Opening Day Notes

Opening Day in the Korean Baseball Organization was this Saturday (April 7, 2012). Unlike the very odd way Major League Baseball starts its seasons, all games in the KBO start on the same day at the same time. Major League Baseball, of course, started its season in Japan with two games between the A's and the Mariners, which nobody in North America watched. Then they had a single Cardinals at Marlins game the day before the real opening day a week later. It made think about how cool it would be if the KBO started a series in China or Vietnam in the future??

The winners on Opening Day were Lotte, SK, LG, and Nexen.

Cho Sung-hwan (LG) was the star of Opening Day hitting an effective grand slam off a shaky Cha Woo-chan (Samsung) who loaded the bases in the LG at Samsung game.

Opening Day was the day of the designated hitter. In the Hanhwa at Lotte game, Hanhwa DH Jang Seong-ho went 4 for 5 and a run scored. The lone score was the only score Hanhwa scored in their 4-1 loss against a dominant Lotte bullpen.

In the Kia at SK game, Kia DH Na Ji-wan went 3 for 5 and SK DH Ahn Chi-yong went 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored, again leading their teams in hitting. And Nexen DH Oh Jae-il led his team going 3 for 4 with 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored.

New Nexen youngster Seo Gun-chang made a case for this place in the Korean bigs starting at the 9 hole and at second base for the Heroes. He drove in the two winning runs off last year's best import Doosan's Dustin Nippert with 2 outs and the bases loaded.

Among the (old) star returnees to the KBO this season, Kim Tae-gyun was effective at first base for Hanhwa going 2 for 5 and a double. Lee Seung-yup DH'd for Samsung but did not enjoy the success of his DH colleagues in the league going 1 for 4 in a losing cause.

Random Notes:

Total attendance for Opening Day was 92,600. All venues were sold out and this was the fourth year in a row that it was all sold out.

Lee Byung-gyu's Opening Day slam was the 7th Opening Day slam in KBO history.

Lotte's Cho Seong-hwan hit the first home run of the KBO season off of Ryu Hyun-jin.

Ryu Hyun-jin, once dominant, started the season with a mediocre 6 IP, 8 hits, 5 K's, and 3 earned runs.

Ryu Hyun-jin gave up a home run to Lee Dae-ho in last year's Opening Day start. People are talking jinx.

Nexen's win is off their impressive pre-season run, which they came in second.