Korean Series, Game 4 News and Roundup

Am I the only one that finds this a little creepy?

"Ci-vil! Ser-vice!" Thump Thump, thump thump thump, "Ci-vil! Ser-vice!"

The KT posts one of the poorest recaps/articles I have ever read. They just don't care, do they?

SK 4, Doosan 1
W - Ga Deuk-yeob, L - Matt Randel, S - Chae Byeong-yong
SK leads the series, 3-1

Poor Matt Randel. He takes this game into the 7th inning and he can't get any help from the Doosan offense. In Randel's 7 innings(116 pitches, 73 strikes) of work, he allowed 3 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk with 5 K's. SK starter, Song Eun-beom, didn't make it out of the 3rd inning. It was again up to the SK bullpen to piece together a ballgame and they did just that. 7 SK pitchers combined to scatter 7 hits and allow Doosan to push across only one run.

SK drew first blood in the first inning. SK's Kim Jae-hyeon drove in the 1st run with an RBI single after a botched throw on a stolen base attempt allowed Park Jae-sang to go to 3rd. Doosan would answer in the 2nd inning. Doosan slugger, Kim Dong-ju, lead off with a double to deep center. He was advanced to third by DH Hong Seong-heun on a seeing-eye single up the middle. The next batter, Oh Jae-won, would ground into a double play, but the run would score to make the game 1-1.

I think I'll remember the gratuitous fist pumps best.


Surprise. Shock. Horror.

In the 4th inning, SK's Choi Jeong would rip a double down the 3rd baseline to drive in the go ahead run. Then in the 7th with runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out, Lee Jin-yeong would hit a lazy grounder to short. It would be fielded cleanly and the force out at second was recorded, but the throw to first was wild. Lee would be safe and SK would score it's 3rd run. In the 9th inning, SK would tack on an "Efff you run" on a wild pitch from reliever Lee Yong-chan. Na Ju-hwan would scamper across the plate to make the game 4-1. Doosan couldn't even muster enough for a fake rally in the bottom of the 9th. After a lead off single and a stolen base from Choi Seung-hwan, the inning died fairly quickly thanks to a strikeout and a few ground balls. Game over.


An excited Chae Byeong-yong records the save.

The action continues tonight in Seoul's Jamsil stadium at 6pm. Kim Sun-woo will try to keep Doosan's playoff hopes alive, while Kim Kwang-hyeon will try to extinguish them. Get the champagne on ice! Doosan! SK! Kim! Kim! KBO Fever Tonight on KBS!

Korean Series, Game 3 News and Roundup

With the Korean Series in full swing, the KT gives the readers exactly what it wants. Another article about Choo Shin-soo and his plans for the offseason.

I can't seem to get to the EWC this morning and the Joongang Daily only has an article about game 2. As far as I know, this is a scoop!


Cheerbabes wearing short shorts in 50 degree weather? This offering appeases the baseball gods.

Massive gloves. Goofy neck warmer. The baseball gods are displeased again.



SK 3, Doosan 2
W - Jeong Woo-ram, L - Lee Hye-cheon, S - Jeong Dae-hyeon
SK leads the series, 2-1

I know this much. The pitching in this series has been much improved over the first two. Lee Hye-cheon threw well during his 5 1/3 innings(84 pitches, 63 strikes). He allowed only 2 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk with 7 K's. Kenny Rayborn was slightly better than the 2008 version of Kenny Rayborn. He usually allows a lot of base runners, but keeps the opposition off the scoreboard. Last night, Kenny allowed very few base runners and very few runs. In Kenny's 4 1/3 innings(70 pitches, 41 strikes), he allowed 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk with 5 K's. This is a much more watchable series than Samsung/Lotte or Samsung/Doosan was.

The two teams traded runs in the 4th inning. First, SK got on the board thanks to an RBI single from DH, Lee Jae-won. Then, Doosan counter punched in the bottom of the 4th inning. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, Kenny Rayborn tossed a 57 ft. curveball that bounced away from catcher Park Kyeong-won. Doosan's Kim Hyeon-su was able to sprint in from 3rd and tally Doosan's first run.

SK struck again in the 6th inning. With a runner on 1st and 1 out, Doosan pulled starter Lee Hye-chan for ace reliever Lee Jae-woo. Lee quickly recorded the 2nd out. He was left in to face SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong. Choi turned on the 1st pitch he saw and put it over the left field fence for a 2-run bomb and a 3-1 SK lead.


Doosan would threaten in the 6th. With the bases loaded and 2 outs, reliever Cho Wong-cheon would strike out Yoo Jae-won to end the threat. Doosan got one back in the bottom of the 7th inning. Cho was left in to face Choi Seung-hwan. Choi clubbed the ball over the fence for a solo homer. Choi's bomb made the score 3-2.

Doosan would threaten again in the 9th. Yoo Jae-wong would lead off with a single. With one out, Lee Jong-wook put the go ahead run on base with a seeing-eye single up the middle. Ko Yeong-min dumped a base hit into left to load the bases with one out. The 2008 batting champ, Kim Hyeon-su, stepped to the plate with 1 out and the sacks packed. Kim swung at SK closer Jeong Dae-hyeon's first offering. He hit a grounder up the middle that was cleanly fielded and turned for a double play. Game over.

Kim is now hitting .076 for the series. Doosan needs him to start hitting baseballs if they're going to get back into this series.



The action continues tonight at 6pm at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium. Game 1 starter, Matt Randel gets the nod for Doosan. SK will allow Kim Kwang-hyeon to get his full rest. Song Eun-beom gets the start for the Wyverns. Song finished the regular season 8-6 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. In 114 2/3 innings of work, Song struck out 77 and walked 37.

Korean Series, Game 2 News and Roundup

Park Tae-hwan at the Korean Series is becoming a tradition.

The KT offers their version of last night's events. They must have woken up the editor.

Aaron at the EWC has posted his opinion on last night's game. I thought the game was fairly enjoyable to watch, but it was a sloppy effort for both sides.

Jee ho at the Joongang Daily puts the exclamation point on game one and boldly predicts SK in 7.

On to the roundup...

SK 5, Doosan 2
W - Jeong Woo-ram, L - Kim Sun-woo, S - Jeong Dae-hyeon
The series is tied, 1-1

Kim Sun-woo surveys the damage after another attack from a group of vicious Wyverns.


Doosan and SK could shatter the series record for awkward high fives. They're already on their way to destroy the record for exaggerated fist pumps.

After struggling mightly in game 1, SK got this party started right with a 2-run rally in the 1st inning. SK leadoff man, Jeong Geun-woo started the game with a basehit to right. Park Jae-sang sacrificed Jeong to 2nd. With two outs, Park Jae-hong hit a slow dribbler to third. Park was able to beat Kim Dong-ju's throw and slide(!?!) in safely at 1st. The next batter, Lee Jin-yeong, ripped a single over the head of Doosan center fielder, Lee Jang-wook. Jeong would score easily from third and Park would advance to third. The next pitch was a 57 foot curveball from Kim Sun-woo that skipped past the Doosan catcher. Park would scamper across the plate for SK's 2nd run.

Doosan was unable to counterpunch until the 4th inning. Slugger Kim Dong-ju lead off the inning with a double off the center field wall. Doosan DH, Hong Seong-heun, would hit a line drive that bounced past SK's diving right fielder and roll to the warning track. Kim scored easily and Hong was pumping his fist at 3rd base. The next batter, Ko Yeong-min, would hit a sac fly to right to score Hong and tie the game at 2.

In the bottom of the 5th, SK's Jeong Geun-woo would hit a dribbler to 3rd base that would bounce off of a charging Kim Dong-ju. On the next pitch, Jeong would attempt a steal of 2nd and come in juuuuuust under the tag. The ball appeared to beat Jeong to 2nd, but he appeared to get his hand under the tag. The batter, Park Jae-seong, would sting a double off the left field wall to score Jeong and give SK a 3-2 advantage. Fist pumps all around.

SK would pad its lead in the 7th inning off the Doosan bullpen. Jeong Geun-woo drew a leadoff walk, but was promptly picked off. Park Jae-sang would draw another walk and manage not to get picked off. Reliever Jeong Jae-hoon was pulled for Yim Tae-hoon. Yim would leave his second pitch up and out over the plate. Kim Jae-hyeon would put it over the center field wall for a 2-run homer. Big fist pumps everywhere.

With a 5-2 lead, SK reliever Jeong Dae-hyeon was called on to record the final 3 outs. Kim Dong-ju would strike out swinging. Hong Seong-heun would hit a lazy fly ball to right. Then, Ko Yeong-min hit a fly ball to left for the final out. Game over. Series tied.

The most interesting stat line to be seen here was that of SK releiver, Yoon Gil-hyeon. Yoon tossed 2 innings. He faced 6 batters. He struck out 5 of them. Yoon could be the X Factor in this series. During the season, Yoon was very good. He posted a 2.90 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP. In 49 1/3 innings, he struck out 49 batters and walked 25. Last night was the best I've ever seen him throw. 17 of his 23 pitches were strikes.

There isn't much analysis to be had here really. Doosan can't expect to win when they have as many hits(4) as errors(4). Not against SK. Also, it's obvious these guys don't like playing in the cold at all. Good teams usually find a way to get over the elements. If I were running the Doosan clubhouse, I would put a ban on the parkas and mufflers. Wear an oversize sweatshirt or a cool satin jacket. That's it. These guys look ridiculous. They're two steps away from playing with mittens pinned to their jackets. The baseball gods respect toughness and frown upon comfort. Kim Dong-ju has several layers of fat to keep him warm. Does he really need the scarf? It's no wonder that he couldn't throw to first with a road map and balls were bouncing off his glove. He angered the baseball gods by trying to stay warm. Take off the extra clothes and try to act like a man for a few hours. That's the only way Doosan will be able to stay in this series.

The next game on Wednesday at 6pm in Seoul's Jamsil Stadium. Starting pitchers, TBA.

Korean Series, Game 1 News and Roundup

"Well, at least I'll be on time to shoot my new AnyCall commercial."

Korean cartoonist, Choi Hoon, puts the exclamation point on the Bears/Lions series.

I was out of town this weekend and didn't really have time to post a preview. Aaron at the EWC did a much better job than I would have anyway.

The Korea Times foreign correspondent wrote an article on yesterday's events. With the KT, I always get the feeling that the goal of the article isn't to inform the reader. The goal seems to be to write as little as possible and still get the byline.

The Joongang Daily should be the choice for Korean sports news. They give yesterday's events a more personal spin. While Aaron at the EWC gives an in-depth recap of yesterday's events.


"Where do you want it? In your ear or in the back?"

Doosan 5, SK 2
W - Matt Randel, L - Kim Kwang-hyeon, S - Lee Jae-woo
Doosan leads the series, 1-0

Well, there goes my prediction. Lesson learned? Don't predict a sweep when a team is coming off a 2-week layoff. SK wasn't nearly as sharp or prepared as I thought they'd be.

Kim Kwang-hyeon wasn't the dominant Kim Kwang-hyeon that almost won the KBO's pitching triple crown. His line was deceptively good. It doesn't sound that bad, but if you were watching, you would know that Kim wasn't very sharp yesterday. Kim lasted 5 2/3 innings(110 pitches, 60 strikes) while allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 6(!) walks. He did manage to strike out 4 Bears.

Doosan's Matt Randel was the Good Matt Randel. He kept hitters off balance by changing speeds and mixing pitches. He lasted 5 1/3 innings(87 pitches, 50 strikes) allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks with 4 K's.

The real story on the mound for Doosan was reliever Lee Jae-woo. Lee threw a 3 2/3 inning save! Who does that? Lee did surrender 1 run on 3 hits, but he pounded the strike zone(34 of 49 pitches were strikes) and kept recording outs. SK was never able to mount a serious threat against Lee.

SK drew first blood in the series in the 2nd inning. SK cleanup hitter and DH, Kim Jae-hyeon clubbed a solo homer over the center field wall for the first run of the series. Doosan would even the score in the 5th inning. Chae Sang-byeong would score on Lee Jang-wook's seeing-eye single up the middle. In the 6th, Doosan took it's first lead of the series. With runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs, Doosan warm body, Choi Joon-shik drilled a 3-1 pitch down the third base line for a double. Choi's double would make the score 3-1 and end Kim Kwang-hyeon's day. Doosan and SK would trade runs in the 7th. Doosan's Kim Hyeon-su delivered an RBI single in the top of the inning and SK's Jang Geun-woo hit an RBI double to make the score 4-2. In the top of the 9th, Doosan added an "Efff you!" run on a home run from Hong Seong-heun. I'm not an advocate for violence, but I would guess that at some point in this series, Hong is getting drilled. His celebration was a little, erm, excessive. There were a few too many fist pumps while rounding the bases.

The action continues tonight at 6pm in Incheon's beautiful Munhak Stadium. Chae Byeong-yong takes the mound for SK, while the embattled Kim Sun-woo gets the call for the Bears. Chae finished the season 10-2 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. In 136 2/3 innings, Chae struck out 81 and walked 49. When we last saw Kim Sun-woo, he was struggling to make it through the 3rd inning against the Lions.

KBO Playoffs Round 2, Game 6 Roundup and News

It's over. I hope the Lions have the flights booked and golf clubs ready. It's going to be a long winter.


Last night's game was not played in the nicest of conditions. When you have guys doing this to the field 10 minutes before game time, you're in trouble.

"Victory is ours!"

The Korea Times needs to hire an editor. I don't know who taught this guy to write articles like this, but he or she needs to be beaten. "Paragraphs? What are those?"

Aaron at the EWC had written a more accurate, more coherent account of last night's events.

On to the round up...

Doosan 5, Samsung 2
W - Jeong Jae-hoon, L - Yoon Seong-hwan, S - Lee Jae-woo
Doosan wins the series, 4-2

If this were a regular season game, it probably wouldn't have been played. The field was wet at the start of the game and the drizzle was constant for about 5 innings.

Yoon Seong-hwan lasted about as long as was expected. Yoon triumphantly took his start into the 2nd inning! He was probably wondering what Lee Sang-mok is so afraid of. Yoon lasted 1 1/3 innings yesterday. He allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, 3 walks and 1 HBP. Somehow, he struck out a batter. Samsung would use 7 different pitchers to piece together last night's game. Ahn Ji-man tossed 3 1/3 scoreless last night.

Doosan's Kim Hyeon-su drove in the 1st Doosan run in the first inning. Lee Jong-wook scored on his sac fly. Ko Yeong-min drove in the 2nd run on a sac fly to shallow left with the bases loaded. Oh Jae-won came in juuuuust before the throw made it to the plate.

Samsung cut the 2-0 deficit in half in the 4th inning. Jin Kab-yong scored on Park Jin-man's sac fly to center. Doosan answered back with 2 more runs in the bottom of the 4th inning. With runners on 1st and 2nd with one out, Lee Jong-wook drove a single into left to score Doosan's 3rd run. Then, with 2 outs and the bases loaded, Kim Dong-ju drew a walk from Samsung reliever, Ahn Ji-man. Kim quickly thanked Ahn for the free RBI. Next, Ahn battled the Doosan DH, Hong Seong-heun and eventually got him to fly out right. I love what I've seen from Ahn during the playoffs. I wouldn't be surprised to see him starting next season.

Samsung cut the deficit in half again during the 5th inning. With two outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, Park Seok-min singled to drive in a run and make the score 4-2. Then, in the 8th inning, with runners on 3rd and 1st and no outs, Lee Jong-wook laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to push across Doosan's 5th run of the game.

Doosan closer, Lee Jae-woo, came in during the 7th inning and stayed in until the final out was recorded. He faced 7 batters and sent all 7 back to the bench. Of the 20 pitches he threw, 17 were strikes. Lee was totally locked in. He drove the final nails into Samsung's coffin.

As a Samsung fan, it sucks to get eliminated, but I feel awfully positive about these guys for next season. I like the Samsung offense and bullpen a lot more now than I did at the beginning of the season. If injured slugger Shim Chang-su comes back healthy and management can find two reliable foreign starters, there's no reason Samsung can't be right back in the middle of things next year.

The Korean Series starts Sunday afternoon at 2pm in Incheon's beautiful Munhak Stadium. I'm assuming Kim Kwang-hyeon will start for the SK Wyverns. I have no idea who's going for the Doosan Bears. Kim Sun-woo, perhaps? My quick Korean Series prediction? An SK sweep. I think all the games will be close, but SK is just too deep and too talented for a burned out Bears team.

John Ennis MIA? Round 2, Game 6 Update and News

"Korea? Hell Jack, you know me, about all the travelin' I ever done is round a coffee pot lookin' for the handle."

Aaron at the EWC and Jee-ho at the Joongang Daily get the credit for this scoop, at least in the English language sporting press here in Korea. I had no idea what was going on until I received a text from Aaron last night and then read Jee-ho's story this morning. It's been a rough year for foreigners in the KBO not named Garcia, Thomas or Clark.

It sounds like Samsung pitcher, John Ennis, either had a legitimate injury and went home or had a "injury"(what pitcher doesn't have elbow soreness in the playoffs?) and decided his career was more important than the Samsung Lions' playoff hopes.

Given the suddenness of the incident, I get the feeling there was likely a communication issue. Ennis probably told the Lions his elbow was sore and didn't want to pitch in Game 6 on short rest. The Lions, desperate for a starter, probably insisted that Ennis take the mound. Ennis, not wanting to put his elbow in jeopardy for next season, simply fled the country like so many foreigners have before. Ennis was brough in as an arm for hire. Samsung shouldn't be surprised that he acted like one.

Either way, Yoon Sang-hwan is taking the hill for the Lions tonight. Yoon was last seen tossing 5 strong innings during Game 3. Yoon only allowed 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk with 2 K's. Yoon is taking the mound on 3 days rest. It's going to be all hands on deck for the Lions tonight. The situation is just as dire for Doosan. Game 3 starter, Lee Hye-cheon, is also taking the mound on 3 days rest. In Game 3, Lee also went 5 innings, but allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks with 4 K's. This ballgame could take a while. I'm loading up the iPod and making sure I have a few extra comic books to flip through tonight. Maybe I could chug a beer every time a pitching change is made? Nah. I'd be passed out by the 5th inning and have no idea what to write tomorrow.

KBO Playoffs Round 2, Game 5 Roundup and News

The Korea Times offers up another version of last night's events. It's still poorly organized, but they managed to write more than 4 sentences about a very enjoyable ball game.

The Joongang Daily further dissects Kim Sun-woo's start in game 4.


"Chest fracture! Chest fracture!" Doosan's Kim Hyeon-su and Samsung's Park Seok-min horse around before the game. This is what I want to see. Our franchise player with a chest injury getting punched by Doosan's franchise player. Good.

On to the roundup...

"Well, Sang-mok said I could work part time at his cousin's sporting goods store..."

Doosan 6, Samsung 4
W - Matt Randel, L - Bae Yong-su, S - Yim Tae-hoon
Doosan leads the series, 3-2

In the early innings, both teams traded punches and the game was tied at 2 at the end of the 2nd inning. In the third, Doosan jumped out to a 3-2 lead on a solo homer from 2008 batting champ, Kim Hyeon-su. Kim would finish the game 3-5 with 2 RBI and 3 runs scored. In the 5th, Doosan extended it's lead thanks to a 3-run rally that would knock Samsung starter, Bae Yong-su out of the game. First, Kim Hyeon-su drilled a single to right to drive in Oh Jae-won. Samsung's Ahn Ji-man came in to relieve Bae. Ahn promptly served up a 2-run homer to Doosan slugger, Kim Dong-ju.

The score would remain 6-2 until the 7th inning. Samsung mounted a fake rally off of the Doosan bullpen. With runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs, Mr. Clutch, Shin Myeong-cheol ripped a double down the line. 1 run was scored and runners were on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Yang Jun-hyeok hit a mammoth sac fly to make the game 6-4, but the Samsung rally would quickly die out. Park Seok-min would strike out staring and Jin Kab-yong was robbed of an RBI single by Doosan center fielder, Lee Jong-wook. Samsung would threaten in the 8th and 9th innings, but they were unable to plate any more runs.

Matt Randel actually took his start into the 6th inning. Randel lasted 5 1/3 innings(88 pitches, 57 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 10 hits and striking out 1. Both runs Randel allowed came on solo homers. Both Jin Kab-yong and Park Seok-min homered in the 2nd.

The series moves back to Seoul tomorrow. The two teams will square off at Jamsil Stadium at 6pm. Starters have yet to be announced, but does it really matter?

KBO Playoffs Round 2, Game 4 Roundup and News

Ugh. I have a slight hangover and I just got yelled at for some reason by one of my coworkers. Every morning at 8:35 I have to call a middle school and have "conversations" with 3 middle school students for about 10 minutes. Usually, I make the calls from an empty teacher's lounge. Today the lounge was full and painfully noisy. I surrendered immediately. I made the call from the office. The same office that I inhabit with the other subject teachers at my school. They have no idea about the level of volume they generate. About 3 seconds into the call they started screaming and laughing. I cleared my throat, "Ahem?" My co-teacher explained the situation and they stopped screaming for a few minutes so I could finish my call.

Then, one of them starting making comments, loudly, in Korean about something I did(I'm assuming it's the throat clearing). My only responses were, "Maybe if you say it faster, I'll understand better," and "I think I can ask you to stop screaming for a few minutes so I can make a phone call." Mind you, this silly phone call is part of my job. I have to do this whether I like it or not. I don't like it to begin with. I like getting yelled at about it even less. The atmosphere in the office right now is fairly tense. I get blamed for everything...and Samsung was absolutely pantsed last night. Ugh. Triple whammy. On a Tuesday. At least the phone call is finished.

Korean cartoonist, Choi Hoon, offers his account of the playoffs so far.

The Korea Times offers another account of last night's events. This is the best article they've written on the playoffs. That really isn't saying much.

The Joongang Daily has another one of their "Inside the KBO" features. I love these because they actually have analysis and they're actually well written. Jee-ho can offer insight and reasoning that I, a confused foreigner, can't get otherwise.

Aaron at the EWC has posted his account of last night. I like the image he used at the top of the article. It helps to describe exactly how thorough last night's thumping was.


This pretty much sums up everything that happened last night in Daegu. Actually, I get the feeling that I'll have to get used to seeing images like this for the next two games. Good times!

Doosan 12, Samsung 6
W - Jeong Jae-hoon, L - Lee Sang-mok
The series is tied 2-2

You know, 12-6 makes this game sound close. Doosan jumped out to a 5-0 first inning lead thanks to Mr. Batting Practice, Lee Sang-mok. I can't believe Lee actually finished the first inning. He allowed 5 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. I think that offer to work for his cousin's sporting goods company is looking better and better for next year.

Doosan scored in every inning except the 7th and 8th. This hit parade ended with 12 runs scored on 21 hits and 5 walks. 8 of the 21 hits were for extra bases and 1 left the ballpark. To their credit, Samsung only used 3 pitchers in this game. This loss would have been tougher to swallow if Samsung had burned through their bullpen. Doosan catcher, Hong Seong-heun and 2nd baseman, Ko Yeong-min both drove in 3 runs. While the top two hitters in the Doosan lineup Lee Jong-wook and Oh Jae-won both scored 3 times. Every single Doosan regular banged out at least one hit last night.

As for the Samsung offense, the word of the night was "fake rally." There were times that Samsung actually looked like they would break through and turn this game into a legit slug fest. They'd threaten to bust the game open, but only manage to score one or two runs. After a while, it turned into an "Empty the bench" game.

The action continues tonight in Daegu at 6pm local time. Game 1 starter, Bae Yeong-su gets the start for Samsung. Bae was last seen getting yanked in the middle of the 4th inning after allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk. Bae will be opposed by Doosan's Game 2 starter, Matt Randel. In Game 2, Randel was a little wild, but fairly effective during his 4 innings of work. He allowed 1 run on 1 hit and 4 walks with 1 K. Hopefully, one of these guys will find out what its like to make it to the 5th inning. Samsung! Doosan! Bae! Randel! Catch playoff fever tonight on KBS!

KBO Playoffs Round 2, Game 3 Roundup and News

The Korea Times gives a full, albeit strangely written recap of yesterday's events.
The Joongang Daily uses the word, "trounce" in its headline, but they also provide some quotes.

Aaron at the EWC gives the ballgame another solid writeup.


Yeah. I'm really upset I watched on TV instead of battling the lines to get tickets. REALLY upset. If I dragged my girlfriend to the ballpark she would have punched me in the eye.



The standard post-dramatic homer beating. I can't wait for someone to get hurt during one of these and miss a few weeks. Can't wait.


"We surrender!"

On to the roundup....

Samsung 6, Doosan 2
W - Yoon Seong-hwan, L - Lee Hye-cheon
Samsung leads the series, 2-1

Wow. This has to be one of the most improbable playoff runs in recent history. A creaky, injured team with a painfully mediocre pitching staff has stolen 5 games from two of the elite teams in the KBO after trudging through a dull, barely above .500 season. KBO fever! Catch it!

After getting out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the 3rd inning, Samsung drew first blood in the bottom of the 3rd. Slightly wounded 3rd baseman, Park Seok-min clubbed a 2-RBI double off the centerfield wall to put Samsung on the scoreboard. Park can't be as injured as he was made out to be. No one with a chest fracture should be allowed to generate as much power as Park did.

After letting Samsung starter, Yoon Seong-hwan, off the hook for 4 innings, Doosan finally broke through in the 5th. Doosan's Oh Jae-won drove in the first Bears' run on a sac fly to left.

In the 6th inning, Samsung busted the game wide open. Choi Hyeong-woo stepped up to the plate with runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. He crushed a 1-0 pitch from Doosan reliever, Kim Sang-hyeon, over the rightfield wall for a 3-run bomb. Choi's titanic blast gave the Lions a 5-1 advantage over the Bears. Samsung tacked on an 'EFFF You" run in the 7th inning. Shin Myeong-cheol hit an RBI double to right.

Doosan did mount an awesome fake rally in the 8th inning. The Bears scored their 2nd run on an RBI single from Yoo Jae-wong. Doosan would load the bases with 2 outs....and Kim Hyeon-su lined out to a leaping Park Jin-man to end the threat. The Bears mounted a fake fake rally against Oh Seung-hwan in the 9th. They had runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs...and Chae Sang-byeong struck out staring to end the game.

The series continues tonight in Daegu at 6pm. Game 1 starter, Kim Sun-woo takes the mound for Doosan. He was last seen allowing 7 baserunners in 2 innings of work and throwing with the confidence of me at the immigration office. Meaning, he was about 5 minutes away from tears at any given point. Embattled pitcher Lee Sang-mok takes the hill for the Lions. Lee....was awful this year. He managed to record a 6-6 record with a 5.34 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. In 124 2/3 innings, somehow, he managed to strikeout 53 men. He allowed 153 hits, only 8 of which didn't stay in the park. Whatever. I'm not talking myself into him. Samsung would be better off with a pitching machine.

KBO Playoffs Round 2, Game 2 Roundup and News

The Korea Times covers last night's 14 inning affair in about 4 paragraphs. Someone needed to get to bed. While Aaron at the EWC gives the game a worthy write up. Which one of these guys gets paid again?


For some reason, this guy got a TON of face time on last night's broadcast. Every time something would happen to the Lions they would cut to a shot of this guy in the orange jacket. At the end of the game, I actually found myself thinking, "Orange must be really happy right now."


"Yes! We'll make it to the hotel before midnight!"


Last night's ballgame set a KBO record for the longest postseason game ever played. My two favorite baseball teams have set records for longest games played. In 2005, my beloved Chicago White Sox set the MLB record for the longest World Series game(5 hours and 41 minutes) and tied the record for the longest World Series game by innings played(14). Now the Samsung Lions have played in a 14 inning playoff game. What does this mean? I am very, very tired.

On to the roundup...

Samsung 7, Doosan 4 (14)
W - Oh Seung-hwan, L - Keum Min-cheol

This game took just over 5 hours to complete. I starting watching at my girlfriend's apartment, left to catch the subway around 9:45 and made it home in time to watch the last 3 innings. Like I had earlier this season, I completely wrote off the Lions. No way can they keep Doosan off the scoreboard. The bullpen is too tired and Doosan's lineup is too talented. No way. The Lions proved me wrong again.

As a "Bitter White Sox fan," I have years of resentment built up in my system. Although the events of '05 washed some of that away, when times get tough, I will still turn off my TV in disgust. Between the White Sox play during the last two games of the regular season and this Lions team, I'm slowly starting to change my behaviour as a fan.

The Lions and Bears traded 0's for a few innings, until Doosan broke through against John Ennis in the 3rd. If John Ennis makes it out of the 3rd inning in a game, do you think he'll be surprised? Or do you think he'll even notice because he knows the hook is coming soon? Doosan scored its first two runs thanks to a triple from Oh Jae-won with runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. The next batter, Ko Yeong-min, drove in Oh with an RBI ground out to short. Park Jin-man actually remembered to throw the ball this time.

Samsung tallied its first run in the 4th inning on a bases loaded sac fly from Park Jin-man to make the score 3-1. That's where the game stood until Samsung rallied in the 7th. Samsung did threaten in the 6th inning. Throughout the game, they kept cutting to a shot of a crazed Park Seok-min sitting in the dugout, clutching a bat and rocking back and forth like a psycho. With two outs and the bases loaded, the injured slugger came in to pinch hit. I don't think Sun Dong-yeol was consulted in this decision. On TV, we saw Park rise, grab a helmet and walk onto the field. Now, the last I heard, Park had a hairline fracture in his chest. It has to hurt to breathe, let alone swing a bat. Park worked the count to 2-2....and grounded out to second to end the threat. Not exactly Kirk Gibson in the '88 World Series.

In the 7th, Samsung was finally able to sustain a rally. Samsung's second run came on an RBI single from the ageless wonder, Yang Joon-hyeok. Then, with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 out, Doosan catcher, Hong Seong-heun, allowed a passed ball and Samsung was able to tie the game at 3 thanks to Kim Jae-geol's mad dash from 3rd. Choi Hyeong-woo drilled a Kim Myeong-jae pitch into right to score Yang and give Samsung a 4-3 advantage.

Doosan tied the game in the bottom of the 7th on an RBI single from Chae Sang-byeong. The score would remain tied for another 6 innings. In the top of the 14th, Samsung mounted a two out rally. First, Chae Tae-in singled. Then, Kim Cheong-hee hit a seeing eye single up the middle to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Kang Bong-gyu came in to run for Chae. Lee Yong-chan came in to pitch for Doosan. Lee immeadiately surrendered a 2 RBI double to Samsung's Shin Myeong-cheol to give Samsung a 6-4 advantage. Park Han-yi doubled to score Shin and make it a 7-4 ballgame. Oh Seung-hwan stayed in for his 2nd inning(I believe, he was the only available reliever Samsung had left) and retired Doosan in order to end the game and even the series.

The series continues on Sunday at 2pm in Colorful Daegu's Rat Box stadium. Samsung's Yoon Seong-hwan gets the starting nod. Yoon was last seen going 4 innings in game 3 of the series against Lotte. He surrendered 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks with 1 K. Doosan will send Lee Hye-cheon to the mound. Lee finished the 2008 regular season with a 7-5 record, a 4.69 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He struck out 83 batters in 109 1/3 innings.

KBO Playoffs Round 2, Game 1 Roundup and News

The Korea Times "covers" last nights events...poorly. I don't think the KT reporter even watched the game.

Meanwhile, Aaron at the EWC gives last nights events a great write up.

It must be October in Korea. The awkward high fives are back!

On to the roundup...

Doosan 8, Samsung 4
W - Jeong Jae-hoon, L - Kwon Hyeok, S - Lee Jae-woo

Everything started so well. Samsung was winning 4-0 in the 3rd inning. Kim Sun-woo was pitching with the confidence of a man that had just seen his two teenage daughters appear in a Girls Gone Wild! video. Bae Yong-su was, well, what's the opposite of mowing? Bae Yong-su was politely asking batters to get out of the way. Then, Doosan remembered that they were capable of getting on base, hitting the baseball and scoring runs.

This was a typical team effort from Doosan at the plate. Every batter either scored or drove in a run. The Doosan bullpen came to the rescue when Kim Sun-woo couldn't get out of a jam in the 3rd inning. 3 Doosan relievers combined to throw 7 innings(each of them threw at least 2 innings) of 3-hit baseball.

After watching Kim surrender 4 runs during his 3rd inning nightmare, Doosan got back into the game in the 4th inning with a 3-run rally off of Samsung starter, Bae Yong-su. With Samsung winning 4-3 in the 4th inning, Doosan tied the game on a seeing-eye single up the middle from Oh Jae-won. The score would remained tied until the 7th. With the bases loaded and 0 outs, Doosan slugger, Kim Dong-ju, hit a lazy fly ball to shallow right. The throw from right was dreadful(it bounced twice and was slightly offline) and the runner scored easily from third. Doosan wasn't finished. Hong Seong-heun hit a sharp grounder to third to score the 2nd run of the inning and surrender the 2nd out of the inning. With 2 outs and a runner on third, Doosan 2nd baseman Ko Yong-min hit a chopper to Samsung shortstop, Park Jin-man. Park bobbled the ball and essentially surrendered. He put his head down and the runner on third made a mad dash for the plate to score the 3rd run of the inning and give Doosan a 7-4 advantage. I really can't believe Park Jin-man, a WBC and Olympic hero, would just quit on a play like that. In the 8th inning, Doosan added an EFFF you 8th run just to make sure Samsung knew they were beaten. With a runner on 2nd and one out, leadoff man Lee Jong-wook hit a ball over the Samsung rightfielder's head for an RBI triple. In the 9th inning, Samsung couldn't even muster a fake rally, but Shin Myeong-cheol hit a two out double. I guess that's a fake fake rally.

The series continues tonight in Seoul at 6pm Korea time. Matt Randel(9-9, 4.48 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 101 K's in 150 1/3 innings) rumbles to the bump against John Ennis. Ennis was last seen being taken out in the 3rd inning after throwing 287 pitches against Lotte. That's just an estimate on the pitch count. It's a foriegner showdown! Doosan! Samsung! Randel! Ennis! Tonight on MBC!

Official 2nd Round Playoff Preview

The Joongang Daily offers a preview of sorts. With quotes!

The series starts tonight in Jamsil Stadium at 6pm. Kim Sun-woo gets the starting nod for Doosan. Kim finished the 2008 campaign with a 6-7 record. He recorded a 4.25 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 101 2/3 innings of work. He only struck out 46 batters, but he did an excellent job of keeping the ball in the park. Kim only surrendered 3 homeruns this season.

Samsung will send Bae Yong-su to the mound. When we last saw Bae he was starting the first game of the 1st round series against Lotte. He labored through 5 innings of work, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 2 K's.



How Samsung can win....

By sticking to the formula that got them here. Hope for 5 innings from the starter, turn the game over to the bullpen, stick with a hot hand and hope for enough offense to win. Also, they need to keep runners close, not be afraid to pitch out and hope Jin Kab-yong can throw these guys out. Doosan is the fastest team in the league. If this series turns into a track meet, Samsung will be run out of the stadium. Samsung's pitchers need to throw strikes. Doosan is probably the most patient team in the league. Most of the guys in their lineup know how to draw a walk. So, in summary, throw strikes, keep runners close, hope for quality starts and generate some semblance of an offense. Third baseman Park Seok-min will likely be out for most of the series. He suffered a hairline fracture in his chest last Saturday. Samsung will miss his prescence in the lineup and his glove on the field.



How Doosan can win...

By avoiding the mistakes that Lotte made. Doosan's starting pitcher's need to throw strikes and eat up innings and get the game to the bullpen. The Doosan bullpen is actually fairly deep. Setup men Lee Jae-woo and Yim Tae-hoon both reached double digits in holds and closer Jeong Jae-hoon recorded 18 saves. Also, Keun Min-cheol and Kim Sang-hyeon appeared in 44 games each and posted solid numbers. The only one that showed signs of trouble was Keun and his 1.40 WHIP. Doosan also needs to shake off whatever rust has built up over the last two weeks. A battle-tested Samsung club could steal a game or two if Doosan is caught napping.

At the plate for Doosan, they need to be Doosan. Lead by 2008 batting champ, Kim Hyeon-su, 5 of their regulars posted OBP of .370 or higher. Kim was by far and away the leader with a .454 OBP. 3 Doosan Bears finished in the top 10 in stolen bases this year. Leadoff man, Lee Jong-wook finished 2nd in the league with 47. 6 Bears finished with double digit steals. Even their emotional catcher Hong Seong-heun, finished with 8. What is lacking in Doosan's order is power. 3rd baseman, Kim Dong-ju lead the team with 18 homers. Kim was the only Bear to reach double digits in homers. The formula for Doosan has been get on, get over, get in. With this philosophy, it's no surprise that they've been near the top of the league for a while now.

Official series prediction...

Doosan in 6. Samsung will put up more of a fight than expected(they did take the season series after all), but Doosan will wear the Lions down and take the series.

10/14 News

Today we get a round 2 preview from Jee-ho at the Joongang Daily. Jee-ho is probably the best journalist for an English language newspaper in Korea right now. I disagree with his assessment completely, but at least its well written. Doosan is just too potent and too patient for the Lions to defeat in a 7 game series. The only hope for the Lions is for Doosan to come out flat after the 2-week layoff and steal a game or 2 in Jamsil. Then, Samsung has to use its homefield advantage and hope that Doosan's starting pitching is as bad as Lotte's was. Either way, I'll be back later this week with a proper breakdown.

The Korea Times discusses the successes and failures of Koreans playing in the NPB. It's a better article than they usually write.

Whatever Happened to....

You may or may not remember this guy. Mr. Hong Seong-heun. He was the Doosan Bears catcher that lost his smile and complained about being asked to hit AND catch. Well, it sounds like Hong has found a way to hit that pesky baseball as well as catch it.

Hong was able to bounce back from an injury riddled 2007 season that saw his batting average plummet and his frustration rise. During the '08 campaign, Hong managed to hit .331 in 423 at bats. He slugged 8 homers, drove in 63 runs and scored 45 runs. This was his most productive season since 2002. During the '02 season, Hong hit 18 homers and drove in 70. Also, if I'm doing the math right, and I believe I am, Hong recorded his 1000th KBO hit this season. I'm just glad there was a happy ending to what was a completely ridiculous story.

Other news...

The Korea Times made it official. The Lions swept the Giants. This article is actually a fairly mediocre report for a game that was really exciting. The Joongang Daily offered up a much better article, complete with some postgame quotes.

KBO Playoffs Round 1, Game 3 News and Roundup

No news of any kind to report. I guess everyone in Korea who writes about baseball took the weekend off due to the awesomeness of the Lions.

Samsung 6, Lotte 4
W - Cho Jin-ho, L - David Cortes, S - Oh Seung-hwan
Samsung wins the series, 3-0



Saturday was essentially the same story as the previous 3 days. Samsung showed patience and discipline. Lotte did not. None of Lotte's top 3 starters delivered anything close to a quality start and the Lotte bullpen was unable to keep Samsung off the scoreboard.

Park Seok-min out-maneuvering Kang Min-ho at the plate in the 4th inning. His mad dash on a sac fly gave Samsung a 2-1 lead. The Lions would give the lead back in the top of the 5th. Lotte would strike for a 2-run rally thanks to RBI base hits from Kim Joo-chan and Lee In-gu.

This game basically came down to 2 key hits. With Samsung trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the 7th. Yang Jun-hyeok delivered a 2-run bomb into the right field seats to tie the game at 4 and send the fans in Daegu's Rat Box stadium into a frenzy.


Yang getting the requisite beating after hitting a big home run.

Then, in the 8th inning, Samsung infielder, Cho Dong-chan delivered a 2-RBI base hit with the bases loaded to give Samsung a 6-4 advantage.


Samsung closer, Oh Seung-hwan tossed a 1-2-3 9th inning to close out the Giants. The Samsung bullpen came up huge yet again. After starter Yoon Seong-hwan was chased from the game, Ahn Ji-man and Cho Jin-ho both tossed 2 scoreless innings. Only Cho Hyeon-geun allowed any runs and he only faced two batters. The Lotte bullpen was fairly ineffective. Both Kang Yeong-shik and David Cortes surrendered 2 runs in the late innings.


Not as funny as cub fans, but close.


"We're still the best at weeping in public after a crushing defeat, dude!"


"Bring on the Bears!"

The KBO playoffs resume with the start of the 2nd round on Thursday. The Doosan Bears will host the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium at 6pm. Starting pitchers haven't been announced yet, but as soon as they are, I'll get them posted with a series breakdown.

KBO Playoffs Round 1, Game 2 Roundup and News

I guess getting beaten 12-3 brings out the ugly. Hat tip to Aaron at the EWC. The Joongang Daily offers a similar, but more scathing, account of the events in Busan. I know last nights' game was stopped during the 6th inning due to a disturbance behind the Lions dugout. I guess now we know why.

The Korea Times and Joongang Daily offer their version of last nights events.

On to the roundup...


"1 more win. 1 more win."

Samsung 4, Lotte 3
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook, L - Kang Yeong-shik, S - Oh Seung-hwan
Samsung leads 2-0

Where did this come from? I thought Lotte was unbeatable at Fortress Sajik? How did the Lions with their questionable pitching, not quite ready for prime time offense and bored manager manage to beat the mighty Giants? Twice. In thier own stadium. The simple answer is patience. Lotte has taken an agressive, swing-first-ask-questions-later approach to hitting, while the Lions have actually taken the advice of their old Little League coach. "Wait for your pitch." Last night, the Lions received 7 walks and 1 HBP. On Wednesday, it was 6 walks and 1 HBP. The Giants, in comparison, have drawn exactly 2 walks in the first two games.

Last night, starters John Ennis and Son Min-han both tried to put me to sleep. Ennis threw 73 pitches(44 strikes) during his 2 2/3 innings of work. It took Son 95 pitches to throw 4 2/3 innings. The early innings...took a while.

Samsung got the party started right with a seeing-eye, RBI single from Jo Dong-chan in the 2nd inning. Lotte answered right back in the 3rd inning with an RBI single from Lee Dae-ho. Samsung struck again in the 4th inning. 1st baseman, Chae Tae-in clubbed a solo homer into the right field seats to give Samsung a 2-1 advantage. Samsung loaded the bases with 2 out in the top of the 5th, but Lotte reliever Kang Yeong-shik used a nasty breaking ball to strike out Choi Hyeong-woo to end the threat. Lotte tied the game in the 5th inning on a groundball from Jo Seong-hwan. Jo didn't record an RBI because he grounded into a double play or as I like to call it a "Paul Konerko Special." The score remained tied at 2 until the top of the 7th inning. With the bases loaded and 1 out, Jerry Royster brought in Choi Hyang-nam to get Lotte out of the jam. Samsung shortstop, Park Jin-man, slapped a double off the wall in left to score 2 runs and give Samsung a 2-run advantage.

Samsung closer, Oh Seung-hwan, came out to pitch the 8th inning. He put the Giants down without much of a fight. Oh stayed out for the 9th inning. Things got interesting. Lotte's Kim Min-seong lead off with a base hit up the middle. Oh got Park Ki-hyeok to line out to right. One out. Then, Lotte's Kim Joo-chan clubbed a double into the gap in left center to drive in Kim and put the tying run in scoring position with 1 out. The next batter, Lee In-koo struck out swinging for the 2nd out. Lotte's Jo Seong-hwan hit a scorching line drive to right.....but it was caught for the 3rd out. High fives all around for Samsung.

The next game is Saturday at 2pm in Daegu. Starting pitchers haven't been announced yet. I'm assuming its Jang Won-joon for Lotte and Lee Sang-mok for Samsung.