentionally missing deadlines and all.
KIA 12, Woori 2
W - Lee Dae-jin (4-8), L - Jang Won-sam (5-6)
The KIA Tigers jumped all over poor(literally) Heroes. 7 of the 12 runs surrendered came in the first 3 innings. Not a good start. KIA centerfielder and leadoff man, Lee Yong-gyu finished 5-6(all singles) with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. KIA's Lee Jong-beom went 2-4 with a triple, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI from the #2 slot. It was a good day to be at the top of KIA's lineup.
The game ball goes to KIA starting pitcher Lee Dae-jin. Lee worked 6 strong innings(88 pitches, 46 strikes) of 2-hit baseball. He allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 4 walks with 1 lonely K. 11 of the 18 outs recorded were groundballs.
Lotte 11, Samsung 3
W - Song Seung-joon (9-4), L - Wes Obermueller (6-7)
Samsung foreign ringers Tom Shearn and Wes Obermueller both made cases for getting an early release on Thursday. Between the two of them, they allowed 9 runs(only 7 earned) on 10 hits and 2 walks in 4 2/3 innings. I think it might be time for these guys to join the management training program at State Farm Insurance, because this baseball thing isn't working out. To add insult to injury, Lotte's Karim Garcia clubbed a 3-run bomb of Shearn in the 9th inning. Garcia finished the night 2-5 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBI. Most of the damage on Obermueller came during a 6-run 5th inning. A two-run double from Lotte's Jo Seong-hwan and a two-run triple from Son Kwang-min accounted for most of the damage.
The game ball goes to Song Seun-joon. Song was the "anti-Obermueller" last night. Song threw 6 innings(94 pitches, 50 strikes), allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 5(!) walks with 4 K's. He pitched in and out of trouble all night and he never gave up the big hit. For that, he gets a game ball.
Hanhwa 6, Doosan 5
W - Yoon Gyu-jin (5-2), L - Lee Jae-woo (7-1), S - Brad Thomas (16)
Both teams battled to a 5-5 tie heading into the bottom of the 8th inning. Hanhwa slugger, Kim Tae-won, untied the game with a solo shot off Lee jae-woo to give the Eagles a 6-5 advantage. Brad Thomas walked 1 batter, but struck out the other 3 to close the door on the Bears.
The gameball goes to Hanhwa shortstop, Kim Min-jae. Kim finished the game 1-3, but the hit was a 2-run bomb in the 4th inning to give Hanhwa a 4-3 advantage.
LG 4, SK 3
W - Jeong Jae-bok (4-6), L - Kim Won-hyeong (7-3)
This one had a wild finish that didn't result in an SK win. Amazing. SK was leading 3-0 in the bottom of the 8th when LG's Jeong Eui-yoon and Park Yong-taek both hit RBI singles to put the score at 3-2. In the bottom of the 9th, LG infielder, Lee Jong-yeol clubbed a solo homer to tie the game and send it into extras. In the bottom of the 10th, it went walk, walk, Sac, hit, ballgame. LG's Ahn Chi-yong drove in the winning run and was subsequently battered by his teammates.
Games balls go to both starting pitchers. SK's Song Eun-beom threw 6 1/3 innings(89 pitches, 57 strikes) of shutout baseball, allowing only 4 hits while striking out 4. LG ace, Bong Jung-geun went 7 strong innings(107 pitches, 64 strikes) he allowed 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks with 6 K's. Both deserved better than an ND.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
7/2 Roundup and News
Again, this English camp is slowly killing me and any will I have to do anything productive. Good news though. I will have desks and chairs in the new English room. The principal wanted the kids to sit on the floor and only practice speaking. No reading or writing was to be allowed in my classroom. Baby steps.
Uh-oh. Not a good sign for the Woori Heroes. Personally, I'm shocked. Who would have thought a team bought by an unknown investment company that engaged in more than a few shady business practices before the season started and sold the team name to the highest bidder wouldn't pay on time? I didn't see this one coming AT ALL. I'm calling it now. The KBO won't collect anything from these jokers.
LG vs. SK
PPD
Lotte vs. Samsung
PPD
Woori 4, KIA 3
W - Hwang Doo-seong(5-3), L - Yoon Seok-min (8-4), S - Shingo Takatsu (2)
Game ball: Lee Sung-yeong went 2-4, but he had the key hit during a 3-run, 6th inning rally. He clubbed a two RBI double. Bonus mention to Shingo for recording his 2nd KBO save and his 2nd goofy KBO grin.
Doosan 8, Hanhwa 6
W - Im Tae-hoon (5-3), L - Choi Yeong-pil(4-6), S - Lee Jae-woo (2)
Game ball: Doosan outfielder, Yoo Jae-weong. Yoo went 2-4 with 4 RBI and two runs scored, but both hits left the ballpark. He hit a 3-run bomb during a 5-run 4th inning rally and a solo shot in the 5th.
Uh-oh. Not a good sign for the Woori Heroes. Personally, I'm shocked. Who would have thought a team bought by an unknown investment company that engaged in more than a few shady business practices before the season started and sold the team name to the highest bidder wouldn't pay on time? I didn't see this one coming AT ALL. I'm calling it now. The KBO won't collect anything from these jokers.
LG vs. SK
PPD
Lotte vs. Samsung
PPD
Woori 4, KIA 3
W - Hwang Doo-seong(5-3), L - Yoon Seok-min (8-4), S - Shingo Takatsu (2)
Game ball: Lee Sung-yeong went 2-4, but he had the key hit during a 3-run, 6th inning rally. He clubbed a two RBI double. Bonus mention to Shingo for recording his 2nd KBO save and his 2nd goofy KBO grin.
Doosan 8, Hanhwa 6
W - Im Tae-hoon (5-3), L - Choi Yeong-pil(4-6), S - Lee Jae-woo (2)
Game ball: Doosan outfielder, Yoo Jae-weong. Yoo went 2-4 with 4 RBI and two runs scored, but both hits left the ballpark. He hit a 3-run bomb during a 5-run 4th inning rally and a solo shot in the 5th.
7/1 Roundup and News
I was stuck in meetings almost all day yesterday. There is nothing less fun and more demoralizing than having Korean people tell you what they want at an English camp. Exact quote, "Some might not understand, but that is okay. Just as long as they speak." Followed by the color draining out of my face. I found myself resisting the urge to punch my principal yesterday, either way, winners and scores....
Woori vs. KIA
PPD - rain
Do you think Shingo and Cliff Brumbaugh hang out? I'd like to think so.
Samsung 7, Lotte 3
W - Jeon Byeong-ho (3-2), L - Son Min-han (7-2)
Game ball: Samsung's Choi Hyeong-woo went 1-4 with a 2-run homer that gave Samsung the lead in the 4th inning.
Hanhwa 6, Doosan 4
W - Brad Thomas (3-4), L - Justin Lehr (0-4), S - Ahn Yeong-myeong(2)
Game ball: Hanhwa's Kim Tae-won. Kim was 2-4 with a homer, a double, 4 RBI and a run scored.
LG 4, SK 2
W - Shim Su-chang (2-2), L - Kenny Rayborn (3-2), S - Jeong Jae-bok (3)
Game ball: LG foreign 1B, Roberto Petagine. Big Roberto went 3-4 with 2 RBI and 1 run scored. He clubbed a 2-run bomb in the 2nd inning.
Woori vs. KIA
PPD - rain
Do you think Shingo and Cliff Brumbaugh hang out? I'd like to think so.
Samsung 7, Lotte 3
W - Jeon Byeong-ho (3-2), L - Son Min-han (7-2)
Game ball: Samsung's Choi Hyeong-woo went 1-4 with a 2-run homer that gave Samsung the lead in the 4th inning.
Hanhwa 6, Doosan 4
W - Brad Thomas (3-4), L - Justin Lehr (0-4), S - Ahn Yeong-myeong(2)
Game ball: Hanhwa's Kim Tae-won. Kim was 2-4 with a homer, a double, 4 RBI and a run scored.
LG 4, SK 2
W - Shim Su-chang (2-2), L - Kenny Rayborn (3-2), S - Jeong Jae-bok (3)
Game ball: LG foreign 1B, Roberto Petagine. Big Roberto went 3-4 with 2 RBI and 1 run scored. He clubbed a 2-run bomb in the 2nd inning.
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