6/26 - Heroes 3, KIA 0
6/27 - Heroes 10, KIA 2
6/28 - KIA 5, Heroes 1
Heroes rookie starting pitcher Kang Yoon-guh enjoyed his first real taste of KBO success on Friday night. Kang tossed 6 innings(99 pitches, 55 strikes) of no-hit baseball. He did allow 6 walks, but he also struck out 8. Not bad for a guy who hasn't turned 20 yet. Kang got some help from the Heroes bullpen. Song Shin-yeong threw 2 scoreless innings, but gave up the only hit of the game. Reliever Shin Cheol-in tossed a scoreless 9th for the save. Heroes right fielder Song Ji-man hit a solo homer in the 4th inning to give the Heroes all the runs the would need. Catcher Heo-joon would deliver an RBI single to extend the lead to 2-0. Song would also hit an RBI sac fly in the 7th.
The Heroes absolutely battered poor Aquilino Lopez on Saturday night. Lopez surrendered 8 runs(7 earned) in his 5 1/3 innings of work. He allowed 11 hits, but managed to strike out 4. Senor Smoke got smoked. Heroes starting pitcher Kim Su-kyeong enjoyed the offensive outburst and cruised to an easy W. Kim tossed 5 innings(93 pitches, 53 strikes) of 2-run baseball. Kim gave up 6 hits and struck out 4. The only Heroes regular that didn't get a base hit was catcher Heo Joon. Heroes DH Cliff Brumbaugh finished 2-4 with a walk, a double a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Shortstop Kang Jeong-ho enjoyed a 3-4 evening with a double and 3 RBIs.
KIA was able to get a small measure of revenge on Sunday thanks to a fine effort from starting pitcher Lee Dae-jin. Lee threw 5 shutout innings(76 pitches, 44 strikes). He allowed only 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4. KIA got on the scoreboard in the 1st inning with an RBI single from 1st baseman Choi Hee-seop. KIA added to its lead in the 7th inning thanks to an error by 3rd baseman Hwang Jae-gyun. Hwang couldn't find the handle on a weak grounder and a runner was able to score from 3rd. The Heroes scored a run in the top of the 8th thanks to a Lee Taek-geun RBI single. KIA would answer right back in the bottom of the 8th with a 3-run rally that put the game out of reach. A bases loaded single from KIA catcher Kim Sang-hoon would score 2 runs and be the knockout punch. KIA reliever Yoo Dae-hong recorded the final 4 outs to earn the save.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
6/26 - 6/28 Weekend Roundup: Hanhwa vs. Lotte
6/26 - Lotte 6, Hanhwa 4
6/27 - Lotte 4, Hanhwa 3
6/28 - Lotte 2, Hanhwa 0
On Friday Son Min-han was the 2009-post injury version of the former ace and Kim Hyeok-min was the 2009 pre-cellphone store bum. I can't believe Lotte didn't score 20. Son worked 5 innings(86 pitches, 45 strikes) and allowed 3 runs. Son surrendered 5 hits and walked 5 while striking out 2. He kept Hanhwa in the park and kept Lotte in the game. Kim Hyeok-min continues to blow chance after chance. He made it out of the 3rd inning this time...barely. Rhetorical question, if Kim Hyeok-min pitched to Hanhwa infielder Kim Min-jae(.139/.205/.222 in over 100 AB's) what would happen? Lotte provided just enough offense to get the W. Lotte right fielder Karim Garcia continued to slowly wake up from his season long slump. Garcia finished 2-3 with a walk, a double, a homer, 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Lotte closer Jon Adkins threw a scoreless 9th to earn the save. Hanhwa 1st baseman Park Tae-gyun made his first start in almost exactly one month. He didn't show any signs of the concussion that sidelined him. Park finished the game 3-5 with a pair of RBIs.
Lotte jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and Hanhwa couldn't recover. Lotte let the Eagles chip away, but Hanhwa was unable to plate the tying run. In the 3rd inning, Lotte outfielder Lee In-guh hit a double with the bases loaded. All three runners were able to score. Lotte added an insurance run in the 4th on an RBI single from left fielder Park Jeong-joon. Lotte 1st baseman/lead off hitter Kim Joo-chan was forced from the game with an injured hand. Lotte starting pitcher Lee Yong-hoon pitched well enough to win. Lee surrendered 2 runs during his 5 innings(79 pitches, 43 strikes) of work. Lee gave up 5 hits and 5 walks while striking out 1. Lotte reliever Lee Jeong-hoon tossed 2 1/3 innings of relief to earn the save. He allowed only 2 hits and struck out 4.
Hanhwa finally had a starting pitcher deliver a quality start on Sunday and what do they do? They get shut out. Ryu Hyeon-jin should fake an injury or something. The K Monster went the distance on Sunday(126 pitches, 81 strikes). He allowed 2 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9. Lotte starter Song Seung-joon looked like an ace. Song also went the distance(98 pitches, 61 strikes). He gave up only 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. Lotte scored its 1st run in the 2nd inning thanks to an RBI single from shortstop Park Ki-hyeok. Lotte added an RBI double from DH Oh Jang-won in the 9th.
6/27 - Lotte 4, Hanhwa 3
6/28 - Lotte 2, Hanhwa 0
On Friday Son Min-han was the 2009-post injury version of the former ace and Kim Hyeok-min was the 2009 pre-cellphone store bum. I can't believe Lotte didn't score 20. Son worked 5 innings(86 pitches, 45 strikes) and allowed 3 runs. Son surrendered 5 hits and walked 5 while striking out 2. He kept Hanhwa in the park and kept Lotte in the game. Kim Hyeok-min continues to blow chance after chance. He made it out of the 3rd inning this time...barely. Rhetorical question, if Kim Hyeok-min pitched to Hanhwa infielder Kim Min-jae(.139/.205/.222 in over 100 AB's) what would happen? Lotte provided just enough offense to get the W. Lotte right fielder Karim Garcia continued to slowly wake up from his season long slump. Garcia finished 2-3 with a walk, a double, a homer, 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Lotte closer Jon Adkins threw a scoreless 9th to earn the save. Hanhwa 1st baseman Park Tae-gyun made his first start in almost exactly one month. He didn't show any signs of the concussion that sidelined him. Park finished the game 3-5 with a pair of RBIs.
Lotte jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and Hanhwa couldn't recover. Lotte let the Eagles chip away, but Hanhwa was unable to plate the tying run. In the 3rd inning, Lotte outfielder Lee In-guh hit a double with the bases loaded. All three runners were able to score. Lotte added an insurance run in the 4th on an RBI single from left fielder Park Jeong-joon. Lotte 1st baseman/lead off hitter Kim Joo-chan was forced from the game with an injured hand. Lotte starting pitcher Lee Yong-hoon pitched well enough to win. Lee surrendered 2 runs during his 5 innings(79 pitches, 43 strikes) of work. Lee gave up 5 hits and 5 walks while striking out 1. Lotte reliever Lee Jeong-hoon tossed 2 1/3 innings of relief to earn the save. He allowed only 2 hits and struck out 4.
Hanhwa finally had a starting pitcher deliver a quality start on Sunday and what do they do? They get shut out. Ryu Hyeon-jin should fake an injury or something. The K Monster went the distance on Sunday(126 pitches, 81 strikes). He allowed 2 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9. Lotte starter Song Seung-joon looked like an ace. Song also went the distance(98 pitches, 61 strikes). He gave up only 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. Lotte scored its 1st run in the 2nd inning thanks to an RBI single from shortstop Park Ki-hyeok. Lotte added an RBI double from DH Oh Jang-won in the 9th.
6/26 - 6/28 Weekend Roundup SK vs LG
6/26 - SK 6, LG 3
6/27 - SK 3, LG 1
6/28 - SK 8, LG 2
Gary Glover made his KBO debut on Friday and did something our good buddy CJ Nitkowski never did. He made it out of the 5th inning with a lead. Glover tossed 5 1/3 innings(91 pitches, 61 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4. SK reliever Jeon Byeong-doo tossed 3 2/3 innings of relief to earn the save. Jeon did allow a run, but the SK offense provided enough of a cushion to absorb it. SK had to put catcher Park Kyeong-wan on the shelf this week, but backup Jeong Sang-ho is filling in nicely. Jeong finished 2-3 with a homer, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Right fielder Park Jae-hong and center fielder Kim Kang-min also homered during Friday night's game.
I was actually able to attend Saturday's game in Incheon and I really lucked out with the pitching matchup. SK ace Kim Kwang-hyeon vs. LG ace Bong Jung-geun. I've seen LG play 4 times this season and I've seen Dr. Bong pitch in all 4. Kim Kwang-hyeon looked very much like last year's MVP. Kim tossed 8 2/3 innings(121 pitches, 76 strikes) of 1-run ball. He allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 9. He was never in much trouble until he appeared to run out of gas in the 9th. LG strung together a few singles in the 9th and finally broke through on shortstop Kwon Yong-kwan's RBI single to left. Lee Seung-ho struck out Lee Dae-hyeong to end the game and record a vulture save. Dr. Bong pitched well enough to win, but happened to run into the buzz saw that is Kim Kwang-hyeon. Bong threw 7 innings(114 pitches, 69 strikes) of 3-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman while King 9. A 2 RBI single from SK infielder Mo Chang-min in the 4th inning proved to be the difference in the game.
Mo Chang-min continued to show a clutch bat on Sunday. With 2 outs and runners on the corners in the 6th inning, Mo clubbed a 3-run bomb to left to give SK its first lead of the afternoon. SK starter Song Eun-beom should buy Mo a steak for gifting him the W. He finished the 6th inning losing 2-1 and didn't come out for the 7th. Song delivered another quality start for the Wyverns. He tossed 6 innings(95 pitches, 56 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed only 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. After he left, the SK bats woke up and pummelled LG for 4 more runs. SK replacement catcher Jeong Sang-ho finished 3-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. Where does SK get these guys? The Lions get a few injuries and they're plucking guys out of the stands. SK loses a few all stars and they don't miss a beat. Why yes, I would like some cheese with my whine.
6/27 - SK 3, LG 1
6/28 - SK 8, LG 2
Gary Glover made his KBO debut on Friday and did something our good buddy CJ Nitkowski never did. He made it out of the 5th inning with a lead. Glover tossed 5 1/3 innings(91 pitches, 61 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4. SK reliever Jeon Byeong-doo tossed 3 2/3 innings of relief to earn the save. Jeon did allow a run, but the SK offense provided enough of a cushion to absorb it. SK had to put catcher Park Kyeong-wan on the shelf this week, but backup Jeong Sang-ho is filling in nicely. Jeong finished 2-3 with a homer, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Right fielder Park Jae-hong and center fielder Kim Kang-min also homered during Friday night's game.
I was actually able to attend Saturday's game in Incheon and I really lucked out with the pitching matchup. SK ace Kim Kwang-hyeon vs. LG ace Bong Jung-geun. I've seen LG play 4 times this season and I've seen Dr. Bong pitch in all 4. Kim Kwang-hyeon looked very much like last year's MVP. Kim tossed 8 2/3 innings(121 pitches, 76 strikes) of 1-run ball. He allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 9. He was never in much trouble until he appeared to run out of gas in the 9th. LG strung together a few singles in the 9th and finally broke through on shortstop Kwon Yong-kwan's RBI single to left. Lee Seung-ho struck out Lee Dae-hyeong to end the game and record a vulture save. Dr. Bong pitched well enough to win, but happened to run into the buzz saw that is Kim Kwang-hyeon. Bong threw 7 innings(114 pitches, 69 strikes) of 3-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman while King 9. A 2 RBI single from SK infielder Mo Chang-min in the 4th inning proved to be the difference in the game.
Mo Chang-min continued to show a clutch bat on Sunday. With 2 outs and runners on the corners in the 6th inning, Mo clubbed a 3-run bomb to left to give SK its first lead of the afternoon. SK starter Song Eun-beom should buy Mo a steak for gifting him the W. He finished the 6th inning losing 2-1 and didn't come out for the 7th. Song delivered another quality start for the Wyverns. He tossed 6 innings(95 pitches, 56 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed only 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. After he left, the SK bats woke up and pummelled LG for 4 more runs. SK replacement catcher Jeong Sang-ho finished 3-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. Where does SK get these guys? The Lions get a few injuries and they're plucking guys out of the stands. SK loses a few all stars and they don't miss a beat. Why yes, I would like some cheese with my whine.
Monday, June 29, 2009
6/26 - 6/28 Weekend Roundup Samsung vs. Doosan
6/26 - Doosan 5, Samsung 4
6/26 - Samsung 12, Doosan 7
6/28 - Samsung 6, Doosan 2
Doosan jumped out to an early 3-1 lead thanks to a 3-run rally in the 2nd inning on Friday night. All 3 runs came on an RBI double by 3rd baseman Lee Won-seok. Samsung got a run back in the 3rd and took a 4-3 lead in the 5th. Samsung 2nd baseman Shin Myeong-cheol drew a bases loaded walk in the 5th to make the score 3-2. Samsung tied the game on a passed ball and took the lead on a Yang Joon-hyeok sac fly. Doosan tied the game in the bottom of the 5th on an RBI groundout by Mr. Chicken, Kim Hyeon-su. The score would remain tied at 4 until the bottom of the 9th inning. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 out, Kim Hyeon-su strolled to the plate against Samsung reliever Kwon Hyeok. He laced the first pitch he saw into center field for a walk off single. Doosan reliever Lim Tae-hoon tossed 3 scoreless innings of release to earn ANOTHER relief win. He allowed only 2 hits and 1 walk while keeping the Lions off the scoreboard.
Samsung got some degree of revenge on Saturday by battering the Bears' bullpen. With the score tied 4 in the top of the 5th, Samsung rallied for 7 runs. Foreign bum Juan Cedeno came in to reliever starter Lee Myeong-jae. Cedeno faced exactly 2 batters before being lifted. Both batters singled. Geun Min-cheol was brought in with runners on the corners and fared much worse than Cedeno did. Samsung DH Yang Joon-hyeok singled up the middle to break the 4-4 tie. Samsung 3rd baseman Park Seok-min hit a 3-run bomb to left to give Samsung an 8-4 advantage. Samsung would load the bases again thanks to a Lee Yong-wook double, a Son Ju-in single and Hyeon Jae-yoon was hit by a pitch. All of this came with 0 outs. Doosan actually recored an out before walking Shin Myeong-cheol with the bases loaded. A 2 RBI single from Choi Hyeong-woo accounted for the rest of the scoring and gave Samsung an 11-4 lead. Lost in the Samsung offensive outburst was a quality start from Samsung starter Yoon Seong-hwan. Yoon was roughed up early, but managed to stick around and throw 7 innings(96 pitches, 65 strikes). Yoon allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman. Yoon struck out 10 Bears during his start.
Doosan starter Kim Sun-woo was lifted during the 3rd inning. He took a ball off his calf and was unable to continue. It was up to the Doosan bullpen to carry the team to victory. They failed. Doosan had a 2-0 advantage in the top of the 4th. With runners on the corners and 1 out, Samsung 3rd baseman Park Seok-min singled to left to put Samsung on the board. With the bases loaded and still only 1 out, 1st baseman Chae Tae-in singled to score a pair and give Samsung a 3-2 lead. Samsung had runners on 1st and 2nd when catcher Hyeon Jae-yoon hit a bases clearing triple to extend the lead to 5-2. Samsung tacked on an "Eff you" run in the 8th on a solo homer from outfielder Lee Yong-wook. Samsung starting pitcher Lee Woo-seon pitched well enough to win and the Samsung bullpen had the game locked down. Lee tossed 5 innings(103 pitches, 67 strikes) of 2-run ball. He allowed 5 hits and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5.
6/26 - Samsung 12, Doosan 7
6/28 - Samsung 6, Doosan 2
Doosan jumped out to an early 3-1 lead thanks to a 3-run rally in the 2nd inning on Friday night. All 3 runs came on an RBI double by 3rd baseman Lee Won-seok. Samsung got a run back in the 3rd and took a 4-3 lead in the 5th. Samsung 2nd baseman Shin Myeong-cheol drew a bases loaded walk in the 5th to make the score 3-2. Samsung tied the game on a passed ball and took the lead on a Yang Joon-hyeok sac fly. Doosan tied the game in the bottom of the 5th on an RBI groundout by Mr. Chicken, Kim Hyeon-su. The score would remain tied at 4 until the bottom of the 9th inning. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 out, Kim Hyeon-su strolled to the plate against Samsung reliever Kwon Hyeok. He laced the first pitch he saw into center field for a walk off single. Doosan reliever Lim Tae-hoon tossed 3 scoreless innings of release to earn ANOTHER relief win. He allowed only 2 hits and 1 walk while keeping the Lions off the scoreboard.
Samsung got some degree of revenge on Saturday by battering the Bears' bullpen. With the score tied 4 in the top of the 5th, Samsung rallied for 7 runs. Foreign bum Juan Cedeno came in to reliever starter Lee Myeong-jae. Cedeno faced exactly 2 batters before being lifted. Both batters singled. Geun Min-cheol was brought in with runners on the corners and fared much worse than Cedeno did. Samsung DH Yang Joon-hyeok singled up the middle to break the 4-4 tie. Samsung 3rd baseman Park Seok-min hit a 3-run bomb to left to give Samsung an 8-4 advantage. Samsung would load the bases again thanks to a Lee Yong-wook double, a Son Ju-in single and Hyeon Jae-yoon was hit by a pitch. All of this came with 0 outs. Doosan actually recored an out before walking Shin Myeong-cheol with the bases loaded. A 2 RBI single from Choi Hyeong-woo accounted for the rest of the scoring and gave Samsung an 11-4 lead. Lost in the Samsung offensive outburst was a quality start from Samsung starter Yoon Seong-hwan. Yoon was roughed up early, but managed to stick around and throw 7 innings(96 pitches, 65 strikes). Yoon allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman. Yoon struck out 10 Bears during his start.
Doosan starter Kim Sun-woo was lifted during the 3rd inning. He took a ball off his calf and was unable to continue. It was up to the Doosan bullpen to carry the team to victory. They failed. Doosan had a 2-0 advantage in the top of the 4th. With runners on the corners and 1 out, Samsung 3rd baseman Park Seok-min singled to left to put Samsung on the board. With the bases loaded and still only 1 out, 1st baseman Chae Tae-in singled to score a pair and give Samsung a 3-2 lead. Samsung had runners on 1st and 2nd when catcher Hyeon Jae-yoon hit a bases clearing triple to extend the lead to 5-2. Samsung tacked on an "Eff you" run in the 8th on a solo homer from outfielder Lee Yong-wook. Samsung starting pitcher Lee Woo-seon pitched well enough to win and the Samsung bullpen had the game locked down. Lee tossed 5 innings(103 pitches, 67 strikes) of 2-run ball. He allowed 5 hits and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5.
Hanhwa Eagles Look Poor On The Field, but...
look stylish off it.
They've given Lee Beom-ho some kind of goofy nickname based on the popular Korean drama, "Boys Over Flowers." They have startered calling him "꽃범호." The literal translation is Flower Beom-ho. Couldn't we go with something a little more butch for a WBC hero?
Ryu Hyeon-jin got a much cooler nickname. "K Monster" is pretty badass by KBO standards. I could actually wear this one.
This is where Korea lets me down. "Sirius"? Kim Tae-gyun is a big satellite radio fan is he? It wasn't bad enough that no one bothered to spell check the shirt for the WBC hero, but to repeat it 3 times? Come on. Also, what's with the devil and angel? Is this supposed to represent the internal struggle over hitting homeruns? Before hitting does Kim picture these two characters debating the merits of hitting baseballs? Weak effort all around.
They've given Lee Beom-ho some kind of goofy nickname based on the popular Korean drama, "Boys Over Flowers." They have startered calling him "꽃범호." The literal translation is Flower Beom-ho. Couldn't we go with something a little more butch for a WBC hero?
Ryu Hyeon-jin got a much cooler nickname. "K Monster" is pretty badass by KBO standards. I could actually wear this one.
This is where Korea lets me down. "Sirius"? Kim Tae-gyun is a big satellite radio fan is he? It wasn't bad enough that no one bothered to spell check the shirt for the WBC hero, but to repeat it 3 times? Come on. Also, what's with the devil and angel? Is this supposed to represent the internal struggle over hitting homeruns? Before hitting does Kim picture these two characters debating the merits of hitting baseballs? Weak effort all around.
Kim Hyeon-su Loves 2 Things; Winning Batting Titles and Oak Crispy Chicken
Meet the newest spokesman for Oak Crispy Chicken! Honestly, I've never heard of Oak Chicken, but last year's KBO batting champ, Kim Hyeon-su, seems to think it's terrific.
CJ Nitkowski Gets Claimed By Doosan, Daegu Based Blogger Sharts Self
This is the only known photo of CJ Nitkowski in a Wyverns uni. His career was that brief.
The early reports are true! CJ Nitkowski was claimed by the Doosan Bears. Personally, I think Aaron at the EWC is reading a little too much into this. It makes an interesting subplot, but this is his 14th organization in 16 years. I don't even have a job history that checkered. I'm guessing he's been released so often that it doesn't even register. There might be some added incentive when the Bears and Wyverns meet in October, but I don't think he's going to "have some serious revenge on his mind come Korean Series time."
Friday, June 26, 2009
6/25 Roundup and News
Kim Tae-gyun is almost ready to come back from his concussion, but I don't think it's going to matter much. Hanhwa is awful.
On to the roundup...
Seoul Heroes 2, LG 1
W - Jeong Won-sam (4-5), L - Jeong Jae-bok (2-4), S - Lee Bo-geun (1)
These two high-powered offenses were all about the pitching last night. Embattled Heroes starter Jeong Won-sam(4.46 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) tossed 6 1/3 innings(90 pitches, 58 strikes) of shutout baseball. He allowed 5 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 4. Lee Bo-geun(3.86 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) tossed 2 2/3 innings of relief in last night's 2-man show. Heroes slugger Cliff Brumbaugh(.269/.399/.595) connected for a 2-run homer in the 4th inning. His blast would be all the runs the Heroes would need and get. Twins starter Jeong Jae-bok(6.57 ERA, 1.62 WHIP) was the tough luck loser. Jeong threw 6 innings(111 pitches, 67 strikes) of 2-run ball. He allowed 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out, you guessed it, 3.
Samsung 10, Hanhwa 5
W - Cha Woo-chan (4-4), L - Ahn Yeong-myeong (6-4)
My losing streak is snapped! I'm officially on the board with my first W of the season. My attendance record stands at an anemic 1-5. Hey, there's still a whole 2nd half to play.
Ahn Yeong-myeong(4.60 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) looked terrible from my seat in center field. I can only imagine how bad he looked from the batter's box. Ahn allowed 8 runs during his 4 innings of work. He gave up 9 hits, but only 5 stayed in the park. The Lions 2-5 hitters all homered. Choi Hyeong-woo(.277/.386/.462) Kang Bong-gyu(.318/.396/.473), Park Seok-min(.250./375/.544) and Yang Joon-hyeok(.320/.455/.570) all took him deep. Park's 3rd inning blast hit the bottom of the scoreboard in center field. It was an absolute bomb. In 4 years of watching the Lions, I've never seen anyone else come close. Cha Woo-chan(4.81 ERA 1.66 WHIP) pitched a little better than his line suggests. He kept Samsung in the game and if it weren't for that 3-run bomb in the 6th, he would've had a quality start. Hanhwa shortstop Song Kwang-min(.286/.313/.500) was one of the few bright spots for the Eagles. Song finished 2-4 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and 2 run scored.
KIA 6, SK 5 (12)
W - Kwak Jeong-cheol (5-1), L - Choi Jeong (0-1)
Not a misprint. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong took the loss. SK ran out of pitchers and Choi was brought in for the 12th inning.
In the top of the 9th, SK was trailing 5-3. SK was able to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. SK outfielder Kim Jae-hyeon(.240/.380/.398) laced a double to left to drive in one. The next batter, infielder Yoon Sang-gyun(.333/.375/.524 in 21 AB's), hit a flyball to deeeeep center. KIA center fielder Lee Ho-sin was able to track down the deep fly, but it was way to deep for him to make a throw to the plate and he was forced to turn his back while making the catch. Lee had no chance. The tying run scored easily. In the bottom of the 12th, Choi Jeong gave up a lead off triple to KIA 2nd baseman Ahn Chi-hong(.246/.293/.424). After walking the next batter, Choi uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Ahn to score from 3rd. Ballgame. Lost in this game was a solid start from Rick Guttormson(2.68 ERA, 1.11 WHIP). Rick threw 6 2/3 innings(110 pitches, 62 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 4 walks with 0 K's. He left the game with a lead, but the KIA bullpen was brutal until extra innings. KIA reliever Kwak Jeong-cheol(3.88 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) threw all 3 extra frames and only allowed 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 3.
Lotte 4, Doosan 1
W - Jeong Won-joon (7-5), L - Kim Seong-bae, S - Jon Adkins (12)
Lotte starter Jeong Won-joon(4.27 ERA, 1.52 WHIP) absolutely handcuffed the Doosan Bears for 8 1/3 innings(111 pitches, 72 strikes). Jeong allowed 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5. His only mistake came on a solo homer by 2nd baseman Kim Jae-ho(.239/.339/.402) in the 6h inning. With the score knotted at 0 in the 3rd inning, Lotte put runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs thanks to a pair of defensive miscues by Doosan. Lotte left fielder Park Jeong-joon(.333/.429/.516) dropped a base hit down the right field line for a double. Both runners would score easily and give Lotte a 2-0 lead. Lotte would add 2 more insurance runs thanks to a few more defensive miscues. Doosan was just bad in the field. Throwing pickoff throws into the outfield, bad throws to first, losing balls in the lights, passed balls. It was a little of everything. Nothing went right for the Bears and Lotte took full advantage.
On to the roundup...
Seoul Heroes 2, LG 1
W - Jeong Won-sam (4-5), L - Jeong Jae-bok (2-4), S - Lee Bo-geun (1)
These two high-powered offenses were all about the pitching last night. Embattled Heroes starter Jeong Won-sam(4.46 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) tossed 6 1/3 innings(90 pitches, 58 strikes) of shutout baseball. He allowed 5 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 4. Lee Bo-geun(3.86 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) tossed 2 2/3 innings of relief in last night's 2-man show. Heroes slugger Cliff Brumbaugh(.269/.399/.595) connected for a 2-run homer in the 4th inning. His blast would be all the runs the Heroes would need and get. Twins starter Jeong Jae-bok(6.57 ERA, 1.62 WHIP) was the tough luck loser. Jeong threw 6 innings(111 pitches, 67 strikes) of 2-run ball. He allowed 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out, you guessed it, 3.
Samsung 10, Hanhwa 5
W - Cha Woo-chan (4-4), L - Ahn Yeong-myeong (6-4)
My losing streak is snapped! I'm officially on the board with my first W of the season. My attendance record stands at an anemic 1-5. Hey, there's still a whole 2nd half to play.
Ahn Yeong-myeong(4.60 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) looked terrible from my seat in center field. I can only imagine how bad he looked from the batter's box. Ahn allowed 8 runs during his 4 innings of work. He gave up 9 hits, but only 5 stayed in the park. The Lions 2-5 hitters all homered. Choi Hyeong-woo(.277/.386/.462) Kang Bong-gyu(.318/.396/.473), Park Seok-min(.250./375/.544) and Yang Joon-hyeok(.320/.455/.570) all took him deep. Park's 3rd inning blast hit the bottom of the scoreboard in center field. It was an absolute bomb. In 4 years of watching the Lions, I've never seen anyone else come close. Cha Woo-chan(4.81 ERA 1.66 WHIP) pitched a little better than his line suggests. He kept Samsung in the game and if it weren't for that 3-run bomb in the 6th, he would've had a quality start. Hanhwa shortstop Song Kwang-min(.286/.313/.500) was one of the few bright spots for the Eagles. Song finished 2-4 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and 2 run scored.
KIA 6, SK 5 (12)
W - Kwak Jeong-cheol (5-1), L - Choi Jeong (0-1)
Not a misprint. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong took the loss. SK ran out of pitchers and Choi was brought in for the 12th inning.
In the top of the 9th, SK was trailing 5-3. SK was able to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. SK outfielder Kim Jae-hyeon(.240/.380/.398) laced a double to left to drive in one. The next batter, infielder Yoon Sang-gyun(.333/.375/.524 in 21 AB's), hit a flyball to deeeeep center. KIA center fielder Lee Ho-sin was able to track down the deep fly, but it was way to deep for him to make a throw to the plate and he was forced to turn his back while making the catch. Lee had no chance. The tying run scored easily. In the bottom of the 12th, Choi Jeong gave up a lead off triple to KIA 2nd baseman Ahn Chi-hong(.246/.293/.424). After walking the next batter, Choi uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Ahn to score from 3rd. Ballgame. Lost in this game was a solid start from Rick Guttormson(2.68 ERA, 1.11 WHIP). Rick threw 6 2/3 innings(110 pitches, 62 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 4 walks with 0 K's. He left the game with a lead, but the KIA bullpen was brutal until extra innings. KIA reliever Kwak Jeong-cheol(3.88 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) threw all 3 extra frames and only allowed 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 3.
Lotte 4, Doosan 1
W - Jeong Won-joon (7-5), L - Kim Seong-bae, S - Jon Adkins (12)
Lotte starter Jeong Won-joon(4.27 ERA, 1.52 WHIP) absolutely handcuffed the Doosan Bears for 8 1/3 innings(111 pitches, 72 strikes). Jeong allowed 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5. His only mistake came on a solo homer by 2nd baseman Kim Jae-ho(.239/.339/.402) in the 6h inning. With the score knotted at 0 in the 3rd inning, Lotte put runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs thanks to a pair of defensive miscues by Doosan. Lotte left fielder Park Jeong-joon(.333/.429/.516) dropped a base hit down the right field line for a double. Both runners would score easily and give Lotte a 2-0 lead. Lotte would add 2 more insurance runs thanks to a few more defensive miscues. Doosan was just bad in the field. Throwing pickoff throws into the outfield, bad throws to first, losing balls in the lights, passed balls. It was a little of everything. Nothing went right for the Bears and Lotte took full advantage.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
6/24 Roundup and News
The ever present "Anonymous" asks for the attendance of the 6/23 LG/Heroes tilt. Ask and ye shall receive. It was a robust 7,379.
The Joongang Daily gives us a quick article on the Lotte Giants outfield. It would have been nice if they included a quote from Jerry Royster.
On to the roundup...
LG 6, Seoul Heroes 2
W - Rick Bauer (1-2), L - Lee Hyeon-seung (9-5)
Rick Bauer(10.34 ERA, 2.04 WHIP) got the start last night and look what he did with it. The former Oriole looked like he wouldn't finish the month in Korea, but it looks like he's going to stick around a little longer. Bauer tossed 6 innings(105 pitches, 62 strikes) of 1-run ball. He allowed 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. The Twins gave Bauer an early lead thanks to a pair of solo homers from warm body/1st baseman Park Byeong-ho(.233/.281/.500) and a two-run blast by Roberto Petagine(.370/.500/.674). Bauer's only mistake was on a solo homer in the 4th inning by Heroes 1st baseman Lee Sung-yong(.313/.384/.480). Heroes foreign sluggers Doug Clark(.290/.376/.447) and Cliff Brumbaugh(.268/.398/.586) combined to go 0-7 with a walk.
Samsung 9, Hanhwa 7
W - Runelvys Hernandez (2-3), L - Yoo Won-sang (2-5), S - Oh Seung-hwan (17)
I know what you're thinking. Samsung jumped out to a huge early lead, then Hernandez(5.40 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) ran out of gas and let Hanhwa get back in the game. That's only half right. Samsung did jump out to an early lead. They lead 8-2 going into the top of the 8th inning. Hernandez didn't run out of gas. The Eagles got to face batting practice pitcher Kim Sang-su(5.79 ERA, 1.93 WHIP). Hernandez threw 7 innings(97 pitches, 57 strikes) of 2-run baseball. The big guy only allowed 6 hits and struck out 6. Hernandez left the game and I changed the channel. They Live and Total Recall were on cable last night. I remember thinking, "What's the worst thing that happens?" Well, Kim Sang-su pitching was second on my list behind Bae Yong-su pitching. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but I don't think the Lions can allow Kim to enter a game in which he could possibly effect the outcome. In other words, he's the guy who pitches when Samsung is losing by 10 or ahead by 10. It was a total team effort from the Lions offense. 2nd baseman Shin Myeong-cheol(.284/.346/.471), shortstop Lee Yong-wook(.321/.367/.464 in 28 ABs) and warm body Son Ju-in(.295/.382/.333) all enjoyed 2 RBI evenings. The Lions look for the sweep and I look for my first win at Citizen's Ballpark tonight.
Samsung 3rd baseman Park Seok-min hit a solo homer in the 8th inning. Not very interesting, I agree. Francisco Cruceta tried to give Park a fist bump and Park ignored him. The MBC broadcast team replayed the awkward exchange at least 6 times from different angles. I think Park just didn't see him. Cruceta was sitting and Park was walking back to his spot on the bench. I'm not reading anything into it, but the look on Cruceta's face was priceless.
KIA 3, SK 3
I can't believe the Wyverns and Tigers combined to use only 13 pitchers. The amazing thing is that none of the relievers used in this game surrendered any runs. 13 2/3 innings of relief for both teams and not one run scored. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong(.246/.346/.417) has decided to start playing this season. I wish I had a job where I could be awful for 2 months and earn a couple 100G. Choi was 2-4 with a double, a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Nothing remotely interesting happened in this game and it ended in a tie. I think that's all that needs to be written about this game. KIA starter Seo Jae-wong(4.15 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) looked, erm, competent. Seo stuck around for 6 innings(92 pitches, 55 strikes) and allowed 3 runs. He gave up 9 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1.
Doosan 5, Lotte 4
W - Hong Sang-sam (6-1), L - Cho Jeong-hoon (6-6), S - Lee Yong-chan (16)
I'm really surprised the Lotte offense didn't fare better against Doosan starter Hong Sang-sam(3.48 ERA, 1.34 WHIP). Hong tossed 5 innings(84 pitches, 49 strikes) of 1-run ball. He allowed 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4. The Doosan offense was paced by solo homers from DH Kim Hyeon-su(.372/.459/.619) and right fielder Yoo Jae-wong(.310/.417/.563). Kim finished 2-4 with a walk, 1 RBI and 1 run scored. Yoo ended up 2-2 with a walk, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Lotte mounted a fake rally in the 8th inning, but closer Lee Yong-chan(1.77 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) shut the door. Lee recorded the final 4 outs to earn the save.
The Joongang Daily gives us a quick article on the Lotte Giants outfield. It would have been nice if they included a quote from Jerry Royster.
On to the roundup...
LG 6, Seoul Heroes 2
W - Rick Bauer (1-2), L - Lee Hyeon-seung (9-5)
Rick Bauer(10.34 ERA, 2.04 WHIP) got the start last night and look what he did with it. The former Oriole looked like he wouldn't finish the month in Korea, but it looks like he's going to stick around a little longer. Bauer tossed 6 innings(105 pitches, 62 strikes) of 1-run ball. He allowed 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. The Twins gave Bauer an early lead thanks to a pair of solo homers from warm body/1st baseman Park Byeong-ho(.233/.281/.500) and a two-run blast by Roberto Petagine(.370/.500/.674). Bauer's only mistake was on a solo homer in the 4th inning by Heroes 1st baseman Lee Sung-yong(.313/.384/.480). Heroes foreign sluggers Doug Clark(.290/.376/.447) and Cliff Brumbaugh(.268/.398/.586) combined to go 0-7 with a walk.
Samsung 9, Hanhwa 7
W - Runelvys Hernandez (2-3), L - Yoo Won-sang (2-5), S - Oh Seung-hwan (17)
I know what you're thinking. Samsung jumped out to a huge early lead, then Hernandez(5.40 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) ran out of gas and let Hanhwa get back in the game. That's only half right. Samsung did jump out to an early lead. They lead 8-2 going into the top of the 8th inning. Hernandez didn't run out of gas. The Eagles got to face batting practice pitcher Kim Sang-su(5.79 ERA, 1.93 WHIP). Hernandez threw 7 innings(97 pitches, 57 strikes) of 2-run baseball. The big guy only allowed 6 hits and struck out 6. Hernandez left the game and I changed the channel. They Live and Total Recall were on cable last night. I remember thinking, "What's the worst thing that happens?" Well, Kim Sang-su pitching was second on my list behind Bae Yong-su pitching. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but I don't think the Lions can allow Kim to enter a game in which he could possibly effect the outcome. In other words, he's the guy who pitches when Samsung is losing by 10 or ahead by 10. It was a total team effort from the Lions offense. 2nd baseman Shin Myeong-cheol(.284/.346/.471), shortstop Lee Yong-wook(.321/.367/.464 in 28 ABs) and warm body Son Ju-in(.295/.382/.333) all enjoyed 2 RBI evenings. The Lions look for the sweep and I look for my first win at Citizen's Ballpark tonight.
Samsung 3rd baseman Park Seok-min hit a solo homer in the 8th inning. Not very interesting, I agree. Francisco Cruceta tried to give Park a fist bump and Park ignored him. The MBC broadcast team replayed the awkward exchange at least 6 times from different angles. I think Park just didn't see him. Cruceta was sitting and Park was walking back to his spot on the bench. I'm not reading anything into it, but the look on Cruceta's face was priceless.
KIA 3, SK 3
I can't believe the Wyverns and Tigers combined to use only 13 pitchers. The amazing thing is that none of the relievers used in this game surrendered any runs. 13 2/3 innings of relief for both teams and not one run scored. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong(.246/.346/.417) has decided to start playing this season. I wish I had a job where I could be awful for 2 months and earn a couple 100G. Choi was 2-4 with a double, a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Nothing remotely interesting happened in this game and it ended in a tie. I think that's all that needs to be written about this game. KIA starter Seo Jae-wong(4.15 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) looked, erm, competent. Seo stuck around for 6 innings(92 pitches, 55 strikes) and allowed 3 runs. He gave up 9 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1.
Doosan 5, Lotte 4
W - Hong Sang-sam (6-1), L - Cho Jeong-hoon (6-6), S - Lee Yong-chan (16)
I'm really surprised the Lotte offense didn't fare better against Doosan starter Hong Sang-sam(3.48 ERA, 1.34 WHIP). Hong tossed 5 innings(84 pitches, 49 strikes) of 1-run ball. He allowed 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4. The Doosan offense was paced by solo homers from DH Kim Hyeon-su(.372/.459/.619) and right fielder Yoo Jae-wong(.310/.417/.563). Kim finished 2-4 with a walk, 1 RBI and 1 run scored. Yoo ended up 2-2 with a walk, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Lotte mounted a fake rally in the 8th inning, but closer Lee Yong-chan(1.77 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) shut the door. Lee recorded the final 4 outs to earn the save.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
6/23 Roundup and News
Choi Hee-seop hit a homerun. This only becomes news when you've been in a massive slump.
According to the Joongang Daily, 5 teams are still in contention for the last playoff spot. The gentleman who wrote this hasn't seen much of Hanhwa this season.
The Joongang Daily also gives us a fluff piece on embattled Heroes starter Kim Su-kyeong. Let me know when his ERA is under 9. Then we can start talking about how he "looks like a new man."
Finally, KoreaBeat posted this pic of Lee Dae-ho proposing to his girlfriend over the weekend. She said yes.
On to the roundup...
Heroes 11, LG 8
W - Jeon Joon-ho(1-0), L - Jeong Chan-heon (5-1)
The Heroes simply outslugged LG yesterday. There was no finesse. No nuances. Just a clubbing and hoping the other guy didn't have a bigger club. Heroes catcher Kang Gui-tae(.275/.340/.362) was brought in for starter Heo Joon(.260/.304/.320) in the early innings. I guess he was well-rested. Kang finished 2-3 with a double, a homer, 5 RBI and 3 runs scored. His homer was a 2-run bomb in the 4th inning. His double came with the bases loaded in the 5th inning. He cleared them and gave the Heroes a 7-6 lead. Heroes outfielder Doug Clark(.291/.381/.454) finished 2-5 with a homer, 3 RBIs, 1 run scored and a stolen base. His homer was a 3-run blast that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. Lee Jin-yeong(.329/.400/.538), Park Yong-taek(.381/.443/.628) and Ahn Chi-yong(.225/.329/.341) homered for the Twins. The less said about the pitching, the better.
Samsung 3, Hanhwa 2
W - Kim Sang-su (2-2), L - Ryu Hyeon-jin (7-5), S - Oh Seung-hwan (16)
I almost went to this last night, but my tummy was a little tender, so I skipped. My perfect 0-5 season is still intact. I am going to chance my record on Thursday, if my tummy allows.
Ryu Hyeon-jin(3.87 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) looked better than he has in months. I'm not sure if he's actually throwing better or the Samsung offense can make anyone look good. Ryu tossed 6 innings(109 pitches, 68 strikes) and surrendered 3 runs. He allowed 9 hits and 1 walk while striking out 9. 2 of the 9 hits left the park and they accounted for all 3 Samsung runs. Samsung 3rd baseman Park Seok-min(.238/.354/.492) hit a solo homer in the 1st inning and a 2-run bomb in the 6th. Park finished 3-4 with 3 RBI's and 3 runs scored. He was the Samsung offense. Victor Diaz(.286/.349/.606) and Kim Tae-wan(.321/.446/.600) hit back-to-back homers in the 1st inning and that accounted for all the runs Hanhwa would score.
SK 11, KIA 1
W - Song Eun-beom (9-0), L - Jin Min-ho (1-2)
The SK offense battered the KIA pitching staff while Song Eun-beom(2.66 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) was able to keep KIA off the scoreboard for most of the game. Song tossed 7 innings(95 pitches 66 strikes) of 1-run baseball. Song allowed only 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong(.241/.341/.397) continued to emerge from his early season slumber. Choi finished the game 2-3 with a walk, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. SK right fielder Na Ju-hwan(.292/.376/.439) went 2-4 with a double, 3 RBIs, 1 run scored and a stolen base from the #9 spot. SK 2nd baseman Jeong Geun-woo(.346/.412/.455) stole 3 bases and went 2-4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored. Nothing else remotely interesting happened for either side.
Lotte 7, Doosan 3
W - Song Seung-joon (6-3), L - Kim Sun-woo (6-6)
Song(4.31 ERA, 1.53) is starting to break from the mold. He's been an innings eater. A Korean Jon Garland since I've been here. It appears now that he's going deeper into games, not walking batters by the handful and generally pitching well. Good for him. Song tossed 7 innings(95 pitches, 64 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 5. The key number here is 0 walks. 0. The only runs he allowed came on a pair of solo homers in the 4th inning from outfielder Min Byeong-hyeon(.286/.345/.421) and pinch hitter Yoo Jae-wong(.290/.395/.507). Lotte relied on a 4-run 2nd inning rally to carry them to victory. Lotte outfielders Kim Min-seong(.282/.357/.378) and Park Jeong-joon(.331/.428/.508) both enjoyed 2 RBI evenings.
According to the Joongang Daily, 5 teams are still in contention for the last playoff spot. The gentleman who wrote this hasn't seen much of Hanhwa this season.
The Joongang Daily also gives us a fluff piece on embattled Heroes starter Kim Su-kyeong. Let me know when his ERA is under 9. Then we can start talking about how he "looks like a new man."
Finally, KoreaBeat posted this pic of Lee Dae-ho proposing to his girlfriend over the weekend. She said yes.
On to the roundup...
Heroes 11, LG 8
W - Jeon Joon-ho(1-0), L - Jeong Chan-heon (5-1)
The Heroes simply outslugged LG yesterday. There was no finesse. No nuances. Just a clubbing and hoping the other guy didn't have a bigger club. Heroes catcher Kang Gui-tae(.275/.340/.362) was brought in for starter Heo Joon(.260/.304/.320) in the early innings. I guess he was well-rested. Kang finished 2-3 with a double, a homer, 5 RBI and 3 runs scored. His homer was a 2-run bomb in the 4th inning. His double came with the bases loaded in the 5th inning. He cleared them and gave the Heroes a 7-6 lead. Heroes outfielder Doug Clark(.291/.381/.454) finished 2-5 with a homer, 3 RBIs, 1 run scored and a stolen base. His homer was a 3-run blast that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. Lee Jin-yeong(.329/.400/.538), Park Yong-taek(.381/.443/.628) and Ahn Chi-yong(.225/.329/.341) homered for the Twins. The less said about the pitching, the better.
Samsung 3, Hanhwa 2
W - Kim Sang-su (2-2), L - Ryu Hyeon-jin (7-5), S - Oh Seung-hwan (16)
I almost went to this last night, but my tummy was a little tender, so I skipped. My perfect 0-5 season is still intact. I am going to chance my record on Thursday, if my tummy allows.
Ryu Hyeon-jin(3.87 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) looked better than he has in months. I'm not sure if he's actually throwing better or the Samsung offense can make anyone look good. Ryu tossed 6 innings(109 pitches, 68 strikes) and surrendered 3 runs. He allowed 9 hits and 1 walk while striking out 9. 2 of the 9 hits left the park and they accounted for all 3 Samsung runs. Samsung 3rd baseman Park Seok-min(.238/.354/.492) hit a solo homer in the 1st inning and a 2-run bomb in the 6th. Park finished 3-4 with 3 RBI's and 3 runs scored. He was the Samsung offense. Victor Diaz(.286/.349/.606) and Kim Tae-wan(.321/.446/.600) hit back-to-back homers in the 1st inning and that accounted for all the runs Hanhwa would score.
SK 11, KIA 1
W - Song Eun-beom (9-0), L - Jin Min-ho (1-2)
The SK offense battered the KIA pitching staff while Song Eun-beom(2.66 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) was able to keep KIA off the scoreboard for most of the game. Song tossed 7 innings(95 pitches 66 strikes) of 1-run baseball. Song allowed only 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong(.241/.341/.397) continued to emerge from his early season slumber. Choi finished the game 2-3 with a walk, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. SK right fielder Na Ju-hwan(.292/.376/.439) went 2-4 with a double, 3 RBIs, 1 run scored and a stolen base from the #9 spot. SK 2nd baseman Jeong Geun-woo(.346/.412/.455) stole 3 bases and went 2-4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored. Nothing else remotely interesting happened for either side.
Lotte 7, Doosan 3
W - Song Seung-joon (6-3), L - Kim Sun-woo (6-6)
Song(4.31 ERA, 1.53) is starting to break from the mold. He's been an innings eater. A Korean Jon Garland since I've been here. It appears now that he's going deeper into games, not walking batters by the handful and generally pitching well. Good for him. Song tossed 7 innings(95 pitches, 64 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 5. The key number here is 0 walks. 0. The only runs he allowed came on a pair of solo homers in the 4th inning from outfielder Min Byeong-hyeon(.286/.345/.421) and pinch hitter Yoo Jae-wong(.290/.395/.507). Lotte relied on a 4-run 2nd inning rally to carry them to victory. Lotte outfielders Kim Min-seong(.282/.357/.378) and Park Jeong-joon(.331/.428/.508) both enjoyed 2 RBI evenings.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
6/19 - 6/21 Weekend Roundup - Seoul Heroes vs. Hanhwa
6/19 - Hanhwa 4, Heroes 1
6/21, Game 1 - Heroes 8, Hanhwa 5
6/21, Game 2 - Heroes 9, Hanhwa 6
Hanhwa rode an excellent start from Ahn Yeong-myeong and pieced together enough of an offense to win on Friday. Ahn tossed 8 solid innings(103 pitches, 71 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed only 3 hits and struck out 4. 1st baseman Kim Tae-wan lead the way for the Hanhwa offense. Kim finished the game 2-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. His first inning single drove in the first Hanhwa run and his double in the 6th drove in the 2nd Hanhwa run. Hanhwa reliever Yang Hoon, AKA Mr. Arson, recorded the final 2 outs and earned his first save of the season.
Hanhwa starting pitcher Kim Hyeok-min continues to get abused at a record setting pace. His ERA after Sunday stands at 8.67 in 63 1/3 innings. That's...amazing. Kim was pummeled for all 8 Heroes runs in the first game on Sunday. Heroes starter Kang Yoon-guh was also fairly ineffective. This game would have become a slugfest if it weren't for Heroes reliever Lee Bo-geun. Lee tossed 4 innings of scoreless relief and is making a case for the Heroes rotation. On the offensive side, no one really posted the mammoth stat line that would be expected in an 8-5 game. Brumbaugh and Clark both posted solid games for the Heroes. Brumbaugh went 1-3 with 2 walks, a solo homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Clark finished 3-5 with a stolen base and a run scored. Heroes 3rd baseman Hwang Jae-gyun also homered.
The Heroes continued to batter Hanhwa pitching in the 2nd game as well. Hanhwa starter Yoon Gyu-min only lasted 1 1/3 innings and gave up 4 runs. Hanhwa starter Kim Su-kyeong actually threw a great game. Kim stuck around for 6 innings(89 pitches, 57 strikes) He allowed 2 runs, both on solo homers, on 4 hits and 2 walks. Kim also struck out 7 Eagles. Doug Clark, center fielder Lee Taek-geun and shortstop Kang Jeong-ho drove in 2 runs each for the Heroes. Heroes reliever Shin Cheol-in tossed 2 1/3 innings of relief and earned his 3rd save of the season.
6/21, Game 1 - Heroes 8, Hanhwa 5
6/21, Game 2 - Heroes 9, Hanhwa 6
Hanhwa rode an excellent start from Ahn Yeong-myeong and pieced together enough of an offense to win on Friday. Ahn tossed 8 solid innings(103 pitches, 71 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed only 3 hits and struck out 4. 1st baseman Kim Tae-wan lead the way for the Hanhwa offense. Kim finished the game 2-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. His first inning single drove in the first Hanhwa run and his double in the 6th drove in the 2nd Hanhwa run. Hanhwa reliever Yang Hoon, AKA Mr. Arson, recorded the final 2 outs and earned his first save of the season.
Hanhwa starting pitcher Kim Hyeok-min continues to get abused at a record setting pace. His ERA after Sunday stands at 8.67 in 63 1/3 innings. That's...amazing. Kim was pummeled for all 8 Heroes runs in the first game on Sunday. Heroes starter Kang Yoon-guh was also fairly ineffective. This game would have become a slugfest if it weren't for Heroes reliever Lee Bo-geun. Lee tossed 4 innings of scoreless relief and is making a case for the Heroes rotation. On the offensive side, no one really posted the mammoth stat line that would be expected in an 8-5 game. Brumbaugh and Clark both posted solid games for the Heroes. Brumbaugh went 1-3 with 2 walks, a solo homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Clark finished 3-5 with a stolen base and a run scored. Heroes 3rd baseman Hwang Jae-gyun also homered.
The Heroes continued to batter Hanhwa pitching in the 2nd game as well. Hanhwa starter Yoon Gyu-min only lasted 1 1/3 innings and gave up 4 runs. Hanhwa starter Kim Su-kyeong actually threw a great game. Kim stuck around for 6 innings(89 pitches, 57 strikes) He allowed 2 runs, both on solo homers, on 4 hits and 2 walks. Kim also struck out 7 Eagles. Doug Clark, center fielder Lee Taek-geun and shortstop Kang Jeong-ho drove in 2 runs each for the Heroes. Heroes reliever Shin Cheol-in tossed 2 1/3 innings of relief and earned his 3rd save of the season.
6/19 - 6/21 Weekend Roundup - Lotte vs. KIA
6/19 - Lotte 6, KIA 3
6/20 - Lotte 7, KIA 1
6/21 - KIA 7, Lotte 4
KIA held a 3-2 advantage in the 9th inning on Friday, but reliever Han Ki-joo chose to remind everyone why he was removed from the closer spot in the first place. Han wasn't good, but he wasn't alone in blowing the game. 2nd baseman Kim Jong-kuk dropped an infield fly that would have been the 2nd out, but instead it bounced off his glove and Karim Garcia was safe at first. Han got Lee Dae-ho to fly out to right for the 2nd out. This should have been out number 3 and KIA should have been high-fiving on the mound. Lotte's Kim Min-seong singled to put runners on the corners with 2 out. Jeong Bo-myeong hit a grounder to short that was fielded cleanly, but KIA shortstop Kim Seon-bin's throw was offline and Jeong was safe. The runner on 3rd managed to score to tie the game at 3. Replays showed that Jeong was out by 2 feet. Lotte catcher Kang Min-ho hit a walk-off, 3-run bomb to give Lotte the W. KIA starter Rick Guttormson had to watch his quality start evaporate. Rick tossed 7 innings(98 pitches, 62 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5.
What a difference a starting pitcher makes! Lotte starting pitcher Son Min-han has looked more competent in 3 weeks than his replacements looked in 3 months. Son twirled 5 innings(74 pitches, 49 strikes) of 1 run baseball. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. The Karim Garcia awakening of '09 continued in this game. Garcia went 3-4 and was a triple away from the cycle. He drove in 3 and scored 1. Lotte catcher Kang Min-ho went deep for the 2nd straight game. Kang finished 3-3 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs.
Aquilino Lopez and the KIA bullpen kept the Lotte offense inside the park and got enough offense for the W. Lopez tossed 7 innings(103 pitches, 72 strikes) and surrendered 4 runs. Lopez allowed 8 hits and struck out 5. Lotte starter Kim Il-yeop...didn't fare quite as well. Kim faced 5 batters and all reached base during a 6-run first inning. Kim was removed from the game without recording an out. 2 of the 4 hits he surrendered left the ballpark. KIA 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon hit a 3-run bomb and Choi Hee-seop hit a solo homer. 2nd baseman Ahn Chi-hong added a solo homer off reliever Bae Jang-ho. Han Ki-joo tossed a perfect 9th to earn the save.
6/20 - Lotte 7, KIA 1
6/21 - KIA 7, Lotte 4
KIA held a 3-2 advantage in the 9th inning on Friday, but reliever Han Ki-joo chose to remind everyone why he was removed from the closer spot in the first place. Han wasn't good, but he wasn't alone in blowing the game. 2nd baseman Kim Jong-kuk dropped an infield fly that would have been the 2nd out, but instead it bounced off his glove and Karim Garcia was safe at first. Han got Lee Dae-ho to fly out to right for the 2nd out. This should have been out number 3 and KIA should have been high-fiving on the mound. Lotte's Kim Min-seong singled to put runners on the corners with 2 out. Jeong Bo-myeong hit a grounder to short that was fielded cleanly, but KIA shortstop Kim Seon-bin's throw was offline and Jeong was safe. The runner on 3rd managed to score to tie the game at 3. Replays showed that Jeong was out by 2 feet. Lotte catcher Kang Min-ho hit a walk-off, 3-run bomb to give Lotte the W. KIA starter Rick Guttormson had to watch his quality start evaporate. Rick tossed 7 innings(98 pitches, 62 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5.
What a difference a starting pitcher makes! Lotte starting pitcher Son Min-han has looked more competent in 3 weeks than his replacements looked in 3 months. Son twirled 5 innings(74 pitches, 49 strikes) of 1 run baseball. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. The Karim Garcia awakening of '09 continued in this game. Garcia went 3-4 and was a triple away from the cycle. He drove in 3 and scored 1. Lotte catcher Kang Min-ho went deep for the 2nd straight game. Kang finished 3-3 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs.
Aquilino Lopez and the KIA bullpen kept the Lotte offense inside the park and got enough offense for the W. Lopez tossed 7 innings(103 pitches, 72 strikes) and surrendered 4 runs. Lopez allowed 8 hits and struck out 5. Lotte starter Kim Il-yeop...didn't fare quite as well. Kim faced 5 batters and all reached base during a 6-run first inning. Kim was removed from the game without recording an out. 2 of the 4 hits he surrendered left the ballpark. KIA 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon hit a 3-run bomb and Choi Hee-seop hit a solo homer. 2nd baseman Ahn Chi-hong added a solo homer off reliever Bae Jang-ho. Han Ki-joo tossed a perfect 9th to earn the save.
Monday, June 22, 2009
6/19 - 6/21 Weekend Roundup - Doosan vs. SK
Finally. A series to be legitimately excited about. I had this one circled on my calendar. Two legitimately good, exciting teams. Some legit bad blood between them. Both jockeying for position in the standings. Doosan! SK! Kim Hyeon-su! Park Jae-sang! KBO FEVER! Catch it! (not to be confused with the H1N1 flu. That is not KBO fever)
6/19 - SK 8, Doosan 4
6/21, Game 1 - SK 8, Doosan 3
6/21, Game 2 - Doosan 11, SK 2
I soooo wanted to use another broom picture, but Doosan had to jump all over SK in the 2nd game on Sunday. Oh well.
Doosan starter Hong Sang-sam's luck finally ran out. Hong's numbers simply didn't match his ability. He's a good rookie pitcher by KBO standards, but he's not the kind of guy that should be racking up the numbers he's been putting up. The Wyverns caught up to him in a big way. Hong needed 61 pitches to record 5 outs. He surrendered 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. SK starter Chae Byeong-yeong was only slightly better. The chubby lefty tossed 5 innings(90 pitches, 57 strikes) of 3-run baseball. He allowed 6 hits and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5. SK reliever Lee Seung-ho tossed 4 innings of relief to earn a save. I wouldn't be surprised if Lee joined the rotation at some point this season. It looks like the Wyverns want him to build up his endurance. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong busted out of a month long slump on Friday. Choi finished 2-3 with 2 RBIs. SK DH Kim Jae-hyeon also drove in a pair. In addition to his RBIs, Kim finished 2-3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.
Kim Kwang-hyeon turned in a vintage performance in game one of Sunday's double header. Kim tossed 8 innings(125 pitches, 75 strikes) of 2-run baseball. Kim allowed 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5. His walks were a little high, but I think it had more to do with the patience of the Doosan offense, not Kim's control. Doosan starter Kim Sang-hyeon was so bad that the Bears turned to foreign meatballer Juan Cedeno to gut out a few innings. Cedeno actually made an appearance without giving up runs. Good job by him! The SK offense was a total team effort. Only one SK starter didn't record a hit. I'm looking at you, center fielder Kim Kang-min! Left fielder Park Jae-sang, right fielder Cho Dong-hwa and 1st baseman Park Jeong-kwon all drove in 2 runs. Lead off man/2nd baseman Jeong Geun-woo finished 2-5 with 2 runs scored and 2 stolen bases.
In game 2, it was SK's turn to have a truly horrific start followed by a bad bullpen. Starter Goh Hyo-joon was bad, but Oem Jeong-wook was worse. The knock out punch came after Goh left the game in the 4th inning. Oem inherited runners on 1st and 2nd. He loaded the bases with a 2-out walk. Any time you can walk a guy to bring a triple crown candidate to the plate, well, that's a move you've gotta make. Kim Hyeon-su quickly unloaded the bases with a grand slam homer. Kim's slam gave Doosan a 6-1 advantage and they never looked back. Doosan starting pitcher Lee Jae-woo was good enough to win. Lee tossed 5 innings(79 pitches, 49 strikes) of 2-run ball. He allowed only 5 hits and struck out 4. The Doosan bullpen tossed 4 scoreless innings of 3-hit baseball. SK didn't draw a single walk in the 2nd game. The loss put the Bears and Wyverns in a tie for 1st with Doosan ahead on percentage points.
6/19 - SK 8, Doosan 4
6/21, Game 1 - SK 8, Doosan 3
6/21, Game 2 - Doosan 11, SK 2
I soooo wanted to use another broom picture, but Doosan had to jump all over SK in the 2nd game on Sunday. Oh well.
Doosan starter Hong Sang-sam's luck finally ran out. Hong's numbers simply didn't match his ability. He's a good rookie pitcher by KBO standards, but he's not the kind of guy that should be racking up the numbers he's been putting up. The Wyverns caught up to him in a big way. Hong needed 61 pitches to record 5 outs. He surrendered 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. SK starter Chae Byeong-yeong was only slightly better. The chubby lefty tossed 5 innings(90 pitches, 57 strikes) of 3-run baseball. He allowed 6 hits and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5. SK reliever Lee Seung-ho tossed 4 innings of relief to earn a save. I wouldn't be surprised if Lee joined the rotation at some point this season. It looks like the Wyverns want him to build up his endurance. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong busted out of a month long slump on Friday. Choi finished 2-3 with 2 RBIs. SK DH Kim Jae-hyeon also drove in a pair. In addition to his RBIs, Kim finished 2-3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.
Kim Kwang-hyeon turned in a vintage performance in game one of Sunday's double header. Kim tossed 8 innings(125 pitches, 75 strikes) of 2-run baseball. Kim allowed 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5. His walks were a little high, but I think it had more to do with the patience of the Doosan offense, not Kim's control. Doosan starter Kim Sang-hyeon was so bad that the Bears turned to foreign meatballer Juan Cedeno to gut out a few innings. Cedeno actually made an appearance without giving up runs. Good job by him! The SK offense was a total team effort. Only one SK starter didn't record a hit. I'm looking at you, center fielder Kim Kang-min! Left fielder Park Jae-sang, right fielder Cho Dong-hwa and 1st baseman Park Jeong-kwon all drove in 2 runs. Lead off man/2nd baseman Jeong Geun-woo finished 2-5 with 2 runs scored and 2 stolen bases.
In game 2, it was SK's turn to have a truly horrific start followed by a bad bullpen. Starter Goh Hyo-joon was bad, but Oem Jeong-wook was worse. The knock out punch came after Goh left the game in the 4th inning. Oem inherited runners on 1st and 2nd. He loaded the bases with a 2-out walk. Any time you can walk a guy to bring a triple crown candidate to the plate, well, that's a move you've gotta make. Kim Hyeon-su quickly unloaded the bases with a grand slam homer. Kim's slam gave Doosan a 6-1 advantage and they never looked back. Doosan starting pitcher Lee Jae-woo was good enough to win. Lee tossed 5 innings(79 pitches, 49 strikes) of 2-run ball. He allowed only 5 hits and struck out 4. The Doosan bullpen tossed 4 scoreless innings of 3-hit baseball. SK didn't draw a single walk in the 2nd game. The loss put the Bears and Wyverns in a tie for 1st with Doosan ahead on percentage points.
6/19 - 6/21 Weekend Roundup - Samsung vs. LG
6/19 - LG 5, Samsung 4
6/21, Game 1 - LG 6, Samsung 5
6/21, Game 2 - LG 8, Samsung 1
I was fairly numb after Friday's loss. It was a soul crushing affair. Samsung held a 4-1 lead in the 8th inning and allowed the mighty Twins offense to rally for 4 runs. Samsung starter Cha Woo-chan pitched well enough to win, but the Samsung bullpen was awful. The rally started with an RBI double from LG DH Roberto Petagine and ended with a 3-run pinch-hit homer from Lee Jin-yeong. Thanks guys, thanks a lot. Cha gets a nice start to add to season statline, but he also got a big, fat ND. Cha tossed 6 2/3 innings(111 pitches, 63 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 6.
After Saturday's rainout, I got to sit through another late inning comeback by LG on Sunday afternoon. This time Samsung held a 5-4 lead in the 7th, but allowed the Twins to plate a pair and take the lead. With the bases loaded and 1 out, pinch hitter Ahn Chi-yong poked a single up the middle to tie the game at 5. The next batter, 2nd baseman Park Kyeong-su grounded out to 2nd for the 2nd out of the inning, but the go ahead run was able to score. LG closer Lee Jae-yeong tossed a 1-2-3 9th for the save. The first two batters in the LG lineup were the difference in the game. Left fielder Park Yeong-taek and center fielder Lee Dae-hyeong combined to go 5-7 with 2 walks, 4 runs scored and Lee stole another base. The table was always set for LG's big bats.
The game 2 loss was much more palatable. I'd rather watch a team get slaughtered than lose a lead in the late innings. The goal of the Samsung offense was to get on the KTX back to Daegu as soon as possible. The Lions had 7 baserunners. Total. 7. LG ace Bong Jung-geun looked solid, but it's easy to look good when the goal of your opponent is to leave as quickly as possible. Dr. Bong tossed 7 innings(98 pitches, 58 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. The game was close until the 7th inning. Samsung starter Yoon Seong-hwan ran out of gas and was lifted for Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan. Oh must've been confused. I can't remember the last time he pitched before the 8th inning. With the bases loaded and 1 out, LG pinch hitter Lee Jin-yeong hit a hard ground ball to first. Chae Tae-in couldn't find the handle and it bounced away from him. 2 run scored on the play and the score became ridiculous. Oh loaded the bases again with a walk and promptly taken out of the park by Park Yong-taek for a grand slam. I have to admit, when the ball went out, I laughed.
The game 2 loss was much more palatable. I'd rather watch a team get slaughtered than lose a lead in the late innings. The goal of the Samsung offense was to get on the KTX back to Daegu as soon as possible. The Lions had 7 baserunners. Total. 7. LG ace Bong Jung-geun looked solid, but it's easy to look good when the goal of your opponent is to leave as quickly as possible. Dr. Bong tossed 7 innings(98 pitches, 58 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. The game was close until the 7th inning. Samsung starter Yoon Seong-hwan ran out of gas and was lifted for Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan. Oh must've been confused. I can't remember the last time he pitched before the 8th inning. With the bases loaded and 1 out, LG pinch hitter Lee Jin-yeong hit a hard ground ball to first. Chae Tae-in couldn't find the handle and it bounced away from him. 2 run scored on the play and the score became ridiculous. Oh loaded the bases again with a walk and promptly taken out of the park by Park Yong-taek for a grand slam. I have to admit, when the ball went out, I laughed.
CJ Nitkowski is leaving Korea, Still Can't Get Over Himself
This is the last time I'll ever get to write about C.J. I'm almost a little sad. Almost.
I'm going to miss his smug sense of self-importance and some of the ridiculous stuff he'd write in his blog.
"I just ran into a tough situation." The inabilty to throw strikes is in fact a tough situation.
Gary Glover has already been signed and added to the Wyverns roster. Hooray! Another mediocre former White Sox. So, we're what? 5 years away from Clayton Richard making an appearance in the KBO? 4 years?
I'm going to miss his smug sense of self-importance and some of the ridiculous stuff he'd write in his blog.
"I just ran into a tough situation." The inabilty to throw strikes is in fact a tough situation.
Gary Glover has already been signed and added to the Wyverns roster. Hooray! Another mediocre former White Sox. So, we're what? 5 years away from Clayton Richard making an appearance in the KBO? 4 years?
Friday, June 19, 2009
6/18 Roundup and News
Reader Ben in Beijing asks, "Do you know if tickets for the All-Star game or the playoffs are even possible to get? Or am I better off just going to a regular season game?"
Playoffs are definitely doable. I was able to get first round tickets by walking up to the window, but 2nd round tickets had to be ordered. Tickets can get scarce in the later rounds, but there are always scalpers. The all-star game is probably doable, but I've never tried to go. It's in Gwangju this year and the KIA Tigers have one of the smaller stadiums in the league. I'm honestly not sure about ticket availability, but I'll do some snooping. Regular season tickets are plentiful everywhere. Send me an email if you have further questions.
KIA 4, Doosan 2
W - Han Ki-joo (2-3), L - Kim Myeong-je (1-2)
Doosan needed 9 pitchers to finish a 9 inning game. To be fair, starting pitcher Juan Cedeno(6.00 ERA, 2.06 WHIP) was awful. He didn't allow any runs, but he couldn't find the plate with a map and a flashlight. Cedeno walked 5 batters in 2 innings. Only 17 of his 44 pitches went for strikes. KIA's Seo Jae-wong(4.09 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) was much better. Seo tossed 6 innings(90 pitches, 61 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits, 2 walks, 1 hit batsman while striking out 3. Seo would have been in line for the win if he actually got some run support and the KIA bullpen didn't surrender the tying run as soon as he got a lead. With the scored tied at 2 in the top of the 9th, KIA mounted a rally. KIA put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Right fielder Na Ju-wan(.247/.348/.444) knocked a base hit through the left side of the Doosan infield to score the go ahead run. KIA tacked on some insurance with an RBI single from 1st baseman Hong Se-wan(.286/.389/.389, not a mistake). KIA reliever Han Ki-joo(4.98 ERA, 1.52 WHIP) tossed both the 8th and 9th innings to earn the W.
Seoul Heroes 6, SK 1
W - Lee Hyeon-seung (9-4), L - Ken Kadokura (3-3)
SK starter Ken Kadokura(5.15 ERA, 1.47 WHIP) was battered in the first inning and the Wyverns never recovered. With runners on the corners and 1 run already plated, Heroes right fielder Song Ji-man(.348/.426/.665) clubbed a 3-run homer to give the Heroes a 4-0 advantage. Song finished the game 3-4 with 5 RBIs and 1 run scored. He was a double away from a cycle. Kadokura allowed all 6 runs during his 5 innings(99 pitches, 62 strikes) of work. He allowed 8 hits and 3 walks while only striking out 1. Heroes starter Lee Hyeon-seung(2.70 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) was the hero last night. Lee tossed 7 2/3 innings(116 pitches, 71 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. His only mistake came in the 8th inning when he gave up a solo homer to SK 3rd baseman Kim Yeon-hoon(.382/.436/.529 in 34 AB's).
LG 12, Hanhwa 6
W - Jeong Chan-heon (5-0), L - Jeong Min-cheol (0-6)
LG lead only 5-4 in the 7th inning, but the Twins rallied for 3 in the 7th and 4 more in the 8th to put the game out of reach. Hanhwa managed a fake rally in the bottom of the 8th, but LG was never in any danger of giving up the lead. The LG outfield stole the show last night. Left fielder Park Yong-taek(.387/.454/.613) finished 4-5 with a double, a homer, a stolen base, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Center fielder Lee Dae-hyeong(.289/.348/.335) finished only 3-5 with 2 runs scored, but Lee stole 4(!) bases. On the mound...nothing remotely good happened for either teams. Well, both teams managed to record the necessary amount of outs to finish the game. That counts, right?
Lotte 9, Samsung 6
W - Cho Jeong-hoon (6-5), L - Jeong Hyeon-wook (4-3), S - Jon Adkins (11)
Matt - 29
Aaron - 28
Hey! It's a long season! Actually, I'm saving all my 10 won coins so I can use them to buy Aaron dinner in September.
Samsung jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the 1st inning only to watch Runelvys Hernandez(6.03 ERA, 1.69 WHIP) give it right back in the 4th inning. The score would remain tied at 6 until the 7th inning. Lotte DH Hong Seung-hoon(.341/.381/.480) launched a solo homer off of the usually reliable Jeong Hyeon-wook(2.21 ERA, 1.53 WHIP). Hong finished the game 2-5 with 2 RBIs and 1 run scored. Samsung reliever Kim Sang-su(5.35 ERA, 1.89 WHIP) came in for the 8th inning and did what Kim Sang-su does best...give up runs. Lotte starter Cho Jeong-hoon(5.31 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) was dreadful in the first inning, but he managed to stick around and earn the W. Cho tossed 6 scoreless innings after getting pantsed in the first. What are the odds? Cho gutted his way through 7 innings(104 pitches, 65 strikes). He allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman while recording 10(!) K's. Lotte 1st baseman Kim Joo-chan(.294/.321/.427) finished 2-5, but it felt like he was on base all night. Kim drove in a pair and scored a pair. Jon Adkins(3.80 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) threw a 1-2-3 9th to earn the save.
Playoffs are definitely doable. I was able to get first round tickets by walking up to the window, but 2nd round tickets had to be ordered. Tickets can get scarce in the later rounds, but there are always scalpers. The all-star game is probably doable, but I've never tried to go. It's in Gwangju this year and the KIA Tigers have one of the smaller stadiums in the league. I'm honestly not sure about ticket availability, but I'll do some snooping. Regular season tickets are plentiful everywhere. Send me an email if you have further questions.
KIA 4, Doosan 2
W - Han Ki-joo (2-3), L - Kim Myeong-je (1-2)
Doosan needed 9 pitchers to finish a 9 inning game. To be fair, starting pitcher Juan Cedeno(6.00 ERA, 2.06 WHIP) was awful. He didn't allow any runs, but he couldn't find the plate with a map and a flashlight. Cedeno walked 5 batters in 2 innings. Only 17 of his 44 pitches went for strikes. KIA's Seo Jae-wong(4.09 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) was much better. Seo tossed 6 innings(90 pitches, 61 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits, 2 walks, 1 hit batsman while striking out 3. Seo would have been in line for the win if he actually got some run support and the KIA bullpen didn't surrender the tying run as soon as he got a lead. With the scored tied at 2 in the top of the 9th, KIA mounted a rally. KIA put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Right fielder Na Ju-wan(.247/.348/.444) knocked a base hit through the left side of the Doosan infield to score the go ahead run. KIA tacked on some insurance with an RBI single from 1st baseman Hong Se-wan(.286/.389/.389, not a mistake). KIA reliever Han Ki-joo(4.98 ERA, 1.52 WHIP) tossed both the 8th and 9th innings to earn the W.
Seoul Heroes 6, SK 1
W - Lee Hyeon-seung (9-4), L - Ken Kadokura (3-3)
SK starter Ken Kadokura(5.15 ERA, 1.47 WHIP) was battered in the first inning and the Wyverns never recovered. With runners on the corners and 1 run already plated, Heroes right fielder Song Ji-man(.348/.426/.665) clubbed a 3-run homer to give the Heroes a 4-0 advantage. Song finished the game 3-4 with 5 RBIs and 1 run scored. He was a double away from a cycle. Kadokura allowed all 6 runs during his 5 innings(99 pitches, 62 strikes) of work. He allowed 8 hits and 3 walks while only striking out 1. Heroes starter Lee Hyeon-seung(2.70 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) was the hero last night. Lee tossed 7 2/3 innings(116 pitches, 71 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. His only mistake came in the 8th inning when he gave up a solo homer to SK 3rd baseman Kim Yeon-hoon(.382/.436/.529 in 34 AB's).
LG 12, Hanhwa 6
W - Jeong Chan-heon (5-0), L - Jeong Min-cheol (0-6)
LG lead only 5-4 in the 7th inning, but the Twins rallied for 3 in the 7th and 4 more in the 8th to put the game out of reach. Hanhwa managed a fake rally in the bottom of the 8th, but LG was never in any danger of giving up the lead. The LG outfield stole the show last night. Left fielder Park Yong-taek(.387/.454/.613) finished 4-5 with a double, a homer, a stolen base, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Center fielder Lee Dae-hyeong(.289/.348/.335) finished only 3-5 with 2 runs scored, but Lee stole 4(!) bases. On the mound...nothing remotely good happened for either teams. Well, both teams managed to record the necessary amount of outs to finish the game. That counts, right?
Lotte 9, Samsung 6
W - Cho Jeong-hoon (6-5), L - Jeong Hyeon-wook (4-3), S - Jon Adkins (11)
Matt - 29
Aaron - 28
Hey! It's a long season! Actually, I'm saving all my 10 won coins so I can use them to buy Aaron dinner in September.
Samsung jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the 1st inning only to watch Runelvys Hernandez(6.03 ERA, 1.69 WHIP) give it right back in the 4th inning. The score would remain tied at 6 until the 7th inning. Lotte DH Hong Seung-hoon(.341/.381/.480) launched a solo homer off of the usually reliable Jeong Hyeon-wook(2.21 ERA, 1.53 WHIP). Hong finished the game 2-5 with 2 RBIs and 1 run scored. Samsung reliever Kim Sang-su(5.35 ERA, 1.89 WHIP) came in for the 8th inning and did what Kim Sang-su does best...give up runs. Lotte starter Cho Jeong-hoon(5.31 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) was dreadful in the first inning, but he managed to stick around and earn the W. Cho tossed 6 scoreless innings after getting pantsed in the first. What are the odds? Cho gutted his way through 7 innings(104 pitches, 65 strikes). He allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman while recording 10(!) K's. Lotte 1st baseman Kim Joo-chan(.294/.321/.427) finished 2-5, but it felt like he was on base all night. Kim drove in a pair and scored a pair. Jon Adkins(3.80 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) threw a 1-2-3 9th to earn the save.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
6/17 Roundup and News
Player-turned-announcer Ma Hae-yeong won a settlement for backpay from his former team. I'm not a big fan of Ma's stance on steroids, but the settlement is good news for current players.
On to the roundup...
Doosan 5, KIA 4
W - Lim Tae-hoon (9-1), L - Han Ki-joo (1-3)
Lim Tae-hoon(2.09 ERA, 0.78 WHIP) is leading the league with 9 relief wins and the season is just reaching the half-way point. Can he get to 20? Probably not, but it's going to be interesting to see if a reliever can finish in the league lead for W's.
Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the 7th, the Bears tied the game with a 2-run rally. Doosan left fielder Kim Hyeon-su(.387/.465/.626) got the party started right with a solo homer to make the score 4-3. The solo homer chased KIA starter Yoon Seok-min(3.59 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) from the game. The final line on Yoon was 3 runs spread over 6 2/3 innings pitched(121 pitches, 77 strikes). Yoon allowed 6 hits and 4 walks while striking out 9. KIA reliever Yoo Dong-hoon(0.67 ERA, 0.87 WHIP) immeadiately surrendered a base hit to Doosan slugger Kim Dong-joo(.376/.479/.596). DH Yoo Jae-wong(.300/.417/.500) doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. 2nd baseman Kim Jae-ho(.239/.349./.380) hit a chopper back to the pitcher. Yoo tossed the ball over to first in time for the out, but the throw came in low and wasn't handled cleanly by 1st baseman Hong Se-wan. The runner was safe and Kim Dong-joo was able to score to tie the game. With the score still tied in the bottom of the 9th and one out, Kim Dong-joo hit a flyball to the gap in left/center. Kim threw his bat in frustration. Center fielder Choi Yong-gyu let the ball bounce off the thumb of his glove and fall in for a hit. Kim raced to 2nd and was awarded a double. Kim advanced to 3rd on an infield single from 2nd baseman Kim Jae-ho. Shortstop Son Si-yeon was intentionally walked to load the bases. Pinch hitter Kim Jin-su(.263/.333/.263 in 19 AB's) hit a slow bouncer to 2nd. The ball hit off 2nd baseman Kim Jong-kuk's glove and rolled between his legs. Kim Dong-joo was able to score. KIA committed a walk off error. I'm sure it's happened before, but I can't remember the last time I saw it.
SK 6, Heroes 5
W - Jeon Byeong-doo (4-3), L - Kim Seong-hyeon (2-3), S - Jeong Dae-hyeon (8)
SK starter Song Eun-beom(2.90 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) was fairly mediocre in this one. The usually solid Song only lasted 4 1/3 innings(66 pitches, 50 strikes) and allowed 4 runs. Song surrendered 6 hits while striking out 3. Jeon Byeong-doo(3.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) was forced to tossed 3 1/3 innings of relief and earned a W for his trouble. The SK offense rode a solo homer from Na Ju-hwan(.292/.377/.442) in the 2nd inning and a 3-run blast from Kim Kang-min(.314/.382/.576) in the 5th to an early lead. SK reliever Jeong Dae-hyeon(1.07 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) recorded the final 5 outs to earn the save. Cliff Brumbaugh(.280/.407/.615) hit his league leading 20th homer for the Heroes.
Hanhwa 12, LG 4
W - Yoo Won-sang (2-4), L - Kim Kwang-su (1-3)
Hanhwa jumped all over LG starter Kim Kwang-su(7.46 ERA, 1.91 WHIP) in the first few innings and rode the early advantage to an easy win. Hanhwa 3rd baseman Lee Beom-ho(.282/.372/.540) lead the way by going 2-4 with a walk, 2 RBIs and 1 run scored. Hanhwa shortstop Song Kwang-min(.287/.317/.470) finished 3-5 with a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Hanhwa center fielder Kang Dong-woo(.298/.356/.434) lead off the game with a solo homer. Kang finished 1-2 with a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Hanhwa starting pitcher Yoo Won-sang(6.27 ERA, 1.94 WHIP) pitched well enough to win, but I don't think the Hanhwa faithful should believe in him more than the other zombies that populate the Hanhwa roster. Yoo tossed 5 innings(98 pitches, 49 strikes) and allowed 4 runs. Yoo allowed only 4 hits, but walked 6(!) and struck out only 2. Thankfully, he had a large cushion to work with. The Hanhwa bullpen tossed 4 shutout innings to help Hanhwa earn the W. Way not to give up an 8-run lead guys! Roberto Petagine(.378/.506/.679) was the lone bright spot for LG. The veteran slugger hit his 18th homer of the season and walked twice.
Lotte 1, Samsung 0
W - Song Seung-joon (5-3), L - Kwon Hyeok (3-2), S - Kang Yeong-sik (2)
Matt - 29
Aaron - 27
Erm, yeah. I can't believe these teams played a 9 inning baseball game and only scored 1 run between them.
Lotte starter Song Seung-joon(4.48 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) deserves a lot of credit. He didn't walk his usual 5 batters or surrender his usual 10 hits. Song tossed 7 innings(102 pitches, 58 strikes) of shutout baseball. He allowed 2 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 3. Samsung starter Lee Woo-seon(2.25 ERA, 1.63 WHIP in 8 innings) was chased from the game in the 4th inning because of a high pitch count. He needed 80 pitches to record 11 outs. Kwon Hyeok(1.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) relieved him and stuck around for 3 1/3 innings. Kwon must've felt out of place. He usually doesn't start warming until the 6th inning and he rarely stays in for more than an inning. Maybe he'll join the rotation soon. Either way, it was too much for the talented lefty. Kwon surrendered a run during his 4th inning of work. After allowing a lead off walk and a double, Kwon was removed for Jeong Hyeon-wook(2.12 ERA, 1.53 WHIP). Jeong had to face Lotte slugger Lee Dae-ho(.299/.385/.536). Hewas able to take care of Lee. The next batter, DH Hong Seong-heun(.339/.380/.466), hit a grounder up the middle. This time, the runner went on contact and scored with out a play while Hong was forced at first. 1-0, Lotte. Lotte reliever Kang Yeong-sik(4.85 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) recorded the final 2 outs to earn his 2nd save.
On to the roundup...
Doosan 5, KIA 4
W - Lim Tae-hoon (9-1), L - Han Ki-joo (1-3)
Lim Tae-hoon(2.09 ERA, 0.78 WHIP) is leading the league with 9 relief wins and the season is just reaching the half-way point. Can he get to 20? Probably not, but it's going to be interesting to see if a reliever can finish in the league lead for W's.
Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the 7th, the Bears tied the game with a 2-run rally. Doosan left fielder Kim Hyeon-su(.387/.465/.626) got the party started right with a solo homer to make the score 4-3. The solo homer chased KIA starter Yoon Seok-min(3.59 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) from the game. The final line on Yoon was 3 runs spread over 6 2/3 innings pitched(121 pitches, 77 strikes). Yoon allowed 6 hits and 4 walks while striking out 9. KIA reliever Yoo Dong-hoon(0.67 ERA, 0.87 WHIP) immeadiately surrendered a base hit to Doosan slugger Kim Dong-joo(.376/.479/.596). DH Yoo Jae-wong(.300/.417/.500) doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. 2nd baseman Kim Jae-ho(.239/.349./.380) hit a chopper back to the pitcher. Yoo tossed the ball over to first in time for the out, but the throw came in low and wasn't handled cleanly by 1st baseman Hong Se-wan. The runner was safe and Kim Dong-joo was able to score to tie the game. With the score still tied in the bottom of the 9th and one out, Kim Dong-joo hit a flyball to the gap in left/center. Kim threw his bat in frustration. Center fielder Choi Yong-gyu let the ball bounce off the thumb of his glove and fall in for a hit. Kim raced to 2nd and was awarded a double. Kim advanced to 3rd on an infield single from 2nd baseman Kim Jae-ho. Shortstop Son Si-yeon was intentionally walked to load the bases. Pinch hitter Kim Jin-su(.263/.333/.263 in 19 AB's) hit a slow bouncer to 2nd. The ball hit off 2nd baseman Kim Jong-kuk's glove and rolled between his legs. Kim Dong-joo was able to score. KIA committed a walk off error. I'm sure it's happened before, but I can't remember the last time I saw it.
SK 6, Heroes 5
W - Jeon Byeong-doo (4-3), L - Kim Seong-hyeon (2-3), S - Jeong Dae-hyeon (8)
SK starter Song Eun-beom(2.90 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) was fairly mediocre in this one. The usually solid Song only lasted 4 1/3 innings(66 pitches, 50 strikes) and allowed 4 runs. Song surrendered 6 hits while striking out 3. Jeon Byeong-doo(3.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) was forced to tossed 3 1/3 innings of relief and earned a W for his trouble. The SK offense rode a solo homer from Na Ju-hwan(.292/.377/.442) in the 2nd inning and a 3-run blast from Kim Kang-min(.314/.382/.576) in the 5th to an early lead. SK reliever Jeong Dae-hyeon(1.07 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) recorded the final 5 outs to earn the save. Cliff Brumbaugh(.280/.407/.615) hit his league leading 20th homer for the Heroes.
Hanhwa 12, LG 4
W - Yoo Won-sang (2-4), L - Kim Kwang-su (1-3)
Hanhwa jumped all over LG starter Kim Kwang-su(7.46 ERA, 1.91 WHIP) in the first few innings and rode the early advantage to an easy win. Hanhwa 3rd baseman Lee Beom-ho(.282/.372/.540) lead the way by going 2-4 with a walk, 2 RBIs and 1 run scored. Hanhwa shortstop Song Kwang-min(.287/.317/.470) finished 3-5 with a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Hanhwa center fielder Kang Dong-woo(.298/.356/.434) lead off the game with a solo homer. Kang finished 1-2 with a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Hanhwa starting pitcher Yoo Won-sang(6.27 ERA, 1.94 WHIP) pitched well enough to win, but I don't think the Hanhwa faithful should believe in him more than the other zombies that populate the Hanhwa roster. Yoo tossed 5 innings(98 pitches, 49 strikes) and allowed 4 runs. Yoo allowed only 4 hits, but walked 6(!) and struck out only 2. Thankfully, he had a large cushion to work with. The Hanhwa bullpen tossed 4 shutout innings to help Hanhwa earn the W. Way not to give up an 8-run lead guys! Roberto Petagine(.378/.506/.679) was the lone bright spot for LG. The veteran slugger hit his 18th homer of the season and walked twice.
Lotte 1, Samsung 0
W - Song Seung-joon (5-3), L - Kwon Hyeok (3-2), S - Kang Yeong-sik (2)
Matt - 29
Aaron - 27
Erm, yeah. I can't believe these teams played a 9 inning baseball game and only scored 1 run between them.
Lotte starter Song Seung-joon(4.48 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) deserves a lot of credit. He didn't walk his usual 5 batters or surrender his usual 10 hits. Song tossed 7 innings(102 pitches, 58 strikes) of shutout baseball. He allowed 2 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 3. Samsung starter Lee Woo-seon(2.25 ERA, 1.63 WHIP in 8 innings) was chased from the game in the 4th inning because of a high pitch count. He needed 80 pitches to record 11 outs. Kwon Hyeok(1.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) relieved him and stuck around for 3 1/3 innings. Kwon must've felt out of place. He usually doesn't start warming until the 6th inning and he rarely stays in for more than an inning. Maybe he'll join the rotation soon. Either way, it was too much for the talented lefty. Kwon surrendered a run during his 4th inning of work. After allowing a lead off walk and a double, Kwon was removed for Jeong Hyeon-wook(2.12 ERA, 1.53 WHIP). Jeong had to face Lotte slugger Lee Dae-ho(.299/.385/.536). Hewas able to take care of Lee. The next batter, DH Hong Seong-heun(.339/.380/.466), hit a grounder up the middle. This time, the runner went on contact and scored with out a play while Hong was forced at first. 1-0, Lotte. Lotte reliever Kang Yeong-sik(4.85 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) recorded the final 2 outs to earn his 2nd save.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
6/17 Roundup and News
I had no idea Ahn Chi-hong was this popular. I've got to think that earning a starting spot in the all-star game has to put him in the lead for rookie of the year voting. This rookie class is sooooo much better than last year's. I can actually rattle off 5 or 6 names that could be included in the voting. Last year, I really couldn't think of anyone. The voters reflected that by selecting a 26-year old outfielder in his first full season.
KIA 2, Doosan 1
W - Aquilino Lopez (4-2), L - Kim Sang-hyeon (3-3)
This game was all about Lopez(2.77 ERA, 1.26 WHIP). Senor Smoke surrendered only 1 run while going the distance(117 pitches, 83 strikes) last night. Lopez allowed only 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. KIA scored a pair of runs in the 2nd inning thanks to RBI doubles from shortstop Kim Seon-bin(.313/.389/.406) and outfielder Lee Jong-beom(.284/.332/.353). Doosan scored its only run of the game in the 3rd inning. Center fielder Jeong Su-bin(.301/.403/.478) tripled with one out. Jeong would score on 1st baseman Oh Jae-won's(.283/.379/.300) RBI groundout.
Seoul Heroes 6, SK 3
W - Lee Bo-geun (5-2), L - Kim Kwang-hyeon (8-1)
The Heroes handed the reigning KBO MVP his first loss of the season last night. Kim(2.89 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) wasn't bad, he just wasn't good enough to win without a lot of run support. Kim worked 7 innings(117 pitches, 75 strikes) of 3-run baseball. Kim allowed only 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. The Heroes rallied for 3 runs in the first inning off of the SK ace, but Kim was able to settle down and keep the game from getting out of hand. He left that to the SK bullpen. SK reliever Lee Seung-ho(5.29 ERA, 1.62 WHIP) has been fairly ineffective for almost 2 months. He posted a solid April, but his ERA in June was 6.16 in 19 innings and he's walked a TON of batters this season. It wasn't that Lee couldn't find the plate, he had trouble finding the catcher at times. Of the 6 batters Lee faced, 5 reached base. The only out he recorded was on a sacrifice bunt. SK rallied in the 9th inning, but it turned out to be a fake rally to make the boxscore look a little more respectable. 6-3 sounds a lot closer than 6-2.
LG 6, Hanhwa 3
W - Bong Jung-geun (5-7), L - Ryu Hyeon-jin (7-4), S - Lee Jae-yeong (2)
I was actually excited enough for this game that I skipped out on going to the ballpark to watch Lotte and Samsung to watch it. I was a little disappointed. Ryu Hyeon-jin(3.83 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) isn't very sharp right now. My gut tells me its a mechanics issue and not a health issue, but I'm not nearly enough of an expert to make that call. Ryu stuck around for 6 innings(91 pitches, 55 strikes). He surrendered 4 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks while managing only 2 K's. LG ace Bong Jung-geun(2.80 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) looked like the big game pitcher we saw in the WBC. Bong worked 7 solid innings(108 pitches, 67 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits, 4 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 4. He also tallied about 4 fist pumps and 2 glove slaps. I always like it when a starting pitcher shows a little emotion, well except for this clown. LG held a slim 2-1 lead in the 6th inning. The Twins were able to extend that lead to 4-1 thanks to a 2-run blast from catcher Cho In-seong(.253/.337/.451). Hanhwa mounted a fake rally in the 8th inning, but LG tacked on insurance runs in the 8th and 9th innings. LG reliever Lee Jae-yeong(3.60 ERA, 1.57 WHIP) recorded the final 5 outs to earn the save.
Samsung 10, Lotte 2
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (4-2), L - Lee Yong-hoon (3-5)
Well, well, well.
Matt - 29
Aaron -26
The plot thickens.
Samsung starter Yoon Seong-hwan(5.45 ERA, 1.60 WHIP) essentially did what Lotte starter Lee Yong-hoon(6.25 ERA, 1.68 WHIP) couldn't. He found a way to NOT crap the bed. Yoon lasted only 5 innings(83 pitches, 52 strikes), but it was all he needed to earn the W. Lee allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman. He kept the Lotte mashers in the ballpark and that was enough. Lee had a Charlie Brown start. He needed 85 pitches to record 13 outs. He walked 5 and hit a batter, but only allowed 4 hits. Sadly, only 1 of the hits stayed in the park. 1. 3rd baseman Cho Dong-chan(.259/.333/.438), outfielder Park Han-yi(.286/.386/.415) and DH Yang Joon-hyeok(.336/.479/.608) all took Lee deep in the first 3 innings. The Hanhwa/LG tilt ended in time for me to click over to the Lions game. I saw relief pitcher Kim Sang-su(5.15 ERA, 1.91 WHIP) warming up. I thought, "Well, they're either up by a ton or behind by a ton," Samsung had an 8-run lead. I really can't believe they didn't try to find an inning or two for Bae Yong-su(6.32 ERA, 1.58 WHIP).
KIA 2, Doosan 1
W - Aquilino Lopez (4-2), L - Kim Sang-hyeon (3-3)
This game was all about Lopez(2.77 ERA, 1.26 WHIP). Senor Smoke surrendered only 1 run while going the distance(117 pitches, 83 strikes) last night. Lopez allowed only 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. KIA scored a pair of runs in the 2nd inning thanks to RBI doubles from shortstop Kim Seon-bin(.313/.389/.406) and outfielder Lee Jong-beom(.284/.332/.353). Doosan scored its only run of the game in the 3rd inning. Center fielder Jeong Su-bin(.301/.403/.478) tripled with one out. Jeong would score on 1st baseman Oh Jae-won's(.283/.379/.300) RBI groundout.
Seoul Heroes 6, SK 3
W - Lee Bo-geun (5-2), L - Kim Kwang-hyeon (8-1)
The Heroes handed the reigning KBO MVP his first loss of the season last night. Kim(2.89 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) wasn't bad, he just wasn't good enough to win without a lot of run support. Kim worked 7 innings(117 pitches, 75 strikes) of 3-run baseball. Kim allowed only 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. The Heroes rallied for 3 runs in the first inning off of the SK ace, but Kim was able to settle down and keep the game from getting out of hand. He left that to the SK bullpen. SK reliever Lee Seung-ho(5.29 ERA, 1.62 WHIP) has been fairly ineffective for almost 2 months. He posted a solid April, but his ERA in June was 6.16 in 19 innings and he's walked a TON of batters this season. It wasn't that Lee couldn't find the plate, he had trouble finding the catcher at times. Of the 6 batters Lee faced, 5 reached base. The only out he recorded was on a sacrifice bunt. SK rallied in the 9th inning, but it turned out to be a fake rally to make the boxscore look a little more respectable. 6-3 sounds a lot closer than 6-2.
LG 6, Hanhwa 3
W - Bong Jung-geun (5-7), L - Ryu Hyeon-jin (7-4), S - Lee Jae-yeong (2)
I was actually excited enough for this game that I skipped out on going to the ballpark to watch Lotte and Samsung to watch it. I was a little disappointed. Ryu Hyeon-jin(3.83 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) isn't very sharp right now. My gut tells me its a mechanics issue and not a health issue, but I'm not nearly enough of an expert to make that call. Ryu stuck around for 6 innings(91 pitches, 55 strikes). He surrendered 4 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks while managing only 2 K's. LG ace Bong Jung-geun(2.80 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) looked like the big game pitcher we saw in the WBC. Bong worked 7 solid innings(108 pitches, 67 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits, 4 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 4. He also tallied about 4 fist pumps and 2 glove slaps. I always like it when a starting pitcher shows a little emotion, well except for this clown. LG held a slim 2-1 lead in the 6th inning. The Twins were able to extend that lead to 4-1 thanks to a 2-run blast from catcher Cho In-seong(.253/.337/.451). Hanhwa mounted a fake rally in the 8th inning, but LG tacked on insurance runs in the 8th and 9th innings. LG reliever Lee Jae-yeong(3.60 ERA, 1.57 WHIP) recorded the final 5 outs to earn the save.
Samsung 10, Lotte 2
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (4-2), L - Lee Yong-hoon (3-5)
Well, well, well.
Matt - 29
Aaron -26
The plot thickens.
Samsung starter Yoon Seong-hwan(5.45 ERA, 1.60 WHIP) essentially did what Lotte starter Lee Yong-hoon(6.25 ERA, 1.68 WHIP) couldn't. He found a way to NOT crap the bed. Yoon lasted only 5 innings(83 pitches, 52 strikes), but it was all he needed to earn the W. Lee allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman. He kept the Lotte mashers in the ballpark and that was enough. Lee had a Charlie Brown start. He needed 85 pitches to record 13 outs. He walked 5 and hit a batter, but only allowed 4 hits. Sadly, only 1 of the hits stayed in the park. 1. 3rd baseman Cho Dong-chan(.259/.333/.438), outfielder Park Han-yi(.286/.386/.415) and DH Yang Joon-hyeok(.336/.479/.608) all took Lee deep in the first 3 innings. The Hanhwa/LG tilt ended in time for me to click over to the Lions game. I saw relief pitcher Kim Sang-su(5.15 ERA, 1.91 WHIP) warming up. I thought, "Well, they're either up by a ton or behind by a ton," Samsung had an 8-run lead. I really can't believe they didn't try to find an inning or two for Bae Yong-su(6.32 ERA, 1.58 WHIP).
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
6/12 - 6/14 Weekend Roundup: Lotte vs. Seoul Heroes
I suppose I can write about this now.
Before the season started I made a series of 3 bets with Aaron at the EWC. The first one was Lotte wins vs. Samsung wins. Aaron bullied me into taking Samsung. I haven't had any faith in this Lions team, but in the spirit of fun, I agreed. The other bets, if I remember correctly, were Choo Shin-soo homers vs. Kim Tae-gyun homers. I have Choo. And Cubs wins vs. White Sox losses as a tie breaker. Choo has quite a lead in homers on Kim and my beloved White Sox aren't letting me down. Well, actually, they ARE letting me down, but this time they're helping me win a bet. I mention this now because on Friday I received a text from Aaron which proudly stated, "the bet is back on!" referring to Friday night's W. Samsung is sitting at 28 W's and Lotte has a pathetic 26. I still have no faith in this Samsung team. They have the makings of a .500 ball club at best. Lotte could be much worse than .500, but they've got some upside. Aaron seems to think Jeong Su-geun is going to help. I don't think he's going to help unless he can pitch every 5th day.
Meanwhile the backlash against Jeong has already started.
6/12 - Lotte 13, Heroes 9
6/13 - Heroes 7, Lotte 0
6/14 - Heroes 15, Lotte 5
The mighty Giants offense woke up against Heroes starter Kim Su-kyeong and reliever Jang Hyo-hoon. Lotte corner infielder Lee Dae-ho went 2-4 with a double, 5 RBIs and 1 run scored. Center fielder Lee In-guh finished 3-4 with a double and 4 RBIs. The cruddy Lotte pitching staff did their best to let the Heroes get back into the game, but the early offensive barrage was too much to overcome. Heroes DH Cliff Brumbaugh posted a solid effort in a losing cause. Big Cliff went 3-5 with a double, a homer, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored.
The Heroes looked a lot more respectable when they have a starting pitcher make it out of the first inning. Heroes starting pitcher Lee Hyeon-seung tossed 8 shutout innings(108 pitches, 69 strikes) on Saturday. Lee allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. Former Lotte ace Son Min-han ate up a few innings, but was fairly hittable. In his 6 2/3 innings he allowed 10 hits and 3 walks. Heroes center fielder Lee Taek-geun did most of the damage against the Giants. Lee drove in 4 runs while going 2-4 with a double.
The Heroes continued to knock around Lotte pitching on Sunday. Heroes starter Jang Won-sam enjoyed the 15-run outburst and coasted to an easy W. Jang needed only 67 pitches(44 strikes) to throw 6 innings. He allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 0. Cliff Brumbaugh and Lee Taek-geun enjoyed huge days. Big Cliff went 2-4 with 2 walks, a double, a homer, 2 RBIs and 4 runs scored. While Lee went 4-4 with 2 walks, 2 doubles, a homer, 2 RBIs and 4 runs scored. Heroes right fielder Song Ji-man also went off on Sunday. Song finished 5-6 with a homer, 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
Before the season started I made a series of 3 bets with Aaron at the EWC. The first one was Lotte wins vs. Samsung wins. Aaron bullied me into taking Samsung. I haven't had any faith in this Lions team, but in the spirit of fun, I agreed. The other bets, if I remember correctly, were Choo Shin-soo homers vs. Kim Tae-gyun homers. I have Choo. And Cubs wins vs. White Sox losses as a tie breaker. Choo has quite a lead in homers on Kim and my beloved White Sox aren't letting me down. Well, actually, they ARE letting me down, but this time they're helping me win a bet. I mention this now because on Friday I received a text from Aaron which proudly stated, "the bet is back on!" referring to Friday night's W. Samsung is sitting at 28 W's and Lotte has a pathetic 26. I still have no faith in this Samsung team. They have the makings of a .500 ball club at best. Lotte could be much worse than .500, but they've got some upside. Aaron seems to think Jeong Su-geun is going to help. I don't think he's going to help unless he can pitch every 5th day.
Meanwhile the backlash against Jeong has already started.
6/12 - Lotte 13, Heroes 9
6/13 - Heroes 7, Lotte 0
6/14 - Heroes 15, Lotte 5
The mighty Giants offense woke up against Heroes starter Kim Su-kyeong and reliever Jang Hyo-hoon. Lotte corner infielder Lee Dae-ho went 2-4 with a double, 5 RBIs and 1 run scored. Center fielder Lee In-guh finished 3-4 with a double and 4 RBIs. The cruddy Lotte pitching staff did their best to let the Heroes get back into the game, but the early offensive barrage was too much to overcome. Heroes DH Cliff Brumbaugh posted a solid effort in a losing cause. Big Cliff went 3-5 with a double, a homer, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored.
The Heroes looked a lot more respectable when they have a starting pitcher make it out of the first inning. Heroes starting pitcher Lee Hyeon-seung tossed 8 shutout innings(108 pitches, 69 strikes) on Saturday. Lee allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. Former Lotte ace Son Min-han ate up a few innings, but was fairly hittable. In his 6 2/3 innings he allowed 10 hits and 3 walks. Heroes center fielder Lee Taek-geun did most of the damage against the Giants. Lee drove in 4 runs while going 2-4 with a double.
The Heroes continued to knock around Lotte pitching on Sunday. Heroes starter Jang Won-sam enjoyed the 15-run outburst and coasted to an easy W. Jang needed only 67 pitches(44 strikes) to throw 6 innings. He allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 0. Cliff Brumbaugh and Lee Taek-geun enjoyed huge days. Big Cliff went 2-4 with 2 walks, a double, a homer, 2 RBIs and 4 runs scored. While Lee went 4-4 with 2 walks, 2 doubles, a homer, 2 RBIs and 4 runs scored. Heroes right fielder Song Ji-man also went off on Sunday. Song finished 5-6 with a homer, 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
6/12 - 6/14 Weekend Roundup: KIA vs. Hanhwa
6/12 - KIA 16, Hanhwa 6
6/13 - Hanhwa 8, KIA 3
6/14 - KIA 5, Hanhwa 2
KIA jumped all over Hanhwa starter Yoo Won-sang in the early innings on Friday. Yoo was battered for 10 runs(all earned) on 9 hits and 4 walks during his 2 1/3 innings of work. KIA right fielder Na Ji-wan inflicted a lot of damage on the Hanhwa pitching staff. Na went 2-5 with 2 homers, 6 RBIs and 2 runs scored. KIA 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon drove in 4 runs while going 2-5 with a double. KIA reliever Park Kyeong-tae threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief work. Park allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. Shortstop Song Kwang-min was one of the few bright spots for Hanhwa. Song finished 4-5(all singles) with 2 runs scored.
Hanhwa exacted some measure of revenge on Saturday thanks to a quality start from Ahn Yeong-myeong. Ahn tossed 6 2/3 innings(99 pitches, 55 strikes) of 3-run baseball. He surrendered 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4. KIA's Rick Guttormson had his worst start of the season. Guttormson lasted 6 innings(98 pitches, 61 strikes), but he allowed 6 runs(4 earned) on 7 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman. Rick did manage to strike out 6 batters during his outing. Hanhwa held a 4-3 lead in the 7th inning and blew the game wide open with a 4-run rally. Guttormson was pulled in the 7th with runners on 1st and 3rd with 0 outs. Hanhwa 3rd baseman Lee Beom-ho singled off of reliever Song Yeong-min to score the first run of the inning. With the bases loaded, Song walked left fielder Choi Jin-haeng to score another run. The next batter, center fielder Choo Seung-woo, would hit a sac fly to score another run and make the score 7-3. 2nd baseman Oh Seon-jin hit a grounder to KIA 2nd baseman Ahn Chi-hong that should have ended the inning, but Ahn almost threw the ball into left field. Everyone was safe and Song Kwang-min was able to race across the plate to make the score 8-3.
KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong enjoyed one of his finest starts of the season and Han Ki-joo recorded his first save in 2 months while the Tigers rolled to an easy W. The 21 year old Yang is in his first season as a starting pitcher in the KBO and he is making the most of it. Yang threw 6 1/3 innings(117 pitches, 75 strikes) and allowed 2 runs with 7 hits. He racked up 11 K's during his start and only walked 2. Han threw 1-2-3 9th inning to earn his 3rd save of the season. This KIA pitching staff appears to have a lot of depth at the moment. KIA right fielder Na Ji-wan must like hitting against Hanhwa pitching(who doesn't?). Na hit 2 more homers on Sunday, giving him 4 for the weekend. Na finished the game 3-4 with 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored.
6/13 - Hanhwa 8, KIA 3
6/14 - KIA 5, Hanhwa 2
KIA jumped all over Hanhwa starter Yoo Won-sang in the early innings on Friday. Yoo was battered for 10 runs(all earned) on 9 hits and 4 walks during his 2 1/3 innings of work. KIA right fielder Na Ji-wan inflicted a lot of damage on the Hanhwa pitching staff. Na went 2-5 with 2 homers, 6 RBIs and 2 runs scored. KIA 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon drove in 4 runs while going 2-5 with a double. KIA reliever Park Kyeong-tae threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief work. Park allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. Shortstop Song Kwang-min was one of the few bright spots for Hanhwa. Song finished 4-5(all singles) with 2 runs scored.
Hanhwa exacted some measure of revenge on Saturday thanks to a quality start from Ahn Yeong-myeong. Ahn tossed 6 2/3 innings(99 pitches, 55 strikes) of 3-run baseball. He surrendered 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4. KIA's Rick Guttormson had his worst start of the season. Guttormson lasted 6 innings(98 pitches, 61 strikes), but he allowed 6 runs(4 earned) on 7 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman. Rick did manage to strike out 6 batters during his outing. Hanhwa held a 4-3 lead in the 7th inning and blew the game wide open with a 4-run rally. Guttormson was pulled in the 7th with runners on 1st and 3rd with 0 outs. Hanhwa 3rd baseman Lee Beom-ho singled off of reliever Song Yeong-min to score the first run of the inning. With the bases loaded, Song walked left fielder Choi Jin-haeng to score another run. The next batter, center fielder Choo Seung-woo, would hit a sac fly to score another run and make the score 7-3. 2nd baseman Oh Seon-jin hit a grounder to KIA 2nd baseman Ahn Chi-hong that should have ended the inning, but Ahn almost threw the ball into left field. Everyone was safe and Song Kwang-min was able to race across the plate to make the score 8-3.
KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong enjoyed one of his finest starts of the season and Han Ki-joo recorded his first save in 2 months while the Tigers rolled to an easy W. The 21 year old Yang is in his first season as a starting pitcher in the KBO and he is making the most of it. Yang threw 6 1/3 innings(117 pitches, 75 strikes) and allowed 2 runs with 7 hits. He racked up 11 K's during his start and only walked 2. Han threw 1-2-3 9th inning to earn his 3rd save of the season. This KIA pitching staff appears to have a lot of depth at the moment. KIA right fielder Na Ji-wan must like hitting against Hanhwa pitching(who doesn't?). Na hit 2 more homers on Sunday, giving him 4 for the weekend. Na finished the game 3-4 with 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored.
Monday, June 15, 2009
6/12 - 6/14 Weekend Roundup: Doosan vs. Samsung
6/12 - Doosan 15, Samsung 3
6/13 - Doosan 17, Samsung 5
6/14 - Doosan 5, Samsung 1
Um, yeah.
I attended Friday's game and my season record at Lions' games stands at a perfect 0-5. 5 games attended. 5 losses. At this point, I feel like Ichiro in when he had that 0-30 streak in spring training a few years back. I want to see how far I can go.
Doosan scored 37 runs over the weekend. They accomplished this and only hit 1 home run all weekend. Samsung scored 9 runs and hit 3. I don't think any of these games took less than 4 1/2 hours.
Doosan jumped all over poor Runelvys Hernandez(HE JUST WANTS TO ENTERTAIN!) and never looked back. The score was actually 11-0 in the 6th inning. Doosan starter Kim Sun-woo was able to coast for 6 innings(101 pitches, 57 strikes). Kim allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4. At the plate for Doosan, well, it would be easier to write who DIDN'T have a ridicuclous game. Left fielder Kim Hyeon-su lead the charge by going 3-4 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. 1st baseman Choi Joon-sik finished 2-2 with 3 RBIs. Shortstop Son Si-yeon ended up 2-5 with a triple, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Doosan banged out 22 hits and drew 5 walks. Only 4 of the 22 hits went for extra bases...moving on...
It was more of the same on Saturday against Samsung starting pitcher Cha Woo-chan. Doosan only managed 19 hits, but they drew 7 walks. Doosan starting pitcher Juan Cedeno earned his first KBO victory thanks to the 17-run outburst. He still looks like he's about a week away from being released. Some guys just aren't meant to be starting pitchers. Cedeno gave up 5 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks during his 5 innings of work. Doosan 1st baseman Choi Joon-sik had a huge day at the plate. The big fella went 3-5 with a walk, a double, a homer, 6 RBIs and 2 runs scored. His 3-run bomb in the 5th inning made the score 14-3. Good times! Doosan right fielder Lim Jae-cheol also drove in 4 runs while going 2-4 with a double and a walk. Samsung DH Yang Joon-hyeok was the lone bright spot for the Lions. The ageless slugger went 3-4 with a walk, a a homer, 3 RBIs and 1 run scored. He hit a 2-run blast in the bottom of the 5th inning to make the score 14-5.
Sunday's game was downright competitive compared to the previous two games. Doosan's rookie ace Hong Sang-sam tossed 6 shutout innings(82 pitches, 49 strikes). Hong allowed only 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 1. Samsung starter Francisco Cruceta actually finished the 5th inning. WE CAN BUILD ON THIS! Kim Hyeon-su went ONLY 1-4, but he drove in 3 runs. Yang Joon-hyeok was again the lone bright spot for Samsung. His solo homer in the 9th inning was the Lions only run.
6/13 - Doosan 17, Samsung 5
6/14 - Doosan 5, Samsung 1
Um, yeah.
I attended Friday's game and my season record at Lions' games stands at a perfect 0-5. 5 games attended. 5 losses. At this point, I feel like Ichiro in when he had that 0-30 streak in spring training a few years back. I want to see how far I can go.
Doosan scored 37 runs over the weekend. They accomplished this and only hit 1 home run all weekend. Samsung scored 9 runs and hit 3. I don't think any of these games took less than 4 1/2 hours.
Doosan jumped all over poor Runelvys Hernandez(HE JUST WANTS TO ENTERTAIN!) and never looked back. The score was actually 11-0 in the 6th inning. Doosan starter Kim Sun-woo was able to coast for 6 innings(101 pitches, 57 strikes). Kim allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4. At the plate for Doosan, well, it would be easier to write who DIDN'T have a ridicuclous game. Left fielder Kim Hyeon-su lead the charge by going 3-4 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. 1st baseman Choi Joon-sik finished 2-2 with 3 RBIs. Shortstop Son Si-yeon ended up 2-5 with a triple, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Doosan banged out 22 hits and drew 5 walks. Only 4 of the 22 hits went for extra bases...moving on...
It was more of the same on Saturday against Samsung starting pitcher Cha Woo-chan. Doosan only managed 19 hits, but they drew 7 walks. Doosan starting pitcher Juan Cedeno earned his first KBO victory thanks to the 17-run outburst. He still looks like he's about a week away from being released. Some guys just aren't meant to be starting pitchers. Cedeno gave up 5 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks during his 5 innings of work. Doosan 1st baseman Choi Joon-sik had a huge day at the plate. The big fella went 3-5 with a walk, a double, a homer, 6 RBIs and 2 runs scored. His 3-run bomb in the 5th inning made the score 14-3. Good times! Doosan right fielder Lim Jae-cheol also drove in 4 runs while going 2-4 with a double and a walk. Samsung DH Yang Joon-hyeok was the lone bright spot for the Lions. The ageless slugger went 3-4 with a walk, a a homer, 3 RBIs and 1 run scored. He hit a 2-run blast in the bottom of the 5th inning to make the score 14-5.
Sunday's game was downright competitive compared to the previous two games. Doosan's rookie ace Hong Sang-sam tossed 6 shutout innings(82 pitches, 49 strikes). Hong allowed only 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 1. Samsung starter Francisco Cruceta actually finished the 5th inning. WE CAN BUILD ON THIS! Kim Hyeon-su went ONLY 1-4, but he drove in 3 runs. Yang Joon-hyeok was again the lone bright spot for Samsung. His solo homer in the 9th inning was the Lions only run.
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