4/29 Roundup and News

Former MLB farmhand Ryu Jae-kuk is back in Korea and looking for a job. This report claims he's been linked to LG.

Samsung 3, LG 2
W - Ahn Ji-man (4-1), L - Bong Jung-geun (2-3), S - Oh Seung-hwan (4)
Samsung HR - None LG HR - None

Bong Jung-geun pitched better than his line would indicate, but he didn't get much help from the LG offense. Dr. Bong operated for 6 2/3 innings(106 pitches, 67 strikes), but he allowed 3 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks while only striking out 3. Samsung starter Jang Won-sam tossed 5 scoreless innings(84 pitches, 49 strikes), but allowed 3 hits and 5 walks while striking out 5. All the scoring in this game took place in the 7th inning. In the top of the inning, Samsung loaded the bases with two outs. A bloop single from DH Choi Hyeong-woo drove in a pair of runs and chased Dr. Bong from the game. 1st baseman Chae Tae-in poked a single through the right side to add an insurance run. In the bottom of the inning, LG answered back. LG put runners on the corners with two outs. Outfielder Lee Byeong-gyu hit a grounder to second, but Samsung 2nd baseman Shin Myeong-cheol allowed the ball to get away from him and LG pushed across its first run. The next batter, pinch hitter Lee Jin-yeong, doubled off the wall to plate another run. Lee Byeong-gyu tried to score from first on the play, but a solid throw and an even better tag had him out by inches and killed the rally. Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan struck out 2 and walked one while finishing LG off in the 9th inning for the save.

Doosan 3, Hanhwa 1
W - Kim Sun-woo (3-2), L - Ryu Hyeon-jin (4-1), S - Lee Yong-chan (9)
Doosan HR - Son Si-hyeon (2) Hanhwa HR - None

Doosan's Kim Sun-woo and Hanhwa's K-Monster dueled for a few innings, but the Doosan offense was too potent and the Hanhwa offense was too inept. Kim threw 7 innings(117 pitches, 78 strikes) of 1-run ball. He allowed 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out a season high 9 batters. Leave it to the Eagles to make Kim Sun-woo look like an elite starter. Hanhwa ace Ryu Hyeon-jin threw 8 innings(114 pitches, 73 strikes), but allowed 2 runs on 8 hits, 2 walks and 2 hit batsmen. Ryu only struck out 3 Bears. I believe that's a season low for him. Hanhwa actually was the first to score. In the 5th inning, Shortstop Lee Dae-su hit a ground ball to short with Song Ji-man at third. Song was able to (barely) beat the throw to the plate. Doosan answered back in the 6th inning. With runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs, 1st baseman Oh Jae-yeol grounded into a double play. The runner from third was able to score and tie the game at 1. Doosan broke the tie in the 8th inning. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out, backup outfielder Min Byeong-heon poked a single through the left side to drive in a run and break the tie. Doosan added an insurance run in the 9th inning on a solo homer from shortstop Son Si-hyeon.

SK 3, KIA 0
W - Kim Kwang-hyeon (4-0), L - Jeon Tae-hyeon (0-2), S - Lee Seung-woo (11)
SK HR - None KIA HR - None

It's clear that Kim Kwang-hyeon is still working with a pitch count, but SK fans have to be excited by his results so far. Last night? He only threw 6 2/3 shutout innings(99 pitches, 62 strikes) and allowed 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. SK rallied for two runs in the top of the 3rd inning on an RBI single from left fielder Park Jae-sang and an RBI double from 2nd baseman Jeong Geun-woo. SK closer Lee Seung-woo recorded the final 4 outs for the save. This was SK's 12th consecutive W.

Lotte 5, Nexen 2
W - Song Seung-chan (2-3), L - Geum Min-cheol (3-3), S - Bae Jang-ho (1)
Lotte HR - Karim Garcia (7), Son Ah-seob (1) Nexen HR - None

Song Seung-chan looked like an ace against Nexen. So do most KBO pitchers. Song threw 8 solid innings(112 pitches, 79 strikes) and gave up 2 runs. Song allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 9. After rallying for two runs in the first inning, Song settled down and the Nexen offense couldn't solve him, but the Lotte offense did solve Geum Min-cheol. Karim Garcia tagged him for a solo homer in the 2nd inning and Son Ah-seob recorded an inside the park homer in the 3rd. Nexen center fielder Jang Ki-yeong essentially laid down while Son's line drive whizzed past him. The ball is your friend, Jang. Lotte scored again in the 4th inning when Geum walked Lotte shortstop Yang Jong-min with the bases loaded. Yang also hit a 2-run double in the 6th inning and finished 1-3 with 3 RBIs.