True Stories of Korean Baseball

Lose and Get More $ / Car Accident = No Problem

2012-01-15T01:27:00.003+09:00

Osen reports Nexen Heroes "Beautiful Flower Man" (꽃미남) starter with a very bad record Shim Soo-chang (28G, 2-13, 5.01) received a 116% wage bump yesterday. His salary went from ₩30,000,000 in 2011 to a reported ₩65,000,000 in 2012.

Shim showed stellar upswing in 2011 in comparison to his 2010 season, improving his wins total by 200% (0 wins in 2010 to 2 wins in 2011). He also shaved an impressive 34% from his 2010 ERA (7.57 to 5.01).

Actually, Shim was with LG at the beginning of 2011 and he was paid 30 mil because of his poor record the year before. He was supposed to make 70 but he only got 30. This was how it was spelled out in his LG contract.

Of course our main man was traded to the Heroes in August of last year and Nexen is a lot cooler with its players. Unnamed Nexen official is quoted as saying that they believe in this "Beautiful Flower Man" (꽃미남) starter with a very bad record and they're sure he'll rebound in 2012.

Says Mr. Shim: "I'm glad my talents are recognized and I thank the organization. I'll try harder next year." And he's feeling "light hearted" (홀가분하다).

Says the writer of the Korean article: "you repay getting a raise in a bad team by improving your record."

http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=baseball&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=109&article_id=0002295903

Car Accident = No Problem

Samsung Lions returnee and washed up baseball legend Lee Seung-yup got so excited about the prospects of hitting for the blue and white again that he crashed his "Benz" near Suseonggyo in Daegu facing "Banwordang." Anyway, our main man was waiting to turn a left when an Avante rear ended Lee.

This area "Banwordang" is a pretty cool part of Daegu. This area was the site of the first Korean set up department store in Daegu in the 30's. This was during the Japanese colonial era and the Japanese had set up a couple department stores in the city before. But this was the first by the Koreans.

Anyway, Lee got an MRI and he was A-OK.

http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=baseball&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=001&article_id=0005467207

Masaichi Kaneda Speaks, Part IV: Greatness

2012-01-09T02:35:00.000+09:00

Part I:http://koreabaseball.blogspot.com/2011/09/masaichi-kaneda-speaks.html

Part II:http://koreabaseball.blogspot.com/2011/09/masaichi-kaneda-speaks-continued.html

Part III:http://koreabaseball.blogspot.com/2011/12/masaichi-kaneda-speaks-part-iii.html

Continued

Park Dong-hui (Interviewer, South Korean baseball writer):You won 20 games 14 years in a row, from 1951 to 1964. You pitched in 45 games and 3000 innings or more in these seasons and 14 complete games.

Masaichi Kaneda (Interviewee, Korean-Japanese baseball legend):I have a lot of world records LOL.

P: With all due respect, are these records something a normal person can achieve?

K: It's business.

P: Business?

K: Yeah, Listen, I never said, "hey I won 20 games, how much money are you going to give me." You couldn't ask this. They ask these things now (in Japanese baseball). If I signed a contract on the premise that I win 30 games, would I really have won 30 games? I never fought with an organization, (In Korean) "Trust," it's all about trust. No team ever cut my salary and I never fought with any. If you gain their trust, you will earn their trust. If not then, you don't get any.

P: If you won 20 games 14 years in a row, your yearly salary must have been pretty high.

K: Because the yen was getting strong back then. I would have no idea how much it would be now. I spent everything I made back then anyway LOL.

P: You have had a lot of dramatic episodes in your baseball career. April 5, 1958, Central League season opener, you faced hot Yomiuri Giants rookie hitter Shigeo Nagashima and a lot of people said he was going to hit well against you. But you said that you were going to strike him out 4 times. And you ended up striking him out 4 times.

K: That's what you'd expect, by the time Nagashima debuted, I had already won 180 games. (Points to a photo on the wall) Looks like that's the picture there.

P: Baseball writers were saying you only threw strong fastballs at Nagashima.

K: The ball was fast then, do you know why? (Translator's note: I realize here that Park has been speaking in honorifics and Kaneda informally.)

P: It was always fast, wasn't it?

K: It was faster when I faced Nagashima, because I was throwing it with my heart.

P: With your heart?

K: I couldn't lose. Isn't that the theory? (In a strong voice) You must win everything. Strong pitching, it's not 'where should I throw it,' it's 'I'm going to get you!' I mobilized (충동원) all my competency and threw with this in mind. If I pitched to Nagashima all nervously back then, I wouldn't have won 20 games 14 years in a row and I wouldn't be where I am now.

Talking about this and writing about this now is not so fun. Get all the players together and telling them this story would be more fun. (In a quieter voice) Nagashima wasn't the only batter I faced that day, I had to be serious about other hitters in the line up. I controlled my emotions and hopped on the mound again.

P: Rumor has it your fastball was higher than 160km .

K: They talk about speed a lot. But if you throw 160 or 170 kmh, your body will break down. You can't throw well if you're fat. You have to stay thin and throw with force. Look at the pictures on the wall, you'll see. I was never fat.

P: You were famous for your fastball and change up.

K: I mostly pitched fastballs and curve balls. Each curve ball was a little different.

P: (Looks at a picture on a wall and suddenly remembers) I remember you took some pictures with some top major league players back then. Mantle, Mays, Musial, the big guys.

K: They all know me in the major leagues. I have a friend that I struck out 3 times in a row LOL. (In 1955, the New York Yankees came to Japan and Kaneda struck out Mickey Mantle 3 times in a row. Mantle had asked "why is a pitcher like this pitching in Japan?" and said "I'd like to have him in the States." Kaneda had Korean citizenship at this time. Kaneda and Mantle became good friends after.)

P: And with that, did you get any advice about going over to the Majors?

K: They tried (Major League teams). But it wasn't like it is now. The war didn't end all that long before, and relations between Japan and the U.S. weren't still all that good. And I couldn't speak English.

P: So you gave up thinking about going over there?

K: Frankly, I didn't see the point. I would have gone if I really wanted to. Pitching in Japan was good and I could have achieved a lot. But if I want to America, they would have just said "look, he's from Japan" and that could have been the end of that. Look at my trophies and pictures, that's going to last long after I die.

P: If you were pitching now, in today's situation, would you go?

K: Now? Well.. Great players play everywhere. It seems like pitching here or there is the same even now. I think I could have succeeded there. Asians, Americans, we're all the same.

Korean link:http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=baseball&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=295&article_id=0000000659

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy All Holidays!

2011-12-25T02:51:00.001+09:00

Happy Every Holiday to all of our readers from the entire staff of the True Stories of Korean Baseball family!We will be back in full force in the new year to blog, discuss, and complain about our favorite game. In the meantime, let's enjoy this holiday season that is important to many of the people that we share our planet with.And especially to our readers who are cross over fans of other sports..Have the Best Christmas Ever!

Jeong Dae-hyeon Finally Chooses, Park Chan-ho Allowed to Play

2011-12-14T11:14:00.003+09:00

Jeong Dae-hyeon decided not to make the jump to the Baltimore Orioles and inked a four-year deal with the Lotte Giants. He'll likely assume the ninth inning duties for Lotte next year.

Also, it was ruled that Park Chan-ho will be eligible to pitch next year for Hanhwa. The rule had been that players who went overseas prior to 1999 were subject to the draft. Park would have had to wait until the 2012 draft in August before being eligible, but the rule was waived so Park can play next season. He's now free to negotiate with the Hanhwa Eagles. His contract should be taken care of fairly quickly and it wouldn't be a shock to see him sign before the weekend.

KBO Announced Gold Glove Winners Over the Weekend

2011-12-13T10:25:00.004+09:00

Winners are as follows...

P - Yoon Seok-min, KIA 17-5, 2.45 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 178 K's in 172 1/3
C - Kang Min-ho, Lotte .289/.366/.480
1B - Lee Dae-ho, Lotte .357/.433/.578
2B - Ahn Chi-hong, KIA .315/.373/.431
3B - Choi Jeong, SK .310/.402/.526
SS - Lee Dae-su, Hanhwa .301/.360/.426
LF - Choi Hyeong-woo, Samsung .340/.427/.610
CF - Lee Yong-gyu, KIA .333/.427/.401

RF - Son Ah-seop, Lotte .326/.385/.507
DH - Hong Seong-heun, Lotte .306/.376/.403

Also, Lotte DH Hong Seong-heun won his second straight award for the worst suit of evening. That's Hong in front/center. Still, this pales in comparison to last year's outfit.

Lee Dae-ho Takes His Talents to Orix

2011-12-06T22:41:00.001+09:00

Lee had a press conference scheduled for 12/6 and the announcement was a shock to no one. Lee signed a two-year deal worth 10.1 billion won.

Orix plans on using him at 1st base, bat him fourth and asked him to lose about 10 KG. Both should be doable assuming he doesn't spend the off-season pounding ramyeon.

Is it just me or does Orix have really classy unis?

Cha Woo-chan's European Backpacking Trip

2011-12-06T11:41:00.001+09:00

Most baseball fans are excited about all the free agency movement that's been happening in Korea and everywhere else. More important than that, in my opinion, is the news of KBO players and their backpacking adventures in Europe.

Samsung Lions lefty Cha Woo-chan's the latest person in Korean baseball or otherwise to partake in this rite of passage of non-Europeans, to put on a backpack (like Kevin Durant) and go to Europe.

Declaring that he needed to "recharge his batteries," Mr. Cha "haphazardly" hopped on a plane to an undisclosed European location (seems to be Switzerland) with his backpack on the 3rd of December for a 2 week long excursion through the European Union. "This is my first holiday, I'm going to a place where I have never been before and I am happy and anxious," said Cha as he took off.

Cha has been feeling a little under the weather since winning the Korean Series. He missed his team's Asian Series win in Taiwan (described below) and he has been feeling a little upset about it. It's no matter though, he's looking more towards next season with the Lions.

The article reports he's felt a little anxiety.

So, Cha is off to Europe for some backpacking. He has an older brother in Switzerland, so he'll check some of Switzerland out. He actually doesn't know where he'll be going or sleeping when he's not at his brother's pad in Switzerland.

Cha's a bit nervous about going to Europe. The article here says he feels a little "scared." He's worried about stuff like language issues. But he's determined to go because he doesn't know when he can do it again. (How about next offseason?)

Anyway, Cha's happy to be taking this trip and he'll be at Samsung's first stage pre-season training when he gets back.

Cha wants to be the ace of the Lions staff next season and he knows just how to do it. 15 wins, sub 3 ERA, and running hard.

Have a great backpacking trip Mr. Cha and I hope you meet a lot of great people there!

Source:

http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=baseball&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=382&article_id=0000021765

Masaichi Kaneda Speaks, Part III

2011-12-03T23:29:00.001+09:00

Continuing with my True Stories of Korean Baseball blog masters thesis. This is part 3 of Japanese-Korean pitching legend Masaichi Kaneda's interview with South Korean baseball writer Park Dong-hui as explained in simple English, because this blog is a strict simple English zone.

Part I:

http://koreabaseball.blogspot.com/2011/09/masaichi-kaneda-speaks.html

Part II:

http://koreabaseball.blogspot.com/2011/09/masaichi-kaneda-speaks-continued.html

P: You were 17. And you joined the team (Yakult Swallows) as the season was going on. You must have been nervous.

K: Nervous? Well.. I just thought of playing and winning in baseball. I didn't think of it as anything theoretical or philosophical. It doesn't matter if you're old, if you're a pro or amateur, all you want to do is win. So I didn't feel any pressure.

P: Do you remember your debut game?

K: (Thinks) Nah, it was so long ago, I can't remember. I'm pretty sure I lost though.

P: Right, August 23, 1950. You came in relief against the Hiroshima Carps. You let in a run with a walk and lost the game.

K: Yeah, I lost the sayonara game. * Translator note: does anyone know what a "sayonara game" is?

P: How did you feel then, I'm curious.

K: (Indecipherable sarcastic comment) There's winning and losing in baseball. There was a lot of commotion for my debut. My loss was a bit of a big deal with the media.

P: But you did win in your next appearance. You actually pitched and won a complete game. At the time, you were the second 17 year old to do that up to that point in Japanese baseball.

K: Yeah, I remember that. I pitched with everything I had that day. It was a very long time ago.

P: What was more surprising was your second year. September 5, 1951, you pitched a no-hitter against the Hanshin Tigers. At age 18 and 35 days (Korean people seem to love exact number of days!), you were the youngest to ever pitch a no hitter. Also, you were the youngest to win 20 games with 22 games won that year.

K: (Points finger at display case) That's the trophy I got for the no hitter.

P: (Goes over to the trophy case and looks) Ah, this is it.

K: It's okay, take a look at it. It's a 60 year old trophy. If you look close, the pitcher in the trophy is a right handed pitcher. I was the first lefty to pitch a no hitter but they didn't make a left handed pitcher for the trophy. It was right after the war then, there wasn't a lot of material. So, I guess I got a right handed trophy and not a left handed trophy.

P: And 6 years later, August 21, 1957, you pitched a perfect game against the Junichi Dragons.

K: (Shakes trophy) Yeah, I after I got this, I did that.

P: Pitching a perfect game is a very big thing. There hasn't been a perfect game yet in Korean baseball.

K: Yeah, it's very hard to do. It's a pretty big achievement.

P: Tell me the story about your perfect game.

K: Just like the word "perfect" in perfect game, it was perfect, so there's nothing more to say (Laughs)

P: Okay.

K: It is a legendary story with Japanese baseball fans so I guess it's pretty cool. But it's not something known to Korean people. And it's not fun talking about a perfect game through written words. If you tell the story over drinks, it would be a lot better.

P: Something big happened before you completed that perfect game. In the 9th with one out, the umpire called a check swing a strike against Junichi and Junichi raised a storm, causing a 40 minute delay.

K: It was actually 45 minutes. Most people wouldn't have been able to pitch again after 45 minutes. I did because it was me (Laughs).

P: How did you feel when you walked towards the mound?

K: Simple. We had to do what we needed to do. My shoulders were kind of messed up after resting for 45 minutes. But (pushes hand on his chest), this right here was okay, I still had the the fighting spirit. The delay ended, and I struck out the last two batters for the perfect game.

Original link:

http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=baseball&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=295&article_id=0000000659

Samsung Lions Add Mitch Talbot

2011-12-02T15:27:00.003+09:00

The Samsung Lions announced today that they reached an agreement for former Cleveland Indian Mitch Talbot. The 28 year-old righty will earn about $300K for coming to the defending champions of Asia.

Talbot won ten games in 2010, but he spent 2011 shuttling between Cleveland and Columbus. He compiled a 2-6 record with a 6.64 ERA and 1.85 WHIP in 12 starts with the big club.

Welcome to Korea, Mitch.

Samsung 5, Softbank 3

2011-11-30T14:05:00.003+09:00

Samsung wins the Asia Series

W - Jang Won-sam, L - Sho Iwasaki, S - Oh Seung-hwan
Samsung HR - None
Softbank HR - None

I'm thrilled to see the KBO finally knock the NPB off their pedestal, but this Asia Series was completely underwhelming. Samsung didn't have their full pitching staff and we saw a lot of backups getting heavy playing time. The SoftBank Hawks were in a similar state with their non-Japanese players sent home and their top two pitchers are currently free agents. This year's tournement was probably the weakest from a talent perspective since it's inception. That being said, someone still had to win it and I'm very happy it was Samsung. It's been a five year wait for KBO fans and it feels really good to have it end.

SoftBank drew first blood in the first inning with a RBI double from third baseman Nobihiro Matsuda. On the previous play Samsung right fielder Park Han-yi needed to be carted off after sustaining a leg injury on a diving catch.

Samsung answered back in the top of the fifth inning with a five-run(!) rally. Samsung right fielder Jeong Hyeong-sik came into the game in the first inning when Park was taken off. Jeong came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. He poked a single back through the middle to drive in a pair and give the Lions a 2-1 lead. Samsung pushed it to 3-1 with a ground-rule double from third baseman Park Seok-min. With two outs and runners on second and third, Samsung left fielder Kang Bong-gyu hit a sharp grounder to short. The ball ricocheted off of shortstop Munenori Kawasaki and into left field. Both runners scored on the play to give Samsung a commanding 5-1 lead.

Softbank answered back in the eighth inning. With runners on first and second with no outs, Samsung brought in closer Oh Seung-hwan to get them out of the jam. Oh promptly gave up an RBI single to SoftBank center fielder Seiichi Uchikawa to load the bases. Nobuhiro Matsuda grounded into a double play, but the runner on third managed to score to cut the lead to 5-2. Outfielder Yuya Hasegawa singled back up the middle to cut the lead to 5-3. Oh managed to get Kenji Akashi to end the inning.

The Samsung offense was quiet in the top of the ninth, so it was up to Oh to hold on to the 5-3 lead. Oh struck out the first two batters in the top of the ninth and got Munenori Kawasaki to ground out to end the game.

Samsung starter Jang Won-sam was really, really good last night. Jang threw 6 1/3 innings(100 pitches, 69 strikes) of one-run baseball. Jang gave up only five hits and one walk while striking out three. He was really effecient and did his best work on the inner part of the plate. It looked like the SoftBank Hawks didn't like getting busted inside.

Next year's series will take place in Korea at Jamsil Stadium. I, for one, think this is the silliest idea I've ever heard. The KBO needs to build a modern baseball facility before it can be allowed to host a tournement like this. Jamsil is fine, but it's not a stadium anyone would pay money to go to in November.

Samsung 6, Uni-President Lions 3

2011-11-28T15:30:00.003+09:00

W - Kwon Oh-joon, L - Ryan Glynn, S - Oh Seung-hwan
Samsung HR - Choi Hyeong-woo
Uni President HR - Kuo Chun-yu

Samsung really appeared to be trying really hard to not lose this game.

The Lions trotted out mascot Bae Yeong-su to start the game. Bae was once one of the truly dominant pitchers in the KBO, but injury has robbed Bae of most of his ability. He's able to get batters out, but he doesn't have nearly the stuff he had when he was leading Samsung to a championship in 2005. Bae tossed 5 innings(64 pitches, 45 strikes) of one-run baseball. Bae gave up five hits and struck out one.

Samsung broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with a RBI single from right fielder Park Han-yi. First baseman Chae Tae-in pushed the lead to 2-0 with a sac fly.

The Lions added an insurance run in the fourth on a RBI ground out from catcher Jin Kab-yong to push the lead to 3-0. It turns out, they would need the extra runs.

Uni-President answered back in the bottom of the fourth with a RBI single from DH Yang Song-hsien.

Uni-President tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run bomb from left fielder Kuo Chun-yu. Samsung reliever Kwon Hyeok absolutely served one up on a platter to Kuo.

For the Samsung's sake, reliever Kwon Oh-joon shut down the Uni-President Lions for the next 2 1/3 innings. Kwon struck out four and gave up absolutely nothing.

In the top of the eighth, Samsung DH Choi Hyeong-woo finally made his prescence felt in this tournament by taking a 0-1 offering from Ryan Glynn over the center field wall for a two-run homer. Samsung picked up another run in the top of the ninth when reliever Wang Ching-ming threw a wild pitch with a runner on third.

Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan struck out two during a scoreless ninth to put Samsung into the final against the NPB's Softbank Hawks.

The final will be played at 8 PM Korean time on 10/29. Starters have yet to be announced.

Softbank 9, Samsung 0

2011-11-27T20:36:00.002+09:00

W - Yamada, L - Lee Woo-sun
Softbank HR - None
Samsung HR - None

Erm, yeah. I knew that Samsung was in trouble when I saw that Samsung went with Lee Woo-sun as their starter. I guess Cha Woo-chan and Yoon Seong-hwan wer being saved for the final, but we couldn't do any better than this?

Samsung looked awful on the mound and worse in the field. Every ground ball found a hole and every line drive found space in the outfield. Softbank basically ran the Lions out of the park once they got on base. Softbank stole seven bases during the affair.

Lee Woo-sun was battered and yanked in the second inning. He was responsible for three of the runs allowed. 28 year old warm body Lee Dong-geol didn't fare much better. I follow the Lions as closely as any non-Korean person can, but I've never heard of this guy. He stuck around for 3 2/3 innings, but was knocked around for five more runs.

Samsung didn't do much at the plate and most of the starters were pulled before the ninth inning .

Samsung has to win against Taiwain to earn themselves a spot in the final against the same Softbank Hawks.

Samsung 10, Perth Heat 2

2011-11-26T19:12:00.003+09:00

W - Jang Won-sam (1-0), L - Daniel Schmidt (0-1)
Samsung HR - Shin Myeong-cheol
Perth Heat HR - Allan de San Miguel

The official game recap from the Perth Heat can be found here.

This game basically unfolded the way most Lions fans thought it would. The Lions showed rust early thanks to their month long lay off, but took advantage of mistakes from the Heat and turned this game into a rout.

Samsung started the game looking very much like a team that hadn't played a competitive game in a month. The Lions looked sloppy and starter Jang Won-sam labored through the first few innings.

Perth actually took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on a RBI double from catcher Allan de San Miguel.

Samsung answered back with a three-run rally in the bottom of the third. Lions third baseman Park Seok-min hit a two-run double and later scored on a throwing error.

The two teams traded runs again in the sixth. de San Miguel hit a solo homer for Perth's second run and Samsung right fielder Park Han-yi hit a sac fly.

The Lions put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth with a six-run rally that included a grand slam from Lions second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol.

Jang Won-sam looked much better after he settled down. Jang tossed six innings(85 pitches, 56 strikes) of two-run ball. Jang gave up four hits and two walks while striking out ten.

Free Agent Grab Bag Part III

2011-11-22T10:25:00.003+09:00

LG catcher Cho In-seong has signed with the SK Wyverns for 1.9 billion won over three years and SK reliever Lee Seung-ho has signed with Lotte for 2.4 billion won over four years.

The internet is abuzz with rumors that SK reliever Jeong Dae-hyeon has reached a two-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles, but they have yet to be confirmed by either the Korean or western media.

Jeong posted a 1.48 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 53 appearances. He struck out 39, but walked 25 while going 3-3 with 16 holds and 11 saves.

Free Agent Grab Bag Part II

2011-11-21T08:41:00.003+09:00

That was fast. Only five free agents remain after about 10 days of free agency.

The biggest moves came over the weekend. Nexen spent big and signed LG outfielder/first baseman Lee Taek-geun to a four-year, 5 Billion won contract.

LG also lost reliever Son Shin-yeong to Hanhwa in a 3-year, 1.3 billion won deal.

Lotte reliever Lim Kyeong-wan signed with SK in a three-year deal worth 1.1 billion won.

Lee Dae-ho announced his intention to pursue a career overseas. It's been speculated that the NPB's Orix Buffaloes will be the team to land Lee. Lee rejected a four-year deal worth 10 billion won from the Lotte Giants over the weekend. It's believed Orix has offered a two year, 7 billion won deal.

Samsung's Jeong Dae-hyeon is looking to be the first KBO player to jump to Major League Baseball. Jeong claims nine major league teams have inquired about him.

The only other remaining free agents are Doosan corner infielder Kim Dong-ju(he's been a free agent for each of the past three years and always re-signs with Doosan for a one-year deal), LG catcher Cho In-seong and SK reliever Lee Seung-ho(the one who wears #20).

Finally, the NC Soft Dinos unveiled their new uni's last week and they're suprisingly tasteful. They didn't put a big, goofy cartoon dinosaur on them. I really can't believe it.

Kim Tae-gyun Sings a 1-Year Deal With Hanhwa

2011-11-11T00:22:00.003+09:00

Free agent first baseman Kim Tae-gyun has signed a one-year deal to return to the Hanhwa Eagles. Kim spent the last two years with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese NPB. Kim had success in his debut season by blasting 21 homers and driving in 92 runs, but struggled with injuries and poor performance in 2011.

Kim spent 2001-09 with the Hanhwa Eagles. He maintained a .310 batting average with 181 homers and 701 RBIs and was one of the more terrifying middle-of-the-order hitters in the KBO.

2011 TSOKB Awards

2011-11-09T12:09:00.002+09:00

Matt and Simon are back to dot the exclamation point that was the 2011 KBO season. The Korean press will make their announcements this week and announce the Golden Gloves some time in December.

2011 Lee Man-su Award (MVP) -

M: The Korean press seems to really want to give this award to either KIA ace Yoon Seok-min or Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan. I can't give the MVP to a pitcher, especially a reliever, unless he does something truly, truly amazing. Yoon and Oh had above average seasons, but they really aren't MVPs. Samsung slugger Choi Hyeong-woo posted a slash line of .340/.427/.617. That's elite. Choi lead the league in homers(30) and RBIs(118). He won't thrill anyone with his glove and he spent most of the year at DH. His presence was the difference in the Samsung offense this year and I've got to make him my choice for MVP.

S: I agree and many others agree that it is very difficult to give an MVP award to a pitcher in baseball. The "truly amazing" something you're describing means something like winning every game you start and other pitchers on your team losing every game they start. Yoon Suk-min didn't do this and Oh Seung-hwan only pitched an inning a game. Choi Hyeong-woo and Lee Dae-ho were neck and neck all season as the league's premier hitters. But I would also give this award to Choi because of his team's KBO championship. Choi was not a huge factor in Samsung's win (5 hits and 1 home run in the series), but his efforts helped take Samsung to the Korean Series to easily beat an exhausted SK team.

2011 Sun Dong-ryeol Award (Best Pitcher) -

M: KIA ace Yoon Seok-min won the pitcher's triple crown this year by leading the league in ERA(2.45), wins(17) and strikeouts(178). He also posted a 1.05 WHIP and a 4.05 K/BB ratio. For those unfamiliar with K/BB, anything over a 2.50 is excellent and anything above a 3.00 is elite of the elite. He's the pick and second place isn't close.

S: I would also give Yoon Seok-min this award. If 2010 was the year of Ryu Hyun-jin, this season was the year of Yoon Seok-min. With Kim Gwang-hyun out, and Ryu not as dominant, Yoon ruled the headlines with his numbers seen above and all talk was about him jumping ship to the Major Leagues. I would disagree about second place not being close, however. Dustin Nippert (15-6, 2.55), teammate Kim Sun-woo (15-6, 3.13), Jang Won-joon (15-6, 3.14), and others brought pitching to the forefront to a league that was known more for batting in recent years.

2011 Park Ki-hyuk Award (LVP) -

M: Tough choice. Nexen's Kang Byeong-sik posted a .174/.249/.269 slash line with 53 K's in 167 PA's. He probably would have won the award if Nexen gave him more at bats. My winner is Samsung second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol. Shin posted a .208/.294/.272 slash line in 382 at bats. Shin had a career year in 2009 with 20 homers and 61 RBIs, but his production dropped to nine homers and 57 RBIs in 2010. Well his numbers were off the map in 2011. Shin managed two homers and 39 RBIs with 68 K's in 2011.

S: There will never be another Park Ki-hyuk and there is no clear winner for this award this season. A lot of players play poorly, but not so bad that the spotlight is on them. I am going with Doosan 3rd baseman Lee Won-suk for this one this year. The Bears are arguably a more high stakes team, with their consecutive post season appearances and their ownership of one half of Seoul's baseball audience. But Mr. Lee's .216 BA after 264 plate appearances and 35 runs batted in helped his team the least in falling from perennial post season appearances to being lumped with Hanhwa and Nexen.

2011 Kim Hyeok-min Award (Cy Yuck) -

M: This is an easy one. KIA 23-year old lefty Yang Hyeon-jong enjoyed a breakout season in 2010 with 1 16-8 record and 145 K's in 168 innings. The 2010 workload must have taken a toll on Yang because he was awful for all of 2011. Yang threw 106 innings in 2011 and most KIA fans probably wish he hadn't. Yang walked almost as many(69) as he struck out(74). Yang owned a 6.18 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. It was really painful watching Yang take the ball every fifth day.

S: Does any pitcher have a worse win/loss than Nexen starter Sim Soo-chang's 2-13? He didn't win a game since 2009 coming into this season with LG and I can't imagine how he must have felt when he was traded from LG to Nexen mid-season. LG was still a respectable team at this time and Nexen is a perennial bottom level team. He can't blame his Nexen teammates for his performance at all, as his 2011 ERA of 5.01 is almost equal to his lifetime ERA of 4.94, 7.5/8 of which were with LG. Sim's the winner of this award for this year.

2011 Rookie of the Year Award -

M: LG reliever Lim Chang-gyu and Samsung outfielder Bae Yeong-seop were the only two rookies to qualify for the award this year. Lim posted a 9-6 record with seven saves in 65 appeareances for LG. Lim had a 4.46 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 82 2/3 innings. Lim walked 61 and struck out 62. Bae posted a .294/.363/.356 slash line in 384 PA's. He blasted two homers and stole 33 bases. I think Bae probably did as much as anyone else to earn it.

S: Again, I am going with Bae because of Samsung's Korean Series win. Despite this rookie's age (25), it was only his second season in the Korean Show and he moved like a pro within Samsung's championship roster. His numbers listed above equal 5th in hits, 11th in RBI's, 5th in given plate appearances, 5th in doubles, and his 47 strike outs don't hurt or help his position within the team. Though largely invisible in the post season, you won't see anyone but him up Samsung's center field in 2012.

2011 Danny Rios Award (Best non-Korean) -

M: This is another easy one. Doosan's Dustin Nippert lead a mediocre Bears team with a 2.55 ERA and 15-6 record. Nippert struck out 150 in 187 innings while walking only 64. He was one of the few highlights in an awful season for Bears fans.

S: Nippert was definitely one of the major stories of this season. Although I felt he was "over qualified" for his pitching role, coming off an AL championship with Texas the year before, his numbers in his first year in the league is definitely notable. Nippert and Kim Sun-woo were probably the 1-2 to beat in the KBO this season.

2011 Rick Bauer Award (Worst non-Korean) -

M: I've got to go with Nippert's teammate, Fernando Nieve. Nieve was basically a gas can in any role he was put in this year. He was bad as a starter, bad as a reliever and bad as a closer. His 6.09 ERA and 1.74 WHIP were pretty horrific, but he only threw 78 1/3 innings. Nieve went 3-6 and somehow managed to get six saves. I can't imagine we'll be seeing him again in the KBO.

S: I would have to give this one to Ken Kadokura. With pretty much the best defense in the league behind him, he still went a very mediocre 5-6, 4.07. In comparison, the other foreigners on this year's championship Samsung team Justin Germano and Doug Mathis went 5-1, 2.78 and 5-2, 2.52 respectively. If Kadokura had pitched better, he would have pitched and probably won the Korean Series two years in a row with two different teams. At 38, 2011 was probably Ken's swan song.

Free Agent News Grab Bag

2011-11-09T09:43:00.002+09:00

The KBO has 17 free agents this year. A full list can be found here.

KIA ace Yoon Seok-min wants to make the move to MLB and he wants to hire Scott Boras as his agent.

Free agent/Giants slugger Lee Dae-ho says he'll stay with Lotte if he stays in Korea. He's still weighing options between Lotte, Japan and searching for a deal in the US.

Lee Seung-yeop sounds like he's ready to make his return to the KBO next year. Lee left for Japan after setting the single-season homerun record in Asia. He struggled with injuries recently and spent last season with the Orix Buffaloes. Actually, he spent most of the year not playing for Orix. He's been linked with a return to Samsung for a few months.

Former Hanhwa Eagles slugger Kim Tae-gyun will also return to Korea next season. In 2010, Kim hit 21 homers in his first season in Japan, but only hit one in 31 games last year for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He's been linked with a return to Hanhwa.

Park Chan-ho will also be returning to Korea next year. He's been linked with the Hanhwa Eagles for a long, long time.

Samsung 1, SK 0

2011-11-01T10:31:00.004+09:00

Samsung catcher Jin Kab-yong and company get funky during the celebration.

Samsung wins the series, 4-1
W - Cha Woo-chan (2-0), L - Brian Gordon (0-1), S - Oh Seung-hwan (3)
Samsung HR - Kang Bong-gyu (1)
SK HR - None

Samsung starter Cha Woo-chan was excellent for most of the game. Cha worked fast, threw strikes and kept putting zeroes on the scoreboard. Cha tossed seven shutout innings(104 pitches, 64 strikes). Cha gave up only five hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out seven.

Cha got into trouble in the second inning. With one out, SK DH Ahn Chi-yong walked and first baseman Choi Dong-su doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Center fielder Kim Kang-min walked to load the bases. Cha managed to strike out both catcher Jeong Sang-ho and shortstop Park Jin-man to end the threat.

Samsung got all the offense they would need in the fourth inning on a solo homer from left fielder Kang Bong-gyu. Kang put a Brian Gordon offering into the Samsung cheering section in left field to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.

Samsung reliever Ahn Ji-man came in for the eight inning looking like this (and later, like this). He promptly gave up an infield single to SK second baseman Jeong Geun-woo on a slow roller to short. Jeong advanced to second on a sac bunt from left fielder Park Jae-sang. Ahn struck out third baseman Choi Jeong and intentionally walked Park Jeong-kwon. Samsung called on closer Oh Seung-hwan to get the final out of the eight. It took him exactly one pitch to get DH Ahn Chi-yong to pop out to shallow center.

Oh stayed in for the ninth inning and finished off the Wyverns with a 1-2-3 innings. Oh's three saves earned him the series MVP award.

Lions Squeak Past Wyverns, Win 5th Championship

2011-10-31T21:37:00.003+09:00

Samsung beat the Wyverns in a 1-0, 2 1/2 hour sprint to the finish to capture their 5th championship in franchise history.

I'll be back tomorrow with a full write up. It's time to enjoy the victory.

SAMSUNG CLINCHES 2011 SERIES

2011-10-31T21:24:00.001+09:00

MORE TO COME!

Samsung 8, SK 4

2011-10-30T20:18:00.002+09:00

Samsung leads the series, 3-1
W - Jeong In-wook (1-0), L - Kim Kwang-hyeon (0-1)
Samsung HR - Shin Myeong-cheol (1), Choi Hyeong-woo (1)
SK HR - Park Jae-sang (2)

Samsung started the scoring in the top of the first inning. First baseman Park Seok-min hit a RBI double top start the scoring. Park would later score on a single from left fielder Kang Bong-gyu to give Samsung a 2-0 lead.

Samsung starter Yoon Seong-hwan labored through 3 1/3 innings(76 pitches, 46 strikes), but was only tagged for one run. Yoon allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four. It seemed like the SK Wyverns were determined to get into the Samsung bullpen because every at bat against Yoon felt like an epic 10+ pitch at bat.

SK loaded the bases in the third inning and scored a run on a Yoon Seong-hwan wild pitch. Yoon struck out third baseman Choi Jeong and left fielder Ahn Chi-yong to end the threat.

Samsung pushed their lead to 4-1 on a two-run bomb by second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol in the fourth inning. Samsung made it 5-1 in the top of the seventh on a solo homer from right fielder Choi Hyeon-woo. SK right fielder Ahn Chi-yong didn't move an inch when he saw the ball leave the bat. He was a statue in right as the ball sailed into the stands.

SK cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning thanks to a three-run bomb off the bat of left fielder Park Jae-sang. SK put runners on first and third with no outs, but Samsung got out of the jam after some poor baserunning from SK's Choi Jeong and a double play ball from DH Choi Dong-su.

That would be as close as SK would get to the Lions. Samsung added two runs in the eight on HBP with the bases loaded for center fielder Bae Yeong-seop and a RBI ground out from third baseman Cho Dong-chan.

Samsung added one more insurance run in the ninth inning on a RBI single from catcher Jin Kab-yong.

SK starter Kim Kwang-hyeon struggled again. Kim only tossed three innings(65 pitches, 33 strikes) and gave up three runs. Kim gave up four hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out two.

Game five picks up in Seoul's Jamsil Stadium on Monday at 6 PM local time. SK will try to prevent elimination with Brian Gordon on the mound and Samsung will try to wrap up the series with Cha Woo-chan.

SK 2, Samsung 1

2011-10-29T14:34:00.002+09:00

Samsung leads the series, 2-1

W - Song Eun-beom (1-0), L - Justin Germano (0-1), S - Eom Jeong-wook
SK HR - Park Jae-sang (1), Choi Dong-su(2)

This series is still all about the pitching and defense.

SK starter Song Eun-beom threw five shutout innings(94 pitches, 51 strikes), but was in and out of jams throughout the evening. Song gave up four hits and four walks while striking out two. Samsung could put runners on against Song, they just couldn't get the big hit they were looking for. Samsung loaded the bases in the third inning with only one out, but Song struck out first baseman Chae Tae-in and DH Choi Hyeong-woo to end the threat.

The Lions had a runner on second with two outs in the fourth. Samsung catcher Jin Kab-yong put a single into left. The runner, Kang Bong-gyu, made the turn at third and headed home. He was out by a few feet, but collided with SK catcher Jeong Sang-ho. Jeong held on to the ball and didn't seem any worse for wear once the SK training staff helped him up.

SK was able to get the big hit they were looking for. The Wyverns broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when left fielder Park Jae-sang tagged Lions' starter Justin Germano for a solo homer. DH Choi Dong-su added another solo blast in the fifth to give the Wyverns a 2-0 advantage.

The Lions finally broke through in the eighth inning. Samsung put runners on the corners with two outs. SK brought in closer Eom Jeong-wook to end the threat. First baseman Park Seok-min put a bouncer through the left side to score a run and cut the SK lead in half. Kang Bong-gyu struck out to end the inning and the threat.

Eom stayed on for the ninth inning and tossed a scoreless ninth to end the game.

Game four starts at 2 PM on Saturday afternoon at Incheon's Munhak Stadium. SK will try to even the series with struggling ace Kim Kwang-hyeon. Kim only gave up one run against KIA in the opening game of the playoffs, but took the loss. Then, Kim struggled against Lotte in game one of the second round.

Samsung will go with Yoon Seong-hwan. Yoon went 14-5 with a 3.54 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in 137 1/3 innings. Yoon struck out 83 and walked only 30.

Game 3 Starters

2011-10-28T15:43:00.002+09:00

Samsung announced last night that they will use Justin Germano in game three. Germano arrived in Korea in mid-August and made only eight starts for the Lions in 2011. Germano went 5-1 in 45 1/3 innings of work with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Germano struck out 29 and walked only six.

SK will use Song Eun-beom to try to get back into this series. Song spent time as a starter, middler reliever and even did a little closing in 2011. Song went 8-8 with one save and four holds. He owns a 3.43 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. Song struck out 55 and walked 45 in 78 2/3 innings.

Samsung 2, SK 1

2011-10-27T08:49:00.003+09:00

Samsung leads the series, 2-0
W - Kwon Oh-joon (1-0), L - Park Hee-su (0-1), S - Oh Seung-hwan (2)
Samsung HR - None
SK HR - None

Pitching ruled the day again in game two of the 2011 Korean Series.

Samsung starter Jang Won-sam looked rested and refreshed for his game two start. It showed in his performance. Jang tossed 5 1/3 innings(90 pitches, 59 strikes) of scoreless baseball. Jang gave up only three hits and two walks while striking out ten.

SK starter Yoon Hee-sang was forced from the game after the first inning due to a shoulder issue. Lee Seung-ho came to relieve him and tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Lee was lifted in the four inning when he got into a jam with runners on first and second with two outs. SK called on Brian Gordon to get out of it and he delivered. Gordon got Samsung second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol to hit a fly to right to end the threat.

SK put runners on second and third with no outs in the top of the sixth inning. It looked like they would finally break out of their team-wide offensive slump and score a few runs. Jang got SK right fielder Park Jeong-kwon to hid a grounder to the mound. Jang froze the runner at third and calmly tossed it over to first for the first out of the inning. Jang was lifted for reliever Kwon Oh-joon. Kwon struck out both DH Ahn Chi-yong and center fielder Kim Kang-min to end the threat and get Samsung out of a huge jam.

It was Samsung's turn to put SK in a tough spot in the bottom of the sixth inning. Samsung loaded the bases with two outs. Samsung left fielder Bae Yeong-seop came to the plate and quickly fell behind 0-2. Bae fouled off a few pitches and took a close pitch for a ball before poking a base hit back through the middle. Bae's hit drove in a pair and gave Samsung a 2-0 lead. Both runners advanced on an errant throw back to the infield by center fielder Kim Kang-min. Short stop Kim Sang-su flied out to end the threat, but the damage was already done.

SK finally broke through in the eighth inning. The Wyverns put runners on first and second with no outs. SK left fielder Park Jae-sang put a base hit into center field to drive in SK's first run of the series and cut the Lions' lead in half. With runners still on first and second with no outs, Samsung called on closer Oh Seung-hwan to get them out of the jam. Oh got DH Ahn Chi-yong to pop out to the catcher and struck out Kim Kang-min. SK first baseman Choi Dong-su put a base hit into center. SK were poised to tie the game, but Samsung center fielder Lee Yeong-wook made a perfect throw to the plate to nail the runner and end the inning.

Oh Seung-hwan stayed in for the ninth and struck out the side to end the game.

The series moves to Incheon's Munhak Stadium for game three. The game is scheduled for Thursday at 6 PM local time. Starters have yet to be announced. SK will have to choose between Song Eun-beom and Kim Kwang-hyeon. Samsung will either go with Yoon Seong-hwan or Justin Germano. An update will be provided as soon as starters are announced.

Samsung 2, SK 0

2011-10-26T11:16:00.004+09:00

Samsung leads the series, 1-0

W - Cha Woo-chan (1-0), L - Goh Hyo-joon (0-1), S - Oh Seung-hwan (1)
Samsung HR - None
SK HR - None

The Lions didn't look like they were off for two weeks. The Lions played last night's game more like it was an elimination game than the opening game of the series.

Doug Mathis got the start and was fairly effective for the short time he was in the game. Mathis tossed four shutout innings(59 pitches, 36 strikes) before giving way to the Samsung bullpen. Mathis gave up four hits and two walks while striking out three.

Samsung ace(by default) Cha Woo-chan relieved Mathis and added three shutout innings(36 pitches, 25 strikes). Cha gave didn't allow a baserunner while striking out five of the nine batters he faced. Dude was locked in.

Samsung broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth when second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol stepped up to the plate with runners on first and second with no outs. Shin absolutely stung a double into left/center to drive in both runners and give Samsung all the offense they would need.

Samsung loaded the bases with one out, but managed to get out of it. SK second baseman Jeong Geun-woo dropped a pop up right on the edge of the infield. He managed to locate the ball and get it back into the infield in time to get the runner coming home from third...barely. Jeong later redeemed himself by making a highlight reel catch on the final out of the inning. He made an over the shoulder catch on a ball that was headed for no man's land in right field. He never broke stride while running and looked up at the perfect time.

Samsung did run into a jam in the eighth inning, but Samsung called on closer Oh Seung-hwan to get them out of the jam and he delivered.

Oh stuck around for the ninth and recorded a perfect inning for the save.

SK starter Goh Hyo-joon was really mediocre last night. He probably would have been tagged for more runs if he wasn't pulled after 3 2/3 innings.

Samsung used an interesting strategy after their two week lay off. They used their starters for short periods of time instead of expecting them to be fully stretched out and able to go deep into games. It wouldn't be a huge shock to see them follow the same strategy in game two and beyond.

Game two is Wednesday night at 6 PM Daegu time. Samsung will try to go two games up on the Wyverns with Jang Won-sam on the mound. Jang battled various injuries all year and finished up 8-8 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. Jang struck out 68 and walked 37 in 115 innings. SK will counter with journeyman starter Yoon Hee-sang. Yoon was last seen in game four of the second round. Yoon tossed five innings of one-run baseball. He gave up six hits and one walk while striking out six. Yoon has emerged as one of the better stories of the post season as he put together solid efforts against both KIA and Lotte.

Game One Starters Announced...

2011-10-25T15:28:00.003+09:00

...and they're surprising.

SK will send Goh Hyo-joon to the mound. Goh went 5-8 in 105 2/3 innings of work. Goh ended the year with a 4.05 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. He struck out 89, but walked 69.

Samsung will start their 2011 playoff campaign with Doug Mathis. Doug only threw 64 2/3 innings because he joined the team in late July. Mathis went 5-2 with a 2.52 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. He struck out 32, but walked 34.

SK 8, Lotte 4

2011-10-24T08:43:00.002+09:00

SK wins the series, 3-2
W - Brian Gordon (1-1), L - Song Seung-joon (1-1), S - Jeong Woo-ram (1)
SK HR - Park Jeong-kwon 2(3)
Lotte HR - None

We've got a 2010 Korean Series rematch, but this time the SK Wyverns come in as the underdog and the Samsung Lions are the favorite.

SK went with struggling ace Kim Kwang-hyeon as the starter for this game and he didn't last long. Kim gave up a triple to left fielder Kim Ju-chan to start the game. Kim scored on a double from center fielder Jeon Joon-woo to give Lotte a 1-0 lead. Kim finished the first inning, but he wasn't brought back for the second. He simply hasn't looked the same since the 2010 post season.

Lotte's lead lasted until the fourth inning and it was the last lead they would see in the 2011 season. SK first baseman Park Jeong-kwon hit a two-run bomb to put SK on top.

SK added two more runs in the fifth to push the lead to 4-1. Lotte turned to starter Jang Won-joon to provide some relief. He didn't have nearly the same success he had in Game Four. Jang faced three batters and all three stung him for base hits. Lim Hoon, Jeong Geun-woo and Park Jae-sang all singled off of Jang. Park's single drove in a run to make the score 3-1. Chris Bootcheck was brought in and he promptly uncorked a wild pitch to allow Jeong Geun-woo to score from second to make the lead 4-1.

In the sixth, Park Jeong-kwon hit his second two-run homer of the day to make the lead 6-1 and the rout was on.

Lotte rallied for three in the bottom of the sixth to make the game close. DH Hong Seong-heun hit an off-the-wall double to plate the first run of the rally and catcher Kang Min-ho hit another off-the-wall double to drive in a pair.

SK piled on with two more runs in the eighth to give us our final. With runners on second and third with no outs, DH Ahn Chi-hong singled to right for the first run of the inning. Center fielder Kim Kang-min then hit a double to push the lead to 8-4. SK still had runners on second and third with no outs, but Lotte managed to get out of the jam without any more damage.

The SK bullpen(and starting staff) really stepped up after Kim's early exit. Brian Gordon threw 3 2/3 innings(49 pitches, 32 strikes) of scoreless relief. Gordon gave up only three hits while striking out three.

SK reliever Jeong Woo-ram recorded the final nine outs for the save. He struck out one and didn't give up anything.

For Lotte, it was nothing but headaches after starter Song Seung-joon was pulled in the fifth inning. Song threw 4 2/3 innings(67 pitches, 42 strikes) and gave up two runs. Song surrendered only four hits(three stayed in the park) and struck out one.

Whichever buttons manager Yang pushed after Song's exit were the wrong ones. Jang Won-joon and Chris Bootcheck both struggled in relief of Song. They didn't get much help in the field. Lotte was only charged with one error, but there were numerous mental errors in the field that helped SK pile on the runs. It was like all of the ghosts of seasons past came back to haunt them. Bobbled balls, fielders juuuuuuuust missing grounders, wild pitches.

SK will head to the Korean Series to face Samsung while Lotte will get to go home early.

The series will start in Daegu at 6 PM local time on Tuesday. Starters haven't been announced, but SK will likely use Song Eun-beom against either Yoon Seong-hwan or Cha Woo-chan. Samsung could go either way with their starter in game one. Samsung will likely save its non-Korean pitchers for either emergency relief work or for use later in the series as a starter.

Rain, Rain Go Away

2011-10-22T18:20:00.002+09:00

Game five was washed out on Saturday afternoon. The game will be played on Sunday at 2 PM Busan time.

Lotte 2, SK 0

2011-10-21T20:14:00.004+09:00

The series is tied 2-2
W - Jang Won-joon (1-0), L - Yoon Hee-sang (0-1), S - Kim Sa-yul (2)
Lotte HR - Lee Dae-ho (1)
SK HR - None

Lotte played this game like it was an elimination game. This strategy makes sense because they, well, were playing an elimination game.

Chris Bootcheck got the start for Lotte, but only stuck around for 3 1/3 innings(44 pitches, 26 strikes). Bootcheck only gave up two hits and two walks while striking out two. He was yanked after walking a batter in the fourth inning. Lotte ace Jang Won-joon was the odds on favorite to start Game 5, but he'll likely be unavailable because he threw four innings(52 pitches, 32 strikes) of shutout relief work. Jang gave up one hit and one walk while striking out five.

The strategy to use Jang in game four will only really look foolish if Lotte looks awful in game five. Lotte was at the point where they needed to use everything they had to prevent being eliminated and they did. The problem I had was that if you're going to use Jang, why not just start him? He might as well be used in the role that he's spent six months of the season playing instead of tossing him into relief.

Lotte broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning during a fairly bizarre sequence. Second baseman Cho Seong-hwan lead off the inning by trying to bunt for a hit. SK pitcher Yoon Hee-sang fielded the ball cleanly, but the throw was well wide of the bag and ended up in right field. Cho advanced to second on a sac bunt from shortstop Moon Gyu-hyeon. Left fielder Kim Ju-chan singled to center and advanced to second on the relay, but Cho made a break for home, but was out by about three feet for the second inning. Right fielder Son Ah-seop poked a single through the left side of the infield to drive in Kim and score Lotte's first run of the game.

The Giants added some insurance in the sixth inning when Lee Dae-ho hit a solo homer to make the lead 2-0.

Lotte closer Kim Sa-yul gave up a walk and a hit, but struck out two during a scoreless ninth inning for the save.

Lost in this one was a solid effort from SK starter Yoon Hee-sang. The journeyman tossed five innings(71 pitches, 50 strikes) of one-run ball. Yoon gave up six hits and one walk while striking out six.

The series comes back to Fortress Sajik for Game 5 on Saturday at 2 PM Busan time. SK will send struggling ace Kim Kwang-hyeon against Lotte's Song Seung-joon to see who will have an opportunity to face Samsung in the Korean Series.

SK 3, Lotte 0

2011-10-20T17:45:00.002+09:00

SK leads the series, 2-1
W - Song Eun-beom (1-0), L - Ryan Sadowski (1-0), S - Jeong Dae-hyeon (1)
SK HR - None
Lotte HR - None

This loss really can't be pinned on anyone other than the Lotte offense. It's hard to win a baseball game when you can't score. The Lotte offense was overly aggressive at the plate and it cost them on the scoreboard. When they did manage to get on base, it seemed like the baserunners we're all to eager to run themselves into outs.

Ryan Sadowski and the Lotte bullpen did all they could to keep Lotte in this game. Sadowski threw 5 2/3 innings(97 pitches, 55 strikes) of one-run baseball. Sadowski gave up three hits, three walks and a hit batsman while striking out five.

Sadowski was cruising until the fourth inning. An error by second baseman Cho Seong-hwan put runners at the corners with no outs. Sadowski struck out SK right fielder Ahn Chi-yong for the first out of the inning, but the next batter, DH Choi Dong-su, ripped a single into left to break a scoreless tie.

Sadowski got out of the jam thanks to a brilliant pick off play at third by catcher Kang Min-ho and a lazy fly ball by center fielder Kim Kang-min to end the game. Sadowski stuck around until there were two outs in the sixth inning. With a runner on second, Sadowski didn't get a borderline call on a full count pitch to Ahn Chi-yong to put runners at first and second with two outs. Thankfully, for Lotte, reliever Lee Jae-gon was able to get the final out to end the theat.

SK starter Song Eun-beom tossed six innings(98 pitches, 55 strikes) of scoreless baseball. Song gave up three hits, three walks and two hit batsmen while striking out four.

The game was a fairly tight 1-0 affair until SK loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. This time center fielder Kim Kang-min put a 2-2 pitch into left/center to score two runs and push the SK lead to 3-0.

SK closer Jeong Dae-hyeon needed only seven pitches to finish off the Lotte offense in the bottom of the ninth.

Game four picks up in Incheon at 6 PM local time on Thursday. Lotte will try to keep their season alive with Chris Bootcheck getting the start. SK will try to advance to the Korean Series with journeyman Yoon Hee-seong on the mound.

Sun Dong-yeol in as Manager for KIA

2011-10-18T22:37:00.002+09:00

It was announced late Tuesday afternoon that former Samsung Lions manager Sun Dong-yeol will replace Cho Beom-hyeon as manager of the KIA Tigers.

Sun abruptly left Samsung last off season after guiding the Lions to a Korean Series appearance in 2010. Sun was long rumored to take a coaching job in Japan, but instead he did...nothing and took a year off.

Sun is from Gwangju and starred with the then Haitai Tigers in the 80's and 90's. He took his first managerial job with Samsung in 2005 and guided the Lions to back-to-back championships in 2005 and 2006.

Lotte 4, SK 1

2011-10-18T10:30:00.004+09:00

Lotte center fielder Jeon Joon-woo displays his "Fist of Triumph"as he rounds first base after hitting a two-run homer.

The series is tied, 1-1
W - Song Seung-joon (1-0), L - Brian Gordon (0-1), S - Kim Sa-yul (1)
Lotte HR - Jeon Joon-woo (1), Kang Min-ho (1)
SK HR - None

Lotte tied the five game series at one win apiece thanks to a solid effort from starter Song Seung-joon and a little timely hitting.

Song tossed six plus innings(103 pitches, 63 strikes) of one-run baseball. Song gave up five hits and three walks while striking out six. He also made about a half dozen gratuitous fist pumps before giving way to the bullpen in seventh inning.

Song and SK starter Brian Gordon were locked in a pitcher's duel for the first five innings. Gordon and Song toe-to-toe until Gordon finally got into trouble in the sixth inning.

Lotte right fielder Son Ah-seop started the inning with an infield single and scored on homer from center fielder Jeon Joon-woo. Jeon broke a scoreless tie with his two-run blast. Lotte tacked on a third run in the sixth when DH Hong Seong-heun singled, stole second and scored on a base hit from catcher Kang Min-ho.

SK answered back in the top of the seventh with a RBI single from first baseman Park Jeong-kwon to cut the lead to 3-1.

Lotte responded with a solo homer from Kang in the eighth to ice the game.

Lotte closer Kim Sa-yul struck out one during a perfect ninth inning for the save.

Game three picks up in Incheon on Wednesday evening at 6 PM Incheon time. SK will send Song Eun-beom to the mound against Lotte's Ryan Sadowski.

SK 7, Lotte 6 (10)

2011-10-17T08:26:00.005+09:00

SK catcher Jeong Sang-ho celebrates after his homer in the tenth inning.

SK leads the series, 1-0
W - Jeong Woo-ram (1-0), L - Chris Bootcheck (0-1)
SK HR - Park Jeong-kwon (1), Ahn Chi-yong (2), Jeong Sang-ho (1)
Lotte HR - Kim Ju-chan (1)

This game wore me out. It started at two, went almost until 6:30 and saw four lead changes. This was a marathon of a baseball game.

Lotte started the scoring with a lead off homer from Kim Ju-chan in the first inning. It could have been worse for SK. The Giants loaded the bases with one out, but catcher Kang Min-ho grounded into a double play to end the threat.

The Giants tacked on a pair of runs in the second inning to push the lead to 3-0. Kim Ju-chan hit a RBI single, stole second and scored on a Son Ah-seop single.

SK answered back in the fourth inning with a solo homer from first baseman Park Jeong-kwon to cut the lead to 3-1. SK loaded the bases with only one out. Shortstop Park Jin-man hit a sac fly to make it a 3-2 game and second baseman Jeong Geun-woo tied it with a base-hit.

Lotte took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a RBI single from center fielder Jeon Joon-woo. Jeon's single chased SK starter Kim Kwang-hyeon from the ball game. Kim threw 3 2/3 innings(85 pitches, 48 strikes) and was charged with four runs. Kim gave up eight hits and three walks while striking out four. Reliever Lee Yeong-wook got slugger Lee Dae-ho to hit into a force out to end the inning.

SK tied the game in the sixth when center fielder Kim Kang-min lead off with a double and scored on a Park Jin-man single.

SK took a 6-4 lead in the seventh after right fielder Ahn Chi-yong clubbed a two-run bomb.

Lotte put runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Second baseman Cho Seong-hwan hit a grounder that deflected off reliever Park Hee-su's glove and bounced to second baseman Jeong Geun-woo. Cho was out at first, but the runner from third was able to score to cut the lead to 6-5.

Lotte tied the game at six in the eighth inning. With two outs and the bases empty, DH Hong Seong-heun singled, stole second and scored on a base hit from Lee Dae-ho. The steal was a little controversial because Hong put his spikes right into second baseman Jeong Geun-woo's shin in order to slide in safely. Hey, this is playoff baseball. Spikes up or go home.

Lotte put runners on first and third with no outs in the bottom of the ninth. Infielder Song Yong-seok hit grounder back to reliever Eom Jeong-wook. Eom froze the runner at third before throwing Song out at first. Kim Ju-chan was intentionally walked to load the bases and Eom was pulled for Jeong Woo-ram. Jeong needed exactly one pitch to get Son Ah-seop to ground into an inning ending double play.

SK catcher Jeong Sang-ho hit a solo homer to give SK a 7-6 lead. The homer was a line shot that landed in the third row of the left field seats.

Jeong Woo-ram stayed on for the bottom of the tenth and threw a perfect inning to end the game.

Game two is Monday night at 6 PM Busan time at Fortress Sajik. Lotte will send Song Seung-joon against SK's Brian Gordon. Song went 13-10 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 172 1/3 innings. He walked 59 and struck out 126. Gordon was 6-4 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 75 2/3 innings. He walked 20 and struck out 34.

Second Round Preview and Stat Crunch

2011-10-16T00:15:00.001+09:00

Let's take a look at what to expect in the second round of the 2011 KBO playoff.

Manager Yang of the Lotte Giants: Ready to Rumble

Combatants:

Lotte Giants, Busan, Korea, 2 League Titles (1984 and 1992), 4 straight playoff appearances. 2011 regular season vitals - 72-56-5, 2nd place in standings and automatic first round bye

Offensively - .288 team batting average FIRST IN LEAGUE, 1324 safe hits FIRST IN LEAGUE, 713 runs scored FIRST IN LEAGUE, 111 team home runs FIRST IN LEAGUE, 463 walks drawn SIXTH IN LEAGUE, 112 stolen bases FIFTH IN LEAGUE, 836 strikeouts THIRD IN LEAGUE

Defensively - 4.20 team ERA FIFTH IN LEAGUE, 787 strikeouts LAST IN LEAGUE, 1187 innings pitched SIXTH IN LEAGUE, 1256 hits given up SECOND MOST GIVEN UP IN LEAGUE, 106 fielding errors MOST IN LEAGUE, 430 walks given up SECOND IN LEAGUE, 72 wins THIRD IN LEAGUE

SK Wyverns, Incheon, Korea, 3 League Titles (2007, 2008, 2010), 5 straight playoff appearances, 2011 regular season vitals - 71-59-3, third place in standings and winner of first round playoff over Kia Tigers (LWWWX)

Offensively - .268 team batting average FIFTH IN LEAGUE, 1189 safe hits FIFTH IN LEAGUE, 589 runs scored FIFTH IN LEAGUE, 102 team home runs THIRD IN LEAGUE, 491 walks drawn FOURTH IN LEAGUE, 111 stolen bases SIXTH IN LEAGUE, 915 strikeouts SIXTH IN LEAGUE

Defensively - 3.53 ERA SECOND IN LEAGUE, 1028 strikeouts FIRST IN LEAGUE, 1230.1 innings pitched FIRST IN LEAGUE, 1025 hits given up LEAST GIVEN UP IN LEAGUE, 70 fielding errors SECOND LEAST IN LEAGUE, 554 walks given up SECOND MOST IN LEAGUE, 74 wins SECOND IN LEAGUE

STAT NOTES: Lotte is the clear winner offensively. Lotte has a slew of first places in offensive stat categories. SK's offensive numbers are below average for an 8 team league. It is clear SK kept pace with its pitching. Despite an unsteady rotation due to injuries SK managed arguably the best pitching performance of the 8 team league this year. Lotte's pitching leaves a lot to be desired. Statistically, this is an extremely uneven match up ironically balanced by each team's wins totals.

Players of Note:

Lotte - Lee Dae-ho - Korea baseball superstar comes off another stellar year. .357 (Magnum) batting average, 27 home runs, 113 RBI's sets standards for this team and the league as well. He has not played since October 6 due to his team's first round bye. He is entering the post season in a slight slump. He has 1 RBI, 0 home runs, and 2 hits in his last 5 games played.

Lotte - Jang Won-joon - Mirroring Lee Dae-ho as he dominates his team in all defensive categories. However, his team leading 15 wins, 3.14 ERA and 129 strikeouts is slightly less impressive league wide as his offensive team mate. Jang is entering the post season on a tear. He has won 4 games in a row and let in only 2 runs in his last 5 starts. SK's weak offensive will not have a good time with dude.

SK - Choi Jeong - Playoff hero of past seasons was the best offensive player for SK this year. He hit 20 home runs with .310 batting average and batted in 75. Choi leading a team with mediocre numbers like this shows how weak SK is offensively. Completely invisible in the first round, he broke out of his 0 for 12 series slump with a 2 for 3 4 RBI game in SK's game 4 clincher against Kia. Is the clutch still in the man?

SK - Song Eun-bum - SK's pitching is the definition of team spirit. Song is this team's 2011 ace by default, but his 8-8 3.34 ERA is not going to have a lot of major league scouts calling. The rest of the team did okay so SK pitched well as a team. Song pitched game two of the first round playoff against Kia. He went 6 innings and gave up 2 runs for the win. This win was SK's first win of the series and they never lost again after to advance to this current round.

Notes: 10/16, 10/17, 10/19, 10/20, 10/22 are the series dates. Games 1 and 5 (if necessary are 2pm starts, the rest are 6pm starts. Lotte's game 1 starter is Jang Won-joon, SK's game 1 starter is Kim Gwang-hyun, this is the first time SK and Lotte have met in the post season, regular season series went to SK which won 10 times, lost 8 times, and couldn't settle once, Giants however are 2-1 over SK in their last 3 meetings, Naver reader poll reports 73.8% believe Lotte will win (5,818,601 votes).

LET'S DO THIS!

SK 8, KIA 0

2011-10-13T08:35:00.004+09:00

SK wins the series, 3-1.
W - Yoon Hee-seong (1-0), L - Yoon Seok-min (1-1)
SK HR - None
KIA HR - None

It was hard to believe that SK journeyman Yoon Hee-seong outpitched KIA ace Yoon Seok-min in a playoff game. He's the 2011 version of Bob Wolcott.

Hee-seong was on a 100 pitch limit. As soon as he hit it, he was pulled. He stuck around for 6 2/3 innings and managed to keep KIA off the scoreboard. Hee-seong gave up six hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out four. He got in a jam in the second inning when he loaded the bases with one out. He got out of it with a weak liner to second and strike out to end the inning.

It was a fairly touching moment when the SK pitching coach came to take him out in the seventh inning. The coach thanked him for his effort and patted him on the head before he left.

KIA ace Yoon Seok-min came back on short rest. It was a defensable decision by the KIA brain trust. KIA was facing an elimination game and wanted to send their best out there to try to force a fifth game. Seok-min looked awesome in game one, but he came out flat in game four.

Yoon Seok-min only stuck around for 2 1/3 innings(56 pitches, 36 strikes) and was charged with three runs. Yoon gave up four hits and two walks while striking out three. He didn't appear to be very sharp on the mound.

All of the damage against Yoon came in the third inning. SK third baseman Choi Jeong hit a double with runners on first and second. Both runners managed to come around to break the scoreless tie. Choi scored on a double from first baseman Park Jeong-kwon and that was the end of Yoon Seok-min.

KIA reliever Han Ki-joo did make another appearance. This time he wasn't left out there for 72 pitches. Han tossed 1 2/3 innings, but ran into trouble and got tagged for two runs on three hits and a walk. At least he has the offseason to rest up now.

The Wyverns picked up some insurance runs later, but everyone on the KIA bench appeared ready to surrender after Yoon left the game.

Choi Jeong lead the SK offense by going 2-3 with a walk, a double, four RBIs and one run scored. Second baseman Jeong Geun-woo was constantly on base for SK's big bats. Jeong went 3-4 with a walk, a HBP(right in the ribs), four runs scored and two steals. Jeong was named the MVP of the series and pocketed 2 million KRW. Don't spend it all at once.

Round two of the KBO playoffs starts on Sunday at 2 PM Busan time at Fortress Sajik. Starters haven't been announced yet, but it will likely be SK's Kim Kwang-hyeon vs. Lotte ace Jang Won-joon.

SK 2, KIA 0

2011-10-12T10:45:00.004+09:00

SK takes a 2-1 series lead.
W - Brian Gordon (1-0), L - Seo Jae-wong (0-1), S - Eom Jeong-wook
SK HR - None
KIA HR - None

SK looked more like the 2010 team that won the KBO title last night than the team that struggled during the summer.

SK combined solid pitching with intelligent defense and just enough offense to take a 2-1 series lead over the KIA Tigers.

SK starter Brian Gordon threw 5 1/3 shutout innings(82 pitches, 53 strikes). Gordon gave up only two hits and one walk while striking out one. SK relievers Park Hee-su, Jeong Dae-hyeong and Jeong Woo-ram each earned a hold while giving up only two hits in 2 2/3 innings of combined relief work. SK closer Eom Jeong-wook walked a batter and struck out one during a scoreless ninth inning for the save.

KIA starter Seo Jae-wong pitched in and out of trouble for most of his 5 1/3 innings(72 pitches, 44 strikes) of work. Seo gave up five hits and hit two batters while striking out two.

Seo ran into trouble in the sixth inning. Seo gave up an infield single to SK second baseman Jeong Geun-woo. Jeong went to second on a sac bunt from left fielder Park Jae-sang. Choi Jeong was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game to put runners on first and second with no outs.

Seo was lifted for reliever Shim Dong-seop. Shim promptly walked first baseman Park Jeong-kwon to load the bases. Shim was yanked for reliever Yoo Dong-hoon. SK DH Ahn Chi-yong singled back through the middle. Two runners scored on the play to break the scoreless tie.

Park Jeong-kwon went 3-3(all singles) with a walk and a stolen base.

There was a scary moment in the seventh inning. KIA first baseman was on first base with left fielder Kim Sang-hyeon at the plate. Kim hit a bouncer to first. Choi was forced at second, but put his hands up to protect his face from the throw back to first. The ball slammed into Choi's fingers and he crumpled to the ground, clutching his hand. The play was so fast that at first it looked like Choi was hit in the face. Replays showed that the ball hit his fingers...hard. The fear was that Choi broke a few fingers, but he stayed in the game and appeared to be able to play.

The series continues Wednesday night at 6 PM Gwangju time. SK will try to end the first round with Yoon Hee-sang on the mound. Yoon went 3-1 in 46 2/3 innings over 20 apperances. Yoon owns a 4.82 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. He struck out 27 and walked 12. Yoon will be opposed by KIA ace Yoon Seok-min. Yoon is coming back on short rest after an impressive complete game victory in Game 1. Yoon went 17-5 with a save in 172 1/3 innings. Yoon had a 2.45 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He struck out 178 and walked 44.

SK 3, KIA 2 (11)

2011-10-10T10:32:00.003+09:00

The series is tied, 1-1

W - Jeong Woo-ram (1-0), L - Han Ki-joo(0-1)
SK HR - Ahn Chi-yong (1)
KIA HR - Choi Hee-seop (1)

KIA looked like they would cruise to a 2-0 series lead, but the Wyverns had other plans and staged a late rally to to make this a series.

KIA jumped out to a 1-0 lead when left fielder Na Ji-wan ripped a single into right with a runner on second.

The Tigers added to their lead in the top of the fifth inning. Slugger Choi Hee-seop hit a fly-ball that juuuuuuust went over the top of SK left fielder Park Jae-sang's glove for a solo homer. Replays show that the ball may or may not have clipped the top of his glove. Either way, it gave KIA a 2-0 lead.

SK cut the KIA lead in half when left fielder Park Jae-sang hit a RBI triple in the bottom of the fifth. The Wyverns tied the game in the seven on a solo homer from right fielder Ahn Chi-yong. Ahn even did the"bat flip/stare/slow walk" homer celebration trifecta. He knew it was gone the second it left his bat.

The two offenses basically stared each other down for the next four innings, until the bottom of the eleventh.

SK put runners on first and second with a walk from right fielder Ahn Chi-yong and a base hit from second baseman Jeong Geun-woo. Both runners advanced on a sac bunt by left fielder Park Jae-sang. Third baseman Choi Jeong grounded out to third. The KIA defense made sure to freeze the runners before throwing over to first for the second out. First baseman Park Jeong-kwon was intentionally walked to load the bases. DH Lee Ho-joon came to the plate and, with a full count, put a bouncer back up the middle for a walk-off single.

The question KIA fans have to ask is, "Was the KIA bullpen abducted?" KIA left reliever Han Ki-joo on the mound for four innings after Yang Hyeon-jong and Son Yeong-min came in for Aquilino Lopez in the seventh inning. Han was left out there for 72 pitches! He was effective until the 11th, but there was no reason to have Han log that many innings. Especially since the KIA bullpen had an extra day of rest after Yoon Seok-min's complete game on Saturday.

Lost in his game is a solid effort from Aquilino Lopez. Lopez tossed six+ innings(91 pitches, 63 strikes) of two-run ball. Lopez gave up six hits and three walks while striking out six.

SK starter Song Eun-beom was actually allowed to pitch past the third inning. Song tossed six innings(83 pitches, 54 strikes) of two-run baseball. Song allowed five hits and one walk while striking out five.

The next game will be on Tuesday at 6:30 PM Korea time. Brian Gordon will take the ball for the Wyverns, while KIA will send Seo Jae-wong to the mound. Gordon went 6-4 in 14 appearances after replacing Jim Magrane in the middle of the season. Gordon owns a 3.81 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 75 2/3 innings of work. Gordon has struck out 70 and walked only 20. Seo Jae-wong went 8-9 with two saves and two holds in 30 appearances for the Tigers. Seo has a 4.28 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 130 1/3 innings of work. Seo struck out 84 and walked 36.

KIA 5, SK 1

2011-10-09T11:06:00.002+09:00

KIA leads the series, 1-0
W - Yoon Seok-min (1-0), L - Kim Kwang-hyeon (0-1)
KIA HR - Cha Il-mok (1)
SK HR - Choi Dong-su (1)

The Korean baseball press got the matchup they wanted. KIA ace Yoon Seok-min got the start for the Tigers and the Wyverns went with their struggling ace, Kim Kwang-hyeon. The 23-year old ace had only thrown seven innings since June after being shut down with an injury.

Kim tossed 4 2/3 innings(88 pitches, 52 strikes) of one-run baseball. Kim gave up four hits and three walks, but didn't manage to strikeout anyone. It didn't help that SK looked a little shaky behind him. They didn't make any errors, but they didn't play the crisp defensive game that they're known for.

Yoon stepped up for the Tigers and threw a complete game(109 pitches, 70 strikes). Yoon gave up one run on three hits and three walks while striking out four. Yoon only got in trouble when he appeared to tire in the ninth inning and pinch hitter Choi Dong-su tagged him for a solo homer.

KIA took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a sac fly from shortstop Kim Seon-bin. KIA added some insurance when they loaded the bases in the ninth inning and catcher Cha Il-mok unloaded them with a grand slam homer to ice the game.

The series continues at 2 PM on Sunday in Incheon. KIA's Aquilino Lopez will pitch against SK's Song Eun-beom. Lopez went 11-9 with a 3.98 ERA in 153 2/3 innings. Lopez struck out 106 while only walking 26 batters. Song Eun beom was 8-8 with a save and four holds in 78 2/3 innings. Song struck out 55 and walked 45. If he makes it out of the third inning, it will be a surprise.

10/6 Roundup and News

2011-10-07T23:37:00.004+09:00

The playoffs start on Saturday at 2 PM in Incheon. The SK Wyverns will battle the KIA Tigers in a five game series to move on to Round Two of the KBO playoffs. This matchup will be a rematch of the dramatic 2009 Korean Series when KIA won a walk-off victory in Game Seven to win the championship.

Samsung 8, LG 3
W - Jang Won-sam (8-8), L - Lim Chan-gyu (9-6)
Samsung HR - None
LG HR - Lee Taek-geun (4)

Lotte 5, Hanhwa 3
W - Jin Myeong-ho (1-2), L - Ahn Seung-min (7-9), S - Kim Sa-yul (20)
Lotte HR - None
Hanhwa HR - Jang Seong-ho (8)

Doosan 4, Nexen 0
W - Dustin Nippert (15-6), L - Kim Su-kyeong (1-2), S - Fernando Nieve (6)
Doosan HR - None
Nexen HR - None

SK 6, KIA 5
W - Shin Seung-hyeon (1-0), L - Lim Joon-hyeok (0-1), S - Lim Jeong-woo (1)
SK HR - None
KIA HR - Yoo Jae-won (2)

10/5 Roundup and News

2011-10-06T09:13:00.002+09:00

The experts have already started breaking down the KIA/SK series. Complete with graphs!

LG and Doosan will likely contact former Samsung Lions manager Sun Dong-yeol.

LG has four reasons to play hard in their last game. None of them involve making the playoffs.

Lotte's Hong Seong-heun sounds optomistic about the Giants chances in their fourth consecutive playoff appearance.

Lotte 6, Hanhwa 3
W - Goh Won-joon (9-7), L - Park Jeong-jin (7-6), S - Kim Sa-yul (19)
Lotte HR - None
Hanhwa HR - Choi Jin-haeng (19)

Ryan Sadowski got the start for the Lotte Giants and just didn't look sharp. Ryan gave up two runs in four innings(60 pitches, 39 strikes) of work. Sadowski allowed six hits while striking out one.

Hanhwa starter Yang Hoon looked very sharp. Yang tossed seven innings(103 pitches, 72 strikes) of one-run baseball. Yang gave up eight hits and one walk while striking out five.

Sadly, for Yang, the Hanhwa bullpen fell to pieces and wound up blowing the game.

Lotte faced a 3-1 deficit in the eight inning, but loaded the bases with one out. Backup infielder Son Yong-seok came to the plate and thumped a double down the right field line. All three runners scored to give Lotte a 4-3 lead. Lotte picked up a few more insurance runs and handed the eight inning to Goh Won-joon.

Goh started the season as the Giants' closer, but was needed as a starter. Goh threw a perfect eight inning and current closer Kim Sa-yul struck out two during a perfect ninth inning.

Hanhwa DH Choi Jin-haeng went 2-4 with a homer, two RBIs and one run scored.

Doosan 8, Nexen 2
W - Lee Yong-chan (6-10), L - Kang Yoon-guh (3-1)
Doosan HR - Lee Seong-yeol (7)
Nexen HR - None

Doosan starter Lee Yong-chan threw seven innings(109 pitches, 70 strikes) of two-run ball(one earned). Lee gave up eight hits and one walk while striking out six.

While Lee was dealing on the mound, the Doosan offense was putting up runs in bunches. Outfielder Lim Jae-cheol went 2-3 with two walks, two runs scored and two RBIs. Left fielder Lee Sang-yeol went 2-3 with a double, a homer, two RBIs and one run scored. Oh Jae-won lead off and played first base. Both positions are unusual for Oh, but he went 2-4 with two runs scored, one RBI and a stolen base.

SK 3, KIA 0
W - Yoon Hee-sang (3-1), L - Kim Hee-geol (2-5), S - Jeong Dae-hyeon (16)
SK HR - Lee Ho-joon (14)
KIA HR - None

SK starter Yoon Hee-sang tossed 5 1/3 innings(75 pitches, 46 strikes) of shutout baseball. Yoon only allowed two hits while striking out two. Four SK relievers combined to only allow one hit in the final 3 2/3 innings.

SK right fielder Park Jeong-kwon hit a RBI double in the fourth. Center fielder Kim Kang-min hit a RBI sac fly in the fifth. DH Lee Ho-joon gave SK their third run by blasting a solo homer in the sixth inning.

The win by SK clinches the #3 seed for the Wyverns and the #4 seed for the KIA Tigers.

Samsung 2, LG 2 (12)
Samsung HR - None
LG HR - None

The Lions tied the game at two in the seventh inning on a delayed steal. With runners on the corners and two outs, Samsung catcher Chae Sang-byeong took off for second. After LG catcher Cho In-seong threw down to second, Samsung left fielder Kang Bong-gyu took off from third and slid in safely to tie the game at two.

Tied is where this one remained as both sides stared at each other for five innings.

Samsung starter Justin Germano threw six innings(83 pitches, 62 strikes) of two-run ball. Germano gave up seven hits while striking out five.

LG starter Kim Sang-hyeon tossed 6 2/3 innings of two-run(one earned) baseball. Kim allowed three hits and four walks while striking out six.

10/4 Roundup and News

2011-10-05T08:53:00.003+09:00

Lotte has clinched #2 seed in the playoffs. This is the first time in franchise history that Lotte has finished second.

The players in Doosan were asked who they wanted to manage next year. It sounds like they're looking to hire from within.

Former Wyverns manager Kim Seong-geun is retired, healthy and not teaching.

This season was short and intense for Karim Garcia.

Lotte 20, Hanhwa 2
W - Song Seung-joon (13-10), L - Ma Il-yeong (2-5)
Lotte HR - Hwang Jae-gyun (12), Kim Ju-chan 2(6)
Hanhwa HR - None

Lotte hung one on the Hanhwa Eagles and clinched the #2 seed in the playoffs with the SK loss to KIA.

Lotte was up 9-1 in the sixth and THEN rallied for 11 runs to put the game well out of reach. Hanhwa helped the Giants out a lot by committing four fielding errors in a disaster of a baseball game.

Lotte left fielder Kim Ju-chan went 2-5 with two homers, four RBIs and two runs scored. DH Hong Seong-heun went 2-3 with two walks, two doubles, five RBIs and two runs scored. Jeon Joon-woo started in center field and went 5-6 with three doubles, three RBIs and four runs scored.

Lotte starter Song Seung-joon tossed five innings(90 pitches, 54 strikes) of one-run ball. Song gave up four hits and one walk while striking out four.

KIA 4, SK 0
W - Son Yeong-min (9-6), L - Goh Hyo-joon (5-8), S - Kim Jin-woo (2)
KIA HR - None
SK HR - None

KIA "starter" Han Ki-joo and six KIA relievers combined to limit the Wyverns to three hits, five walks and three hit batsmen. Han started, but only threw two innings of scoreless ball.

KIA broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the second inning when third baseman Park Ki-nam hit a two-run single. KIA tacked on some insurance and rode some adequate pitching and solid D to victory.

KIA second baseman Ahn Chi-hong went 2-3 with a walk, a double, one RBI and one run scored.

LG 7, Samsung 2
W - Radhames Liz (11-13), L - Doug Mathis (5-2)
LG HR - None
Samsung HR - None

LG starter Radhames Liz tossed seven innings(118 pitches, 73 strikes) of one-run baseball. Liz gave up four hits and four walks while striking out seven.

Samsung starter Doug Mathis was left out there to get battered for seven innings(117 pitches, 72 strikes). Mathis gave up all seven LG runs on 10 hits and four walks. He did manage to strike out five.

LG left fielder Lee Taek-geun went 2-3 with a walk, a steal, one RBI and two runs scored. Center fielder Lee Dae-hyeong went 2-5 with a triple and two runs scored.

10/3 Roundup and News

2011-10-04T11:24:00.003+09:00

How can LG fall to seventh place? By playing baseball poorly.

Donga Sports wants to see a Kim Kwang-hyeon/Yoon Seok-min match up in the playoffs. Could happen, but Kim could still be rehabbing in the bullpen.

Sports Seoul takes a look at the 5th place Hanhwa Eagles. These guys aren't that bad! They won't contend for a playoff spot, but they're competent.

Nexen's Park Byeong-ho has five hits in eight at bats in October. Good for him.

Doosan 7, LG 4
W - Kim Seung-hee (3-3), L - Ben Jukich (10-8)
Doosan HR - Lim Jae-cheol (2)
LG HR - Lee Dae-hyeong (1)

Doosan starter Kim Seung-hee threw five innings(89 pitches, 53 strikes) of two-run baseball. Kim allowed only three hits, but walked four and struck out four.

LG's Ben Jukich didn't have much in what will likely be his last appearance of the season. Jukich was knocked around for six runs(four earned) in 3 2/3 innings of work.

Most of the damage came during a four-run Doosan rally in the fourth inning. Most of the damage came on a two-run single from shortstop Kim Jae-ho.

These two teams are basically fighting over sixth place. Doosan has a one game lead over LG. Doosan's sudden collapse has been one of the more inexplicable stories of the 2011 season.

SK 4, Samsung 3
W - Brian Gordon (6-4), L - Cha Woo-chan (10-6), S - Eom Jeong-wook (6)
SK HR - Jeong Geun-woo (6), Park Jeong-kw0n (13)
Samsung HR - Choi Hyeong-woo (30), Chae Sang-byeong (3)

SK second baseman Jeong Geun-woo lead off the game with a solo homer. The Wyverns picked up a second run in the third inning on a RBI single from third baseman Choi Jeong. SK pushed the lead to 4-0 thanks to a two-run bomb from right fielder Park Jeong-kwon.

Samsung got back in the game with a two-run bomb from slugger Choi Hyeong-woo. This blast made Choi the first batter in the KBO to get to 30 homers this season. Choi owns a .335/.425/.614 slash line this year with 30 homers and 114 RBIs. He's probably this year's MVP.

Samsung added another run in the seventh on a solo homer from backup catcher Chae Sang-byeong.

SK's Kim Kwang-hyeon started the game, but only lasted four innings(48 pitches, 35 strikes) thanks to a pitch count. Kim didn't give up any runs and only allowed one hit. Kim struck out seven before taking a seat.

Brian Gordon was brought in to relieve Kim. Gordon did earn the W, but he gave up all three Samsung runs in 2 2/3 innings of relief.

10/2 Roundup

2011-10-04T11:22:00.002+09:00

Hanhwa 6, Nexen 4
W - Song Chang-sik (6-4), L - Lee Bo-geun (5-3), S - Denny Bautista (10)
Hanhwa HR - None
Nexen HR - Park Byeong-ho (13)

Doosan 11, LG 1
W - Kim Sun-woo (16-7), L - Park Hyeon-joon (13-10)
Doosan HR - Lee Won-seok (8)
LG HR - None

10/1 Roundup

2011-10-04T11:17:00.002+09:00

Hanhwa 11, Nexen 9
W - Song Chang-sik (3-3), L - Shim Su-chang (2-13), S - Denny Bautista (9)
Hanhwa HR - Karim Garcia (18), Oh Jae-pil (2)
Nexen HR - Song Ji-man (9)

Doosan 9, LG 1
W - Dustin Nippert (14-6), L - Lim Chan-gyu (9-5)
Doosan HR - Kim Hyeon-su (13)
LG HR - None

Samsung 6, SK 4
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (14-5), L - Gary Glover (7-6), S - Oh Seung-hwan (47)
Samsung HR - Cho Yeong-hoon (6)
SK HR - Lee Ho-joon (13)

9/30 Roundup and News

2011-10-01T13:38:00.002+09:00

Nexen 3, Hanhwa 0
W - Kim Sang-su (1-4), L - Yang Hoon (6-10), S - Son Seung-rak (17)
Nexen HR - None
Hanhwa HR - None

Nexen starter Moon Seong-hyeon threw 6 1/3 innings(124 pitches, 71 strikes) of scoreless baseball. Moon gave up six hits and five walks while striking out seven. Moon didn't get the W because Nexen didn't score any runs for him...until the bottom of the seventh.

Nexen rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh when DH Oh Jae-il hit a RBI single and second baseman Ji Seok-hoon hit a two-run single to break a scoreless tie.

Lotte 6, Doosan 3
W - Jang Won-joon (15-6), L - Ahn Gyu-yeong (0-2)
Lotte HR - Kang Min-ho (19), Lee In-guh (2)
Doosan HR - Yoon Seok-min (4)

With this win and the SK win, the Lotte Giants are still a full game ahead of the Wyverns for second place in the KBO.

This game started with a memorial for recently deceased Lotte legend Choi Dong-won.

Lotte started the game with a four-run rally. Second baseman Cho Seong-hwan started the rally with a RBI single and catcher Kang Min-ho finished it with a three-run bomb.

Doosan fought back with a three-run homer from Doosan third baseman Yoon Seok-min in the top of the second.

Lotte picked up some insurance in the bottom of the second when right fielder Lee In-guh hit a two-run blast.

Lotte starter Ryan Sadowski was yanked after giving up the three-run bomb and Lotte ace Jang Won-joon was brought in from the bullpen. Jang tossed 7 1/3 innings(102 pitches, 67 strikes) of scoreless baseball. Jang allowed five hits and one walk while striking out six.

SK 2, Samsung 0
W - Lee Seung-ho (6-3), L - Jang Won-sam (7-8), S - Eom Jeong-wook (5)
SK HR - Choi Jeong (20)
Samsung HR - None

The scoreboard might as well read "Choi Jeong 2, Samsung 0" because Choi hit a RBI single in the first inning and blasted a solo homer in the seventh. The homer was Choi's 100th of his career.

Five SK pitchers combined to shutout the Lions. Starter Song Eun-beom did the bulk of the work by throwing three shutout innings(54 pitches, 34 strikes). Song gave up only one hit and one walk while striking out four.

The game was disrupted in the late innings when a group of fans in the bleachers displayed an "Anti-SK" banner. It took umpires and security almost twenty minutes to restore order. The banner's message was blurred out on TV.

9/29 Roundup and News

2011-09-30T08:48:00.003+09:00

My Daily takes a look at KIA giving reliever Han Ki-joo a starting assignment. "Hey! I've got an idea! Let's give the guy who missed almost two full years a job that's going to put MORE stress on his arm! GIVE ME A RAISE!"

Someone at Osen wants to compare Hanhwa great Guh Dae-seong to Denny Bautista because they can both start, relieve and close.

Someone at Osen also thinks that Lotte manager Yang Seung-ho should be the team's MVP. This person must have been in a coma for April and May.

Osen does redeem themselves by giving us a preview of the possible winners of the KBO's Gold Glove at shortstop. A trio of smaller guys are the frontrunners for the award this year. Osen likes Samsung's Kim Sang-su, Hanhwa's Lee Dae-su and KIA's Kim Seon-bin. If I had to, I'd probably rank them 1. Lee, 2. Kim Sang-su and 3. Kim Seon-bin, but post-season performances often weigh heavy in the minds of voters.

KIA 8, Doosan 1
W - Han Ki-joo (1-3), L - Choi Hyeon-jin (0-1)
KIA HR - Na Ji-wan (18)
Doosan HR - None

KIA reliever Han Ki-joo made his first career start and looked solid. Han tossed five innings(87 pitches, 56 strikes) of one-run baseball. Han gave up seven hits and three walks while striking out three.

KIA DH Na Ji-wan hit a grand slam in the first inning as the Tigers routed the lowly Bears. KIA left fielder Yoo Jae-won also chipped in with a two-run double.

Nexen 5, LG 0
W - Kang Yoon-guh (3-0), Radhames Liz (10-13)
Nexen HR - Kim Min-woo (6)
LG HR - None

Nexen starter Kang Yoon-guh continued his run of solid pitching. Kang threw five shutout innings(83 pitches, 49 strikes) last night. Kang only allowed two hits and two walks while striking out two. Kang started his career two years ago as a 19-year old reliever. He's been converted to a starter and looks like a competent KBO starter. He's only given up 18 baserunners in 17 innings this year, but walks might be a problem. He's allowed nine of them already.

Nexen third baseman Kim Min-woo broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning with a two-run homer and the Nexen offense picked up a few more insurance runs in the late innings to earn the W. Doosan went out of their way to help the Heroes by committing four errors.

Samsung 3, SK 3
Samsung HR - None
SK HR - Jeong Sang-ho (11)

Samsung jumped out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to a three-run rally in the fourth inning. Most of the damage came on a two-run single from third baseman Cho Dong-chan.

SK cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth inning with a two-run homer from catcher Jeong Sang-ho. The Wyverns tied the game at three in the seventh inning on a RBI sac fly from first baseman Park Jin-man.

Tied was how the game would remain.

Lost in this game was a solid effort from Justin Germano. Germano threw six innings(76 pitches, 51 strikes) of two-run baseball. Germano gave up four hits and one walk while striking out seven.

Thanks to the tie, the Lotte Giants remain a full game up on the SK Wyverns for second place.

9/28 Roundup and News

2011-09-29T21:47:00.004+09:00

Hanhwa 4, LG 2
W - Ryu Hyeon-jin (11-7), L - Ben Jukich (10-7), S - Park Jeong-jin (7)
Hanhwa HR - None
LG HR - None

Hanhwa ace Ryu Hyeon-jin looked solid last night. Ryu tossed six innings(93 pitches, 64 strikes) of two-run ball. Ryu gave up seven hits and struck out three. He didn't appear to have overpowering stuff, but he was able to stay ahead in the count and rack up outs.

Both of these teams looked about ready for the season to end. The less said about this game the better, but this might be the last time the KBO sees Ben Jukich.

Jukich is your standard American innings eater. He doesn't overpower hitters, but he's able to get outs and take the ball every fifth day. It wouldn't be a huge shock to see him get an offer or two from the NPB next year.

He came out for the seventh inning when it was probably time to pack it in and wound up with the loss.

Jukich threw 6 1/3 innings(92 pitches, 60 strikes) and was tagged for all four Eagles' runs. Jukich gave up eight hits and two walks while striking out two.

Samsung 5, Doosan 2
W - Doug Mathis (5-1), L - Lee Yong-chan (5-10), S - Oh Seung-hwan (46)
Samsung HR - None
Doosan HR - None

Samsung was able to scratch out enough runs to get a lead and used that bullpen to hang on for the W.

Samsung starter Doug Mathis tossed six innings(115 pitches, 63 strikes) of two-run baseball. Mathis gave up six hits and four walks while striking out five. It was a little surprising to see Mathis throw as much as he did last night. This was likely his last regular season start, but 115 pitches at this point of the season seems excessive.

Samsung relievers Jeong Hyeong-wook and Kwon Oh-joon both recorded holds. Closer Oh Seung-hwan struck out two during a scoreless ninth to earn his league leading 46th save.

Lions' slugger Choi Hyeong-woo did most of the damage against Doosan. Choi drove in four runs and went 3-5 with a double and triple. Right fielder Park Han-yi went 3-4 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base.

Nexen 5, SK 0
W - Kim Su-kyeong (1-1), L - Brian Gordon (5-4), S - Son Seung-rak (17)
Nexen HR - None
SK HR - None

Nexen starter Kim Su-kyeong looked great as he shut the Wyverns down for 6 1/3 innings(95 pitches, 60 strikes). Kim gave up only thee hits and one hit batsman while striking out five.

Kim made the SK offense looked fairly mediocre in a game they couldn't afford to look mediocre in. SK is still a full game behind the Lotte Giants for second place. Giants fans can't breathe easy yet, but they could at least exhale a few times last night.

Nexen center fielder Yoo Han-joon lead the Heroes' offense by going 3-5 with a double and two RBIs.

9/27 Roundup and News

2011-09-28T21:21:00.002+09:00

Samsung 5, Doosan 3
W - Cha Woo-chan (10-5), L - Kim Seung-hui (2-3), S - Oh Seung-hwan (45)
Samsung HR - None
Doosan HR - Son Si-hyeon (4)

This W clinched first place in the KBO for the Samsung Lions. It's time for the regulars to put their feet up for a few weeks because they've already punched their ticket for the Korean Series.

Samsung scored all their runs in the third inning thanks to a two-run double from DH Choi Hyeong-woo and a three-run double from left fielder Kang Bong-gyu.

Samsung starter Cha Woo-chan did enough to earn the W. Cha threw 5 2/3 innings(89 pitches, 56 strikes) and allowed all three Bears' runs. Cha gave up four hits and four walks while striking out five.

A trio of Samsung relievers earned holds while closer Oh Seung-hwan clinched the league title with a scoreless ninth inning. Oh gave up a base hit and struck out two while earning his 45th save.

SK 10, Nexen 2
W - Lee Jae-yeong (2-0), L - Brandon Knight (7-15), S - Lee Seung-ho (2)
SK HR - Jeong Sang-ho (10)
Nexen HR - Kim Min-seong (4), Park Byeong-ho (12)

SK absolutely pummeled a Nexen team that looked ready for the season to end.

SK battered Nexen starter Brandon Knight for six runs in his 3 1/3 innings of work. SK DH Lee Ho-joon went 2-5 with three RBIs. Left fielder Ahn Chi-yong also went 2-5 with three RBIs, but Ahn also scored a run.

SK starter Lee Seung-ho(yes, they have two guys with the same name and yes it is confusing) was chased from the game in the third inning, but the SK bullpen picked up the slack. SK reliever Lee Jae-yeong threw three innings of one-run ball to earn the W, while reliever Lee Seung-ho tossed three innings of scoreless relief for the save.

This win put te Wyverns a half game in back of the Lotte Giants for second place. SK has eight games left, while Lotte has only four remaining.

9/25 Roundup

2011-09-27T21:49:00.002+09:00

Hanhwa 4, Lotte 3 (11)
W - Denny Bautista (3-0), L - Song Seung-joon (12-10)
Hanhwa HR - None
Lotte HR - None

Doosan 7, KIA 2
W - Dustin Nippert (13-6), L - Seo Jae-wong (8-9)
Doosan HR - None
KIA HR - Yoo Jae-won (1), Ahn Chi-hong (5)

LG 4, SK 3
W - Han Hee (2-1), L - Park Hee-su (4-2), S - Song Shin-yeong (19)
LG HR - None
SK HR - None

Samsung 7, Nexen 0
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (13-5, L - Shim Chang-su (2-12)
Samsung HR - None
Nexen HR - None

9/24 Roundup

2011-09-27T21:43:00.003+09:00

Lotte 6, Hanhwa 1
W - Jang Won-joon (14-6), L - Park Jeong-jin (7-5)
Lotte HR - Moon Gyu-hyeon (2)
Hanhwa HR - None

KIA 9, Doosan 4
W - Yoon Seok-min (17-5), L - Ahn Gyu-yeong (0-1)
KIA HR - Kim Sang-hyeon (14), Shin Jong-gil (5), Na Ji-wan (17)
Doosan HR - Lee Won-seok (7)

SK 7, LG 6
W - Eom Jeong-wook (3-2), L - Han Hee (1-1)
SK HR - Jeong Sang-ho (9), Park Jeong-kwon (12)
LG HR - Oh Ji-hwan (2), Lee Byeong-gyu (4)

Samsung 2, Nexen 0
W - Jang Won-sam (7-7), L - Moon Seong-hyeon (5-12), S - Oh Seung-hwan (44)
Samsung HR - None
Nexen HR - None

9/23 Roundup

2011-09-27T21:40:00.002+09:00

Doosan 7, Hanhwa 6
W - Kim Sun-woo (15-7), L - Kim Hyeok-min (5-13), S - Fernando Nieve (5)
Doosan HR - None
Hanhwa HR - Karim Garcia (17)

Samsung 10, Nexen 0
W - Jeong In-wook (6-2), L - Kim Su-kyeong (0-1)
Samsung HR - Cho Dong-chan (4)
Nexen HR - None

9/22 Roundup

2011-09-27T21:34:00.002+09:00

Samsung 5, KIA 2
W - Justin Germano (5-1), L - Aquilino Lopez (11-9), S - Oh Seung-hwan (43)
Samsung HR - None
KIA HR - None

Hanhwa 8, Doosan 1
W - Yang Hoon (6-9), L - Lee Yong-chan (5-9)
Hanhwa HR - Karim Garcia (16), Han Sang-hoon (3)
Doosan HR - None

Lotte 12, SK 2
W - Song Seung-joon (12-9), L - Brian Gordon (5-3)
Lotte HR - Lee Dae-ho (27)
SK HR - Park Jeong-kwon (11), Jeong Sang-ho (8)

Nexen 6, LG 2
W - Kang Yoon-guh (2-0), L - Yoon Won-seong (1-5)
Nexen HR - Ji Seok-hoon (2), Corey Aldridge (20)
LG HR - None

Masaichi Kaneda Speaks, Continued

2011-09-27T07:52:00.000+09:00

Continuing the transliteration of the interview K-ball writer Park Dong-hui did with Korean-Japanese pitching legend Masaichi Kaneda/King Kyeong-hong, part 1 at link below:

http://koreabaseball.blogspot.com/2011/09/masaichi-kaneda-speaks.html

P: When did you know you wanted to play baseball?

K: Um. We liked baseball, but it was hard to play baseball at the time. Do you know why? Because baseball was American and the Pacific War was going on. Baseball was banned for a long time. I didn't play baseball at all in elementary school (here, literally described as "small school," how elementary school was called in Japan back then). I only started playing baseball in high school.

P: Do you remember how you started playing ball in high school?

K: Baseball is a game you need sense for. You can be fast, you can have strong shoulders. But if you don't have sense, you can't play. I had sense so I started playing in my first year of high school.

P: Actually, that's a pretty late time to start playing baseball. People usually start in elementary school or in the second grade of middle school.

K: I dropped out of school in my second year of high school to turn pro. I became a pro ball player after playing just two years (laughs).

P: You started late, but your skills were unmatched. You played in the national high school tournament too.

K: Yeah, that would be the summer of 1949. I wasn't the ace though, I was the second pitcher.

P: How did you do?

K: First year of high school, we made it to the semi-finals. But second year, we didn't get past the preliminary round. (In a regrettable tone) It's just memories now.

P: Were you a pitcher from the first year of high school?

K: (Nods) Yeah.

P: You left school when your high school team didn't make the playoffs in the summer high school tournament to join the Kokutetsu Swallows. I heard there was a bidding war between Japanese universities for your services.

K: That's true. All the scouts came to our school to try and get me to go to their universities. Waseda University said "you don't have to worry about tuition, just come to our school."

P: Waseda was a good university, even if you didn't play ball there, you would be an "elite" just for going to that school. Lots of baseball players dreamed of playing at Waseda. What made you ditch that to join the Swallows?

K: Simple, I wanted money (laughs). You think it's a joke? It's the truth. It was all because of money. I wanted to make money fast so I could give my parents a comfortable life. (Sips his tea, makes an innocent, childish facial expression) Kaneda-ball was all about the money.

P: So you got paid for your services?

K: A lot. Maximum under rookie rules.

P: Swallows wasn't a strong team at the time. Its owner company wasn't big. Why did you join the Swallows instead of a big money team like the Giants or the Hanshin Tigers?

K: (Makes expression with fingers) Human relations, it was just to be. Just like how we're talking right now. I could have been talking to someone else today. It was destiny and how it was going to be. Stuff like this is important.

Continued.

------------------------------------------------------

ANOTHER GREAT MUSIC VIDEO FROM YOUR BLOG CO-HOST RIGHT HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXtGz0WlWgE

THANKS FOR READING AND THANKS FOR WATCHING!

9/21 Roundup and News

2011-09-22T22:13:00.003+09:00

LG 7, Nexen 3
W - Radhames Liz (10-12), L - Brandon Knight (7-14)
LG HR - None
Nexen HR - Kang Jeong-ho (9)

LG starter Radhames Liz tossed five innings(100 pitches, 63 strikes) of two-run baseball. Liz gave up seven hits and three walks while striking out six.

LG rallied for five runs in the fifth inning and hung on for the W. Right fielder Lee Jin-yeong went 2-4 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored. Third baseman Jeong Seong-ho went 1-3 with a sac fly and three RBIs.

Doosan 5, Samsung 3 (10)
W - Fernando Nieve (3-6), L - Ahn Ji-man (11-5)
Doosan HR - None
Samsung HR - None

Doosan took a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning when right fielder Jeong Su-bin singled to center with runners on first and second. The throw to the plate was online, but a split second late as Doosan third baseman Yoon Seok-min slid in under the tag.

Samsung tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on a RBI double from shortstop Kim Sang-su.

Samsung loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth and looked to walk-off the Bears for the second straight night. Right fielder Park Han-yi hit a grounder and the runner was forced at home. Fernando Nieve got out of the jam by getting Choi Hyeong-woo to fly out to right to end the inning.

Doosan put runners on first and third with no outs in the to of the tenth. First baseman Oh Jae-won singled back up the middle to give Doosan a 4-3 lead. The Bears added some insurance on a RBI single from left fielder Kim Hyeon-su.

Samsung went fairly quietly in the bottom of the tenth to end the game.

SK 6, Lotte 2
W - Jeong Dae-hyeon (3-3), L - Ryan Sadowski (11-8)
SK HR - None
Lotte HR - None

This was actually a really close contest until Ryan Sadowski started to fatigue in the sixth inning and SK was able to get into the Lotte bullpen.

Sadowski tossed 5 2/3 innings(100 pitches, 57 strikes) and was tagged for three runs. Sadowski gave up five hits and two walks while striking out six.

Lotte held a 2-0 lead until SK rallied in the sixth inning. With runners on first and second with one out, SK left fielder Ahn Chi-yong poked a single through the left side of the Lotte defense to cut the Lotte lead in half. A wild pitch allowed the runners to move into second and third, but Sadowski retired DH Lee Ho-joon for the second out. Reliever Kang Yeong-sik was brought in and promptly gave up a base hit to first baseman Choi Dong-su to give SK a 3-2 lead.

The Wyverns added some insurance in the seventh and eighth and leaned on their deep pitching staff to keep putting zeroes on the scoreboard.

The SK win put them back in a virtual tie for second place.

Korean Ball Players in America on UK Network

2011-09-22T04:25:00.003+09:00

BBC (that would be British Broadcasting Corporation for you non-interested in Britain people) is running this small report on "Asian" ball players playing in the minor leagues.

Watch here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14981021?OCID=fbusbbc?OCID=fbwin

The story takes place in Boise, Idaho where the Chicago Cubs' low A affiliate Boise Hawks boast not one but two minor league Korean players: OF Kyung-min Na and SP and RP Su-min Jung.

This reminds me a lot about this movie "Sugar" I saw this summer, about a young Dominican player playing in a small US town.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFPo7XMWGMo

In all instances, it seems these kids have a great time.

I grew up in Canada, where we hear a lot about kids playing in junior and minor hockey. They go around lugging 80 pounds of hockey equipment in -30 weather. They get screamed at by their angry hockey coaches and get kicked out of their dorms for drinking. I'm not sure if that is the case, but that is the image many have.

But these two Korean kids and others like them seem to play baseball and chill in nice weather. They live in nice homes with nice people and get to drink beer and juice. "I don't worry about anything, that's good!" Su-min Jung.

Kyung-min Na finished the season with a .268 batting average, 0 home runs, and 72 hits on 269 at bats with 4 different Cubs affiliate teams.

Su-min Jung finished 2011 with the Hawks and also split time with Peora Chiefs in the Cubs system. He finished with a cumulative 2-3, 4.96 on 65.1 IP.

"I don't worry about anything, that's good!" Su-min Jung

I will complete the Kaneda interview shortly. I am busy with a few things right now.

9/20 Roundup and News

2011-09-21T08:40:00.002+09:00

According to My Daily, the 11 players who won their military waiver at the Asian Games have mixed feelings. My guess would be "joy" mixed with "relief."

From Osen, Nexen Heroes starter Shim Su-chang's goal for the season is 10 quality starts. Why not 20?

Sports Kyeonghyang takes a look at LG missing the playoffs for the eighth straight season.

Osen also has a feature on SK pitcher Kim Kwang-hyeon. It sounds like he's saying the team is more important than his future and he has no plans to alter his delivery, but I may be mistaken.

Samsung 6, Doosan 5 (11)
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook, L - Fernando Nieve (2-6)
Samsung HR - Park Han-yi (4)
Doosan HR - Lim Jae-cheol (1), Son Si-hyeon (3)

Samsung tied this game at five in the bottom of the seventh when right fielder Park Han-yi blasted a two-run homer off of Doosan reliever Lim Tae-hoon. Lim had a normal start to the season, but some comments about an announcer earned him a demotion to the Futures League in late May. Doosan basically left him there for more than three months until recalling him last week. This was Lim's second KBO appearance since May 22nd.

The score remained tied until the bottom of the 11th. Doosan reliever Fernando Nieve walked DH Kang Bong-gyu to start the inning. Kang was quickly replaced by pinch runner Kang Myeong-guh. Kang advanced on a bunt from backup infielder Son Ju-in. Nieve put a pitch in the dirt and it bounced away from catcher Yong Deok-han. Kang raced to third and made the turn. He sprinted toward home and dove at the plate. The ball made it to Nieve, but he appeared to miss the tag and Kang was ruled safe. This triggered a hissy fit from Nieve that ended with him tossing the ball near the umpire's feet. This also triggered celebration from the Samsung bench.

Lotte 5, SK 4
W - Lim Kyeong-wan (4-3), L - Song Eun-beom (8-8), S - Kim Sa-yul (18)
Lotte HR - None
SK HR - None

This one was tied at three heading into the bottom of the sixth.

Lotte put runners on second and third after some questionable play by center fielder Park Jae-hong allowed Hong Seong-heun to double. Catcher Kang Min-ho was intentionally put on to load the bases for pinch hitter Park Jong-yoon. Park hit a sac fly to right to plate the go-ahead run. Lotte added some insurance when a run scored on a fielder's choice from third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun.

Another poorly played ball from SK right fielder Park Jeong-kwon allowed Lotte outfielder Hwang Seong-yong to triple with one out in the seventh. Third base was as far as Hwang would get because Lee Dae-ho was intentionally put on and Hong Seong-heun grounded into a double play to end the threat.

SK ace Kim Kwang-hyeon made his triumphant return from the Futures League and pitched the eighth inning. Kim recorded a scoreless inning, but some mediocre defense and bad luck forced him to stick around longer than he wanted. Kim gave up a hit and two walks and threw a wild pitch, but somehow kept the Giants off the scoreboard.

SK threatened in the top of the ninth. With a runner on second and one out, pinch hitter Choi Dong-su doubled down the left field line to cut the lead to 5-4. Lotte closer Kim Sa-yul gave up a walk and a single to load the bases. The only thing that kept SK from scoring on the base hit was a terrific deke from Lotte right fielder Hwang Seong-yong. Kim Sa-yul battled the next two batters and managed to get a pair of lazy fly balls to end the threat and the game.

This win gives Lotte sole posession of second place.

LG 2, Nexen 0
W - Ben Jukich (10-6), L - Shim Su-chang (2-11), S - Son Shin-yeong (18)
LG HR - Lee Taek-geun (3)
Nexen HR - None

LG starter Ben Jukich threw eight shutout innings(120 pitches, 77 strikes) while earning his 10th win on the season. Jukich gave up seven hits and four walks while striking out five.

Nexen's Shim Su-chang threw well, but was stuck with yet another loss on his record. Shim tossed seven innings(103 pitches, 61 strikes), but was tagged for both LG runs(one earned). Shim surrendered four hits and two walks while striking out seven.

LG first baseman Lee Taek-geun broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with a solo homer. The Twins added a second run in the fourth inning when Nexen first baseman Park Byeong-ho bobbled a ball that would have ended the inning. Instead of walking to the dugout, LG's Lee Byeong-gyu walked in from third to score the second LG run.

9/18 Roundup and News

2011-09-20T20:46:00.003+09:00

SK 13, Hanhwa 5
W - Yoon Hee-sang (2-1), L - Song Chang-sik (2-3)
SK HR - Ahn Chi-yong (12), Lee Ho-joon (12)
Hanhwa HR - Karim Garcia (15)

The Wyverns offense jumped all over Hanhwa starter Song Chang-sik and reliever Jang Min-je in the early innings and cruised to a W.

SK first baseman Lee Ho-joon lead the Wyverns offense by going 2-4 with a a homer, a walk, six RBIs and one run scored. Lee blasted a grand slam during a six-run rally in the second inning.

SK DH Ahn Chi-yong chipped in with a 2-3, one homer, two walk, two RBI, two run effort.

Hanhwa DH Karim Garcia went 2-3 with a walk and a two-run homer.

KIA 7, LG 3 (11)
W - Son Yeong-min (8-6), L - Lim Chan-gyu (9-4)
KIA HR - Lee Hyeon-gon (1), Cha Il-mok (7)
LG HR - None

LG scored three runs in the first inning and could manage much for the next ten innings.

KIA picked up a run in the third inning and tied the game in the fourth on a two-run bomb from third baseman Lee Hyeon-gon.

KIA watched LG reliever Lim Chan-gyu walk the bases loaded in the 11th inning and catcher Cha Il-mok delivered a walk-off grand slam to end it.

Lotte 6, Doosan 3
W - Jang Won-sam (13-6), L - Yang Hyeon (0-1), S - Kim Sa-yul (17)
Lotte HR - Son Ah-seop (15), Jeon Joon-woo (11), Hwang Jae-gyun (11)
Doosan HR - None

Lotte starter Jang Won-joon stepped up and gave the Giants solid innings that they desperately needed. Jang tossed six innings(114 pitches, 65 strikes) of one-run baseball. Jang allowed only three hits and five walks while striking out six.

Doosan is still sending out their first team in the field, but they used mainly younger players and journeymen on the mound and it showed as Lotte tagged them for three homers.

Lotte right fielder Son Ah-seop went 3-5 with a homer, two runs scored and two RBIs. Third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun went 2-3 with a homer, a double, two RBIs, one run scored and a stolen base.

Nexen 4, Samsung 2
W - Moon Seong-hyeon (5-11), L - Jang Won-sam (6-7), S - Son Seung-rak (15)
Nexen HR - None
Samsung HR - Choi Hyeong-woo (29)

Nexen starter Moon Seong-hyeon shut the Lions down completely during his six innings(108 pitches, 63 strikes) of work. Moon didn't give up any runs and was only tagged for four hits and two walks. He struck out six Lions during his start.

Samsung Jang Won-sam struck out 11, but was tagged for four runs during his seven innings(112 pitches, 74 strikes) of work. Jang allowed six hits and one walk.

Nexen did most of the damage during a three-run rally in the seventh inning. The scoring started with a RBI double from backup first baseman Oh Jae-il and continued when Samsung shortstop Kim Sang-su made an absolutely terrible throw on a plate at the plate. The throw was a solid ten feet wide of home. Things got worse from there as Nexen sprayed a couple line drives into the outfield.

All of Samsung's offense came on a two-run homer from slugger Choi Hyeong-woo in the eighth inning.

9/16 and 9/17 Roundups

2011-09-19T14:41:00.002+09:00

I spent the entire weekend trying to get wifi set up in my apartment and failed. I should have begged Simon to translate the instruction booklet instead of that article(big thank you, by the way). Watching baseball and knocking back a few brews does not, in fact, help my translation skills.

Here's an abbreviated update for Friday and Saturday. I'll do a full update once I get this wifi problem beaten.

9/16

Hanhwa 12, Lotte 10
W - Park Jeong-jin (7-4), L - Lee Jae-gon (3-5)
Hanhwa HR - Choi Jin-haeng (17), Lee Dae-su (8), Na Seong-yong (2), Karim Garcia (14)
Lotte HR - Lee Dae-ho 3(26)

Nexen 5, Doosan 4
W - Kang Yoon-guh (1-0), L - Kim Chang-hoon (0-2)
Nexen HR - None
Doosan HR - None

SK 5, LG 4
W - Park Hee-su (4-1), L - Yoo Won-sang (1-4), S - Eom Jeong-wook (4)
SK HR - None
LG HR - None

9/17

Hanhwa 8, SK 2
W - Ryu Hyeon-jin (10-7), L - Lee Seung-ho (6-3)
Hanhwa HR - Kang Dong-woo (13), Choi Jin-haeng (18)
SK HR - None

Doosan 10, Lotte 2
W - Kim Sun-woo (14-7), L - Song Seung-joon (11-9)
Doosan HR - Kim Dong-ju (17), Lee Won-seok (6)
Lotte HR - Jeon Joon-woo (10)

Samsung 11, Nexen 4
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (12-5), L - Kim Sang-su (0-4)
Samsung HR - Choi Hyeong-woo (28)
Nexen HR - Corey Aldridge (19)

Masaichi Kaneda Speaks

2011-09-19T10:48:00.000+09:00

The main man Matt was about to beg, so I'll intervene and translate a bit of the article about legendary Korean-Japanese pitcher Masaichi Kaneda/Kim Kyeong-hong he posts below. The article is basically the War and Peace of baseball blog articles. It's written by baseball writer Park Dong-hui, who writes very informative pieces. I'll try to sum up the important and interesting parts of the article and the following interview.

Kaneda is 78 now and long retired. His career spanned from 1950 to 1969. He was with the Kokutetsu Swallows (Now Yakult Swallows) until 64, then pitched the remainder of his career in Tokyo with the Yomiuri Giants.

The slight lefty owns a career win-loss of 400 to 298, a career ERA of 2.34, 4,490 strikeouts, 1.07 career WHIP, and a perfect game. He is third in all time wins in Japan-ball, 3rd in ERA, 10th in K's, and he was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. It's some pretty intense stuff.

Interview (Summary):

They greet and Kaneda (Kim) thanks the interviewer for coming from Korea to see Kaneda.

Park and Kaneda drink a cold drink and Kaneda talks about his age, Kaneda says he's pretty old.

Speaking in Japanese, Kaneda describes how his family is from a place called "Samju" in North Kyeongsang province. Park wonders if Kaneda is saying "Sangju" and Kaneda says yes, saying "Sangju" in heavily accented Korean.

They discuss how Kaneda never openly talked about his Korean roots. Kaneda says that it was a difficult time and people didn't reveal their Korean ethnicity in Japan. Kaneda says that it is different now and it's not a problem to talk about it. Before he says this, he closes his eyes.

In a serious tone, Kaneda discusses discrimination Koreans faced in Japan in his day (he was born in 1933). He discusses how his parents were born in Korea, but Kaneda and his siblings were born and raised in Japan. Kaneda says he feels like a Japanese person. It is revealed his parents moved to Japan in the 1920's (not sure of the exact date).

Park asks if Kaneda's parents were farmers, because the area in Kyeongsang province is known for farming. Kaneda pronounces the word "yangban" in accented Korean. Yangban meant upper class Korean, IE: a higher social class than farmers.

When asked, Kaneda explains that despite his family's high social standings, his parents worked as laborers, digging, working at the riverside in Japan. Kaneda explains that "they" all lived like that.

But in the next statement, Kaneda says he had a good childhood because his parents provided well for the family.

Park asks Kaneda a bit about his 3 brothers, who also played baseball. Kaneda answers a bit and then jokingly asks if Park is doing a family survey, and suggests they talk baseball instead.

This is an interesting article. I will continue with the summary next time.

9/15 Roundup and News

2011-09-16T15:24:00.003+09:00

Naver Sports does a super long feature on Masaichi Kaneda. Otherwise known as Kim Kyeong-hong on the peninsula. He was born in Japan, but both his parents were Korean. Kaneda(Kim) was perhaps the most dominant pitcher in the history of the NPB. I might try to beg Simon into doing a full translation because the article is a very in depth look at his career. Pics and video included.

Seoul Sports gives us a feature on retired Lotte ace Choi Dong-won.

Sports Chosun looks at the struggles of the LG Twins.

Osen seems to think Karim Garcia will stay with Hanhwa.

Lotte 12, Hanhwa 7
W - Ryan Sadowski (11-7), L - Kim Hyeok-min (5-12)
Lotte HR - Kang Min-ho (18)
Hanhwa HR - Na Seong-yong (1)

The final score makes it look like Ryan Sadowski got clobbered while earning his 11th W of the 2011 season. Sadowski tossed seven innings(101 pitches, 58 strikes) of two-run baseball. Ryan allowed nine hits and two walks, but managed to strike out four.

It was the shallow end of the Lotte bullpen that came in after Ryan who made this game look a lot closer than it was. Sadowski left the game with a 12-2(!) lead. Lee Myeong-woo and Lee Jae-gon managed to get battered for five runs in the eighth inning.

Lotte DH Hong Seong-heun went 4-4(all singles) with a walk, two RBIs and three runs scored. Left fielder Kim Ju-chan was 3-4 with a double, a steal, two RBIs and two runs scored. Second baseman Cho Seong-hwan went 2-5 with a double and three RBIs.

With this W, Lotte is now six games in back of the Samsung Lions for first place and one game ahead of the third place SK Wyverns.

Nexen 7, Doosan 3
W - Brandon Knight (7-13), L - Kim Sang-hyeon (3-2)
Nexen HR - Park Byeong-ho (11)
Doosan HR - None

In the race to see which of these teams cares less about the remaining schedule, Doosan has built a large, large lead. Doosan wasn't that far away from a playoff spot a few weeks ago. Now? While they're not mathematically eliminated, it's going to be very unlikely for the underachieving Bears to get anywhere near the playoff race.

Nexen pounded the Bears for seven runs with rallies in each of the first four innings. Third baseman Kim Min-woo went 3-4 with a double, a steal, one RBI and two runs scored. First baseman Park Byeong-ho went 2-3 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored. Shortstop Kang Jeong-ho chipped in with a 3-4, one double, two RBI and one run effort.

Nexen starter Brandon Knight threw seven innings(109 pitches, 69 strikes) of one-run baseball. Knight gave up five hits and one walk while striking out six.

SK 11, LG 2
W - Goh Hyo-joon (5-7), L -Kim Seong-hyeon (4-9)
SK HR - Park Jin-man (6), Park Jeong-kwon (10)
LG HR - None

The SK offense punished whoever LG was foolish enough to run out to the mound and got just enough pitching and defense to put away the floundering Twins.

SK first baseman Park Jeong-kwon went 2-5 with a homer, three RBIs and two runs scored. Park Jin-man played third base instead of his usual shortstop and went 2-5 with a homer, one RBI and two runs scored.

SK starter Goh Hyo-joon tossed five innings(88 pitches, 49 strikes) of two-run baseball. Goh gave up only four hits, but he walked five while striking out just as many.

9/14 Roundup and News

2011-09-15T22:02:00.004+09:00

Hanhwa 18, KIA 7
W - Ahn Seung-min (8-7), L - Aquilino Lopez (11-8)
Hanhwa HR - Choi Jin-haeng (16), Karim Garcia (13), Park Ki-nam (3)
KIA HR - Kim Sang-hyeon (13), Na Ji-wan (16)

KIA starter Aquilino Lopez was blasted to the tune of seven runs on six hits, one walk and one hit batsman during 2 1/3 innings of work. Then things took a turn for the worse for the fourth place KIA Tigers.

Hanhwa second baseman Han Seong-hoon went 4-6 with a double, two triples, five RBIs and three runs scored. Left fielder Choi Jin-haeng went 2-6 with a homer, three RBIs and two runs scored. DH Karim Garcia was 3-5 with a double, a homer, two RBIs and three runs scored.

Hanhwa starter Ahn Seung-min earned his eighth W while giving up six runs in five innings of work. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Samsung 8, Lotte 5
W - Justin Germano (4-1), L -Goh Won-joon (8-7), S - Oh Seung-hwan (42)
Samsung HR - Park Seok-min (15)
Lotte HR - Cho Seong-hwan (6)

Samsung tagged Lotte starter Goh Won-joon for six runs in the first inning and basically cruised to a W. Third baseman Park Seok-min lead the Lions' offense by going 2-4 with a walk, a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored.

Samsung starter Justin Germano tossed seven innings(81 pitches, 59 strikes) of three-run ball. Germano gave up six hits and struck out five.

Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan gave up a base hit and struck a batter out during a scoreless ninth for his league leading 42nd save.

Lotte right fielder Son Ah-seop went 3-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored.

LG 12, Doosan 7
W - Ben Jukich (9-6), L - Kim Seung-hui (2-2)
LG HR - Lee Byeong-gyu (3)
Doosan HR - Choi Joon-seok (15)

The Twins did all their damage in two innings. LG rallied for four in the first inning and then put up a snowman in the sixth to turn a 4-1 game into a 12-1 laffer. Doosan rallied for five in the top of the seventh, but the game was basically over after the snowman made an appearance.

LG starter Ben Jukich tossed 6 2/3 innings(106 pitches, 67 strikes) of one-run baseball before the shallow end of the LG bullpen gave up a couple runs. Jukich gave up only six hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out two.

This was a day for LG's pair of Lee Byeong-gyus. Lee the center fielder went 3-4 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Lee the DH went 2-4 with a homer, three RBIs and a run scored.

Doosan first baseman Choi Joon-seok lead the Bears by going 2-4 with a walk, a homer, three RBIs and two runs scored.

SK 8, Nexen 7
W - Lee Jae-yeong (1-0), L - Lee Jeong-hoon (3-3), S - Eom Jeong-wook (3)
SK HR - None
Nexen HR - Kim Min-seong (3), Park Byeong-ho (10), Corey Aldridge (18)

Nexen took a 7-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning, but SK first baseman Park Jeong-kwon tied the game with an off-the-wall triple. SK took an 8-7 lead when Park scored on a double from pinch hitter Lee Ho-joon.

The SK bullpen managed to keep Nexen off the score board and help the Wyverns to a much needed W.

SK DH Ahn Chi-yong went 2-2 with two walks, a double, a stolen base and three runs scored. Nexen second baseman Kim Min-seong went 2-4 with a homer, a steal, two runs scored and two RBIs.

9/13 Roundup and News

2011-09-14T22:24:00.002+09:00

I just got back from vacation and I'm fairly beat. Winners, losers and homers today. Full update tomorrow.

KIA 6, Hanhwa 5
W - Yoon Seok-min (16-5), L - Yoo Chang-sik (1-3), S - Han Ki-joo (7)
KIA HR - Na Ji-wan (15)
Hanhwa HR - None

Lotte 5, Samsung 0
W - Jang Won-joon (12-6), L - Doug Mathis (4-1)
Lotte HR - Hwang Seong-heun (6)
Samsung HR - None

Doosan 3, LG 2
W - Dustin Nippert (12-6), L - Kim Kwang-sam (4-5)
Doosan HR - None
LG HR - Park Yong-taek (15)

SK 6, Nexen 3
W - Lee Yeong-wook (4-4), L - Moon Seong-hyeon (4-11), S - Eom Jeong-wook (2)
SK HR - Kim Kang-min (8)
Nexen HR - None

9/10 - 9/11 Roundup and News

2011-09-12T11:38:00.000+09:00

First of all, a moment to remember everyone who died in the 9/11/01 USA terror attacks. And a moment to remember everyone who died in unjust violence at all times in human history.

Secondly, a happy Chooseok shout out to everyone in Korea and outside of Korea who are interested in the holiday.

Rounding up this past weekend's series:

Kia at Doosan (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

Doosan 6 - Kia 3; Doosan 6 - Kia 3; Kia 6 - Doosan 3

All three games ended with scores of 6-3. Doosan taking 2 games and Kia taking the finale.

In game 1, Lee Yong-chan of the Bears went a solid 6.2 and let in 3 to out duel slumping Aq. Lopez of the Kia Tigers. Bears took this game 6-3.

In game 2 on Saturday, Doosan handed Kia their 5th straight loss and moved themselves closer to 5th place, as LG lost on the same day. The game went back and forth until the 6th inning, with each team scoring either 1 or 2 runs in the second and fifth innings.

Kia's relievers loaded the bases in the Doosan 6th, and Kim Dong-ju knocked home 2 runs with a double off Seo Jae-woong to put the Bears up for the game.

In game 3 on Sunday, Seo Jae-woong atoned for his Saturday mistake by snatching this 6-3 win for the Tigers. Kia manager Cho Bum-hyeon has identity issues with Seo, is he a starter, a reliever, a closer? Seo has done it all this season. But this game definitely will make people think Seo's on the upswing in the starter role. Man in question went 5.1 strong and let in 2 earned runs on just 81 pitches.

Doosan starter Kim Seong-bae lasted just an inning and an out. Kia hitters knocked in 5 earned runs off him before he was replaced with rookie Ahn Gyu-young in the second.

Hanhwa at SK (Saturday, Sunday)

Hanhwa 4 - SK 2; SK 4 - Hanhwa 3

This series was a split.

In game 1 on Saturday, Hanhwa won its 3rd game in a row to put a strangle hold on second last place in the standings. Eagles starter Yang Hoon went a solid 6.1 allowing two earned runs and got good run support from left fielder Oh Jae-pil, who went 3 for 4, knocking in 3.

SK starter Go Hyo-jun struck out Oh in his first at-bat, but Oh sprayed the ball all over left field in his next 3 at bats.Hanhwa slugger Choi Jin-heng hit a home run to right field to open scoring in the 4th inning. Hanhwa won its fourth game in a row at SK with this win.

In game 2 on Sunday, SK managed to outlast the Eagles by scoring a couple in the first and a couple in the 4th to win this game 4-3. Early scoring paved way to a relievers' duel after the fourth inning. Relievers on both sides allowed no hits after replacing their teams' starters - Ben Gordon for SK and Ma Il-Young for Hanhwa.

SK managed to keep themselves in third place with this win and Hanhwa stayed in 7th ahead of Nexen, because Nexen pretty much has no hope at this stage.

LG at Samsung (Saturday, Sunday)

Samsung 5 - LG 4; Samsung 9 - LG 7

Samsung sweeps, LG weeps.

LG looks like it's on its way to another non-playoff year losing to first place Samsung. And Samsung continues to impress trying to grab their first Korean Series championship since the Fall of 2006.

In game 1 on Saturday, Samsung won its 3rd game in a row off KBO home run leader Choi Hyoung-woo's 4 RBI's. Choi's 4 RBI's on the night plus another 4 the next night has Choi with just 2 RBI's less than Lee Dae-ho. Samsung's defense was the star of this game, as LG's batters slapped around 14 safe hits and still didn't plate enough feet to win.

2011 star LG's Park Hyun-joon was effective, letting in 3 through 5 innings and striking out 6. But LG offense couldn't help him out.Samsung's starter Jang Won-sam actually fared slightly worse. He only struck out 2 while also allowing 3 earned runs. But Jang is on a better team.

In Sunday's game 2, Samsung won its 2000th game. They're first KBO team to do it. They also won their fourth in a row and of course maintained their first place positioning.Choi Hyeong-woo was again the star of the show, knocking in his league leading 27th home run, helping himself to 4 more RBI's. He now has 96 RBI's to leader Lee Dae-ho's 98. Both teams hit 12 safe hits, but the more skilled team kept the runners off home plate to win the game.

Nexen at Lotte (Saturday, Sunday)

Lotte 7 - Nexen 6; Lotte 2 - Nexen 2

Lotte wins then ties.

Not to be outdone by Samsung's Choi Hyung-woo's MVP worthy antics, Lee Dae-ho flexed some hitting muscles of his own bringing home the winning run in a 6th inning sacrifice fly in Saturday's game 1 for this series. Lotte broke out of a mini 2 game losing streak with this win. This was a pretty evenly played game, despite Lotte playing clearly the worst team in the league in Nexen.

In Sunday's game 2, the closeness of the two teams showed itself in the 2-2 tie. A pitchers' duel after the 3rd inning, both teams managed to maintain the standings status quo with the game.Nexen's defense deserves mention for allowing just 2 runs after giving up 13 hits in this game. Sleeper foreign standout Corey Aldridge knocked in both of Nexen's runs in the opening inning.

---------------

Thanks for reading this entry and please look at my personal new music video at the link below!

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9/9 Roundup and News

2011-09-09T22:41:00.003+09:00

Happy Chuseok everyone!

My Daily has a blow by blow recap of SK center fielder Kim Kang-min's walk-off hit against Lotte.

My Daily also has a report on Lotte infielder Moon Gyu-hyeon's ankle MRI.

Osen has an interview with SK coach Lee Man-su about Kim Kwang-hyeon's future. Lee feels that Kim will regain his form.

Osen offers an opinion piece on LG starters Radhames Liz and Ben Jukich. If they don't go back to the MLB, they could stay in the KBO next year.

Nexen 7, Hanhwa 1
W - Brandon Knight (6-13), L - Ahn Seung-min (6-8)
Nexen HR - Song Ji-man (8)
Hanhwa HR - None

Doosan 6, KIA 3
W - Lee Yong-chan (5-8), L - Aquilino Lopez (11-7, S - Fernando Nieve (3)
Doosan HR - None
KIA HR - None

SK 10, Lotte 9 (10)
W - Park Hee-su (2-1), L - Kim Sa-yul (5-2)
SK HR - Ahn Chi-yong (9), Kim Kang-min (6)
Lotte HR - Son Ah-seop (13)

9/8 Roundup and News

2011-09-09T10:18:00.003+09:00

Ryu Hyeon-jin's return from injury is dissected.

NC Soft will announce the result of the open tryouts they've held recently.

Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan doesn't think a closer should win MVP.

The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks have been scouting Dustin Nippert and Ben Jukich.

LG 4, Doosan 2
W - Lim Chan-gyu (9-3), L - Jeong Jae-hoon (2-6), S - Song Shin-yeong (17)
LG HR - Park Yong-taek (14), Jeong Seong-hoon (9)
Doosan HR - None

Doosan broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning when second baseman Oh Jae-won clubbed an off-the-wall double with a runner on first. The runner was able to sprint all the way to the plate to give the Bears a 2-1 advantage.

The Twins answered right back in the top of the eighth with a three-run bomb from third baseman Jeong Seong-hoon. Closer Song Shin-yeong threw a perfect ninth for the save.

LG starter Ben Jukich tossed 7 2/3 innings(93 pitches, 63 strikes) of two-run baseball. Jukich gave up seven hits, one walk and one hit batsman while striking out three.

Doosan starter Kim Sang-hyeon went seven innings(83 pitches, 60 strikes) and surrendered one run. Kim was responsible for only three hits and one walk while striking out four.

Hanhwa 4, Nexen 1
W - Ryu Hyeon-jin (9-7), L - Shim Su-chang (2-10), S - Denny Bautista (7)
Hanhwa HR - Kang Dong-woo (12)
Nexen HR - None

Hanhwa ace Ryu Hyeon-jin made only his second start since returning from injury. The K Monster missed almost all of August with an injury. Ryu tossed six innings(72 pitches, 45 strikes) of one-run(unearned) baseball. Ryu allowed only two hits while striking out six.

Hanhwa basically pieced together enough of an offense to get Ryu his ninth win. Right fielder Goh Dong-jin went 2-3 with a double and a run scored.

Hanhwa closer Denny Bautista struck out two during a perfect ninth for the save.

Lotte 2, SK 2 (12)
Lotte HR - Son Ah-seop (13)
SK HR - Kim Kang-min (6)

Lotte right fielder Son Ah-seop hit a two-run bomb in the first inning to give the Giants an early lead.

SK cut the lead in half in the fourth inning when shortstop Park Jin-man doubled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a RBI groundout from catcher Jeong Sang-ho.

SK tied the game in the fifth on a solo homer from center fielder Kim Kang-min.

The two teams basically watched the other team make lots and lots of outs until the final outs of the 12th inning were recorded.

Lotte starter Goh Won-joon showed a lot of heart by pitching out of a big jam in the first inning. SK loaded the bases with no outs and failed to score. Goh threw two strikeouts and got a grounder to end the inning. Goh tossed seven innings(105 pitches, 67 strikes) of two-run ball. Goh surrendered only four hits and two walks while striking out six.

SK starter Lee Yeong-wook tossed seven innings(104 pitches, 71 strikes) of two-run ball. Lee allowed five hits, one walk and one hit batsman while striking out five.

Samsung 7, KIA 3
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (11-5), L - Yoon Seok-min (15-5)
Samsung HR - Choi Hyeong-woo (26)
KIA HR - Choi Hee-seop(9)

Both teams started this game with a bang. Samsung slugger Choi Hyeong-woo blasted a two-run bomb in the top of the first, while KIA first baseman Choi Hee-seop hit a three-run bomb in the bottom of the inning.

Samsung took the lead right back in the top of the second inning. With runners on the corners and one out, shortstop Kim Sang-su hit a RBI ground out to the right side to tie the game at three. Right fielder Park Han-yi hit a RBI single to give Samsung a 4-3 lead.

Samsung rallied for three more runs in the ninth inning so that KIA would know they were beaten.

Samsung's Choi Hyeong-woo finished 2-4 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored. Shortstop Kim Sang-su went 2-5 with two RBIs.

KIA ace Yoon Seok-min is showing signs of wearing down. He's already logged a career high in innings pitched and it looks like the heavy workload has taken a toll on his arm. Yoon threw seven innings(107 pitches, 74 strikes), but was battered for four runs. Yoon allowed nine hits and three walks while striking out seven.

9/7 Roundup and News

2011-09-08T12:51:00.003+09:00

Naver Sports offers an analysis of the top four teams in the KBO.

They also breakdown the issues surrounding the LG Twins.

They look back at the career of recently deceased former player/coach Jang Hyo-jo.

They also discuss whether or not Hanhwa should renew Karim Garcia.

Samsung 4, Hanhwa 1
W -Justin Germano (3-1), L - Kim Hyeok-min (5-11), S - Oh Seung-hwan (39)
Samsung HR - Park Seok-min (14)
Hanhwa HR - None

Justin Germano tossed 5 1/3 innings(73 pitches, 54 strikes) of one-run baseball. Germano gave up seven hits and one walk while striking out two. Luckily for Germano, the Samsung bullpen managed not to blow the game and he earned his third KBO win. Relievers Ahn Ji-man and Kwon Hyeok earned holds while Lions closer Oh Seung-hwan nailed down his 39th save. Oh struck out two during his scoreless ninth inning.

At the plate for the Lions, well, third baseman Park Seok-min went 2-3 with a walk and a solo homer to ice the game. DH Choi Hyung-woo went 1-3 with a double, a sac fly, one RBI and a run scored.

Hanhwa first baseman Jang Seong-ho went 3-3 with one lonely RBI.

SK 1, Nexen 0
W - Yoon Hee-sang (1-1), Moon Seong-hyeon (4-10), S - Jeong Dae-hyeon (15)
SK HR - Park Jae-sang (4)
Nexen HR - None

SK left fielder Park Jae-sang clubbed a solo homer in the first inning and that was all the scoring this game would see. Park finished 2-3 with a stolen base in addition to his solo bomb.

SK starter Yoon Hee-sang tossed 5 1/3 innings(69 pitches, 47 strikes) of scoreless baseball. Yoon allowed only three hits and one walk while striking out three.

Nexen starter Moon Seong-hyeon threw seven innings(102 pitches, 59 strikes) of one-run ball. Moon gave up four hits and four walks while striking out four.

Doosan 5, LG 2
W - Kim Seung-hui (2-1), L - Lee Sang-yeol (0-6), S - Fernando Nieve (2)
Doosan HR - Kim Dong-ju (16)
LG HR - None

This is Doosan's fifth straight win. This W moves the Bears to 1 1/2 games in back of LG for fifth place and they're 7 1/2 games in back of SK for the fourth playoff spot. It's likely too little, too late for the underachieving Bears, but it's good to see that they still actually care. I'm 90% sure that I saw one of the Nexen Heroes take a golf club out to the plate instead of a bat last week.

Doosan broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning when left fielder Kim Hyeon-su hit a triple down the right field line with a runner on second. Kim would later score on an infield single from DH Kim Dong-ju. LG first baseman Lee Taek-geun took a bad angle on a slow bouncer and couldn't make the tag on Kim near the base.

Kim finished the game 3-5 with a solo homer, two RBIs and a run scored. Doosan catcher Yang Eui-ji went 4-5 with two RBIs.

Doosan starter Kim Seung-hui threw six innings(102 pitches, 63 strikes) of two-run ball. Kim was playing with fire all night as he gave up six hits and five walks while striking out three. Somehow, he managed to not get burned as the LG offense helped him get out of a couple jams.

9/6 Roundup and News

2011-09-07T17:30:00.003+09:00

Dan at MyKBO.net did a very extensive interview with Nexen's Corey Aldridge. It's well worth a look.

All of the top stories on the Naver Sports baseball page have to do with the passing of Chang Hyo-jo. Including this interview with former teammate and current SK Wyverns manager Lee Man-su.

Hanhwa 6, Samsung 0
W - Park Jeong-jin (6-4), L - Kwon Hyeok (1-3), S - Denny Bautista (6)
Hanhwa HR - Karim Garcia (12), Samsung HR - None

Samsung Lions starter Doug Mathis threw seven shutout innings(118 pitches, 65 strikes), but was stuck with a ND because the normally reliable Samsung bullpen absolutely fell to pieces. Mathis gave up only three hits and five walks while striking out two.

Hanhwa starter Ma Il-yeong managed to somehow throw five shutout innings(79 pitches, 47 strikes). Ma gave up five hits and two walks while striking out two.

Hanhwa slugger Karim Garcia broke a scoreless tie in the eighth when he drilled a double down the right field line with one out and a runner on second.

Hanhwa rallied again in the top of the ninth. DH Choi Jin-haeng blooped a single into left with the bases loaded and two runners managed to scamper across the plate. Karim Garcia then dropped a three-run bomb on Samsung to put the game out of reach.

Doosan 3, LG 1
W - Dustin Nippert (11-6, L - Yoo Won-sang (1-2), S - Fernando Nieve (1)
Doosan HR - None, LG HR - None

Doosan was able to push across enough runs to help Dustin Nippert earn his 11th W. Nippert tossed seven innings(123 pitches, 77 strikes) of one-run ball. Nippert gave up five hits, three walks and two hit batsmen while striking out four.

Doosan first baseman Choi Joon-seok drove in two of the three runs thanks to a RBI single and a RBI sac fly. Doosan lead off hitter/center fielder Lee Jong-wook went 2-3 with a walk and a RBI.
SK 4, Nexen 4 (12)
SK HR - None Nexen HR - Corey Aldridge (17)

Nexen took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third thanks to a two-run blast from left fielder Corey Aldridge.

SK tied the game in the eighth when Park Jin-man slapped a single into right/center with a runner on second. Tied was were the game stayed as the two teams basically dared the other to score a run for four innings.

This game was a snoozefest that saw almost as many pitchers(14) as hits(18).

A Passing in the KBO

2011-09-07T12:03:00.004+09:00

Samsung Lions minor league manager and former outfielder for the Lions and the Lotte Giants passed in the morning of the 7th of September, 2011 at 7:30am KST.

Chang Hyo-jo succumbed to his fight with cancer at the age of 55.

Called the "Hit Maker" for his .331 lifetime batting average, the best ever in the KBO to now, Daegu boy Chang joined his hometown squad in 1983, the KBO's second year, after playing for Hanyang University's baseball team in Seoul.

In 1985, Chang hit .373, and helped his team win so many games, the Korean Series was called off for the season and the Lions were crowned champions.

After peaking in 1987, when he hit .387 and snatching the batting title for the 3rd year in the row, Chang went on a decline and hit .314 the following season.

In January of 1989, Chang was traded to the Lotte Giants but didn't put up super hitter numbers again until 1991, when he hit .347.

After retiring in 1993, Chang coached with both the Giants and the Lions organizations, and he was named Samsung's minor league team this season. The minor league team plays out of Samsung Lions Ballpark in Gyeongsan City, Gyeongbuk province.

Chang had been fighting liver and stomach cancer.

Funeral service is scheduled to take place at Busan's Donga University Hospital Friday morning.

Return of Ryu (And Other Things)

2011-09-06T10:23:00.003+09:00

Sports Donga's got the goods, Ryu Hyun-jin is about to return from his shoulder injury. His Hanhwa Eagles will play a couple of make-up games at Samsung Lions in Daegu on the 6th and 7th (September), and Ryu is expected to start one of those games.

Ryu pitched 1.1 innings of relief in his team's Friday (September 2) win over the Nexen Heroes. He threw 23 pitches and let no runs in, which was very important in the 1-0 win. His fastest pitch was 149 kmh and he reported no pain in his shoulder. It is reported he isn't fully recovered yet, however.

http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=baseball&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=382&article_id=0000009077

Lotte's Got Second

Samsung Lions are enjoying a 5 game lead over current second place Lotte Giants. But the #'s 2, 3, 4 positions are only separated by 3 games, top to bottom. The Giants are a game above Kia Tigers, and Kia is 2 games above the SK Wyverns. (0.0 - 5.0 - 6.0 - 8.0).

Sports Kyeonghyang decided to go ahead and ask some people who they thought was going to grab 2nd, and everyone decided on Lotte.

Lotte has definitely been the best team in the league after the All Star break, going from out of the playoff picture to second place in the league.

Baseball experts are applauding this year's Giants team as different from years before. Lotte always depended on their offense. But Lotte's pitching has improved and the Giants are a balanced team both offensively and defensively. Their "texture" has changed, says one baseball person.

Lotte is said to have a strong rotation, strong middle and closing relief, no injuries, nobody slumping, and a "synergy" this season.

Foes Kia Tigers and SK Wyverns are said to be weak. Kia is suffering from injuries, SK also has injuries in addition to their manager Kim Seung-geun being relieved of his duties mid-season.

Here's what the homies said about Lotte:

Lee Soon-chul, MBC Sports: "Safe rotation."

Yang Sang-moon, MBC Sports: "No injuries, great atmosphere."

Lee Hyo-bong, MBC Sports: "Keep doing what they are doing now, will stay in second place."

Kim Yong-hui, SBS ESPN: "Players know winning baseball."

Ahn Gyeong-hyun: SBS ESPN: "No big change? Then Lotte."

Yang Joon-hyuk, SBS ESPN: "Starting rotation, middle and end relievers good."

Lee Yong-chul, KBS: "Kia has too few games left, and SK is depleted, Lotte in second."

Lee Byung-hoon, KBS N Sports: "Batting is great, defense and pitching too."

http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=baseball&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=144&article_id=0000153882

Week Ahead

Make up games aplenty.

Tuesday and Wednesday, September 6 and 7: Han at Sam, Doosan at LG, SK at Heroes

One of two two game series days. Ryu Hyun-jin expected to start in the Han/Sam series. SK luckiest team as it faces hapless Heroes as they fight off LG to stay in 4th place.

Thursday, September 8: Han at Nex, Lot at SK, Bears at LG, Lions at Tigs

Han at Nex is a series, Han is by far the stronger of the two. Lot at SK is also a series, interesting to see if what the experts reported above will be correct. Meanwhile, Tigers will try to regain second place.

Friday, September 9: Han at Nex, Kia at Doosan, Lot at SK

Kia's time is coming to an end. They have played the most games in the KBO at 119. Should stay in the playoff picture with a full 6 games above 5th place LG and an easy 3 game set against Doosan.

Saturday and Sunday, September 10 and 11: Han at SK, Kia at Bears, LG at Lions, Nex at Giants

Giants get an off weekend. Everyone else will be rallying for position.

Kyeong-moon is a Dino

2011-08-31T23:32:00.008+09:00

Dino gear was not ready at photo-op time.

Former Doosan Bears manager Kim Kyeong-moon, 53, has been appointed manager of the expansion NC Soft Dinos franchise based out of Changwon, South Gyeongnam province.

Kim managed the Doosan Bears for 7 and a half suns but bailed June of this season as he saw his team tanking.

Kim will receive a total of $112,013,027.02 Jamacan dollars over 3 years with the Dino-bots, assuming he doesn't quit again.

Kim is planning on starting the team from scratch and having it grow with its young players.

NC Soft was impressed with Kim's performance in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Kim won all 9 games he managed, paving the way for a gold medal win for Team Korea in the final Olympics baseball tournament.

NC Soft declared that Kim has the "Champion's Spirit" and the people of Changwon will be happy to have him as their team's manager.

NC Soft was expected to announce their manager after this season ended, but NC Soft didn't do that.

Kim ditched his team on the 13th of June after the Doosan Bears fell to seventh place. He claimed responsibility for his team's failures and decided to take a holiday.

He took his holiday in the US, where he reportedly studied English.

Kim recently returned with his new found English language ability to Korea for this signing.

Kim is a Bears OG. He started his playing career in 1982, the KBO's inaugural season, with the then OB Bears, riding the bench for most games and compiling a .220 average over 10 seasons. He has 6 lifetime home runs and an identical lifetime slugging and on base percentage (.274).

Kim fared better as a manager of the Bears organization going 416-343-11. Kim's "Champion's Spirit," however, earned him no championships during his 7+ seasons running the Bears.

Kim's departure in June helped the Bears a lot. Thanks to his sacrifice, the Bears have enjoyed a long run at 6th place.

http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=baseball&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=076&article_id=0002140875

The Week Ahead, Week 22

2011-08-30T13:13:00.005+09:00

Let's look ahead!

Let's take a look at the coming week's series!

Week of August 30 to September 4.

Mid-week:

Hanhwa Eagles at Doosan Bears

These two teams are in a peculiar fight for 6th place. Hanhwa had Doosan for a second but Doosan is relieved to have the sixth place sign back again. Doosan is happy to be in sixth place, that is how far this team has fallen.

LG Twins at SK Wyverns

A fight for fourth place we definitely did not expect at the beginning of this season. SK is in fourth after the manager Kim Seung-geun was removed, with LG looking right up at them from 5th place. But SK still has 5.5 games on LG.

Samsung Lions at Lotte Giants

Lotte is looking to take second place with this series and beyond. Lotte is just a game back of second place Kia, but Lotte has an extraordinary 9 games in hand. Samsung will have their hands full against a determined and talented Lotte offense.

Nexen Heroes at Kia Tigers

Kia is 4 and 6 in their last 10 with Lotte breathing down their necks. A losing series to Nexen will surely have Kia losing its second place positioning. A losing series to last place Nexen may psychologically mess up the Kia Tigers, however.

Week-end (Start of September/make-up games):

Nexen at Hanhwa

Hanhwa has really been on a roll staying out of last place by beating up Nexen. This series should cement Nexen at the bottom and a 7th place pennant for the birds.

Lotte at LG

People might have looked forward to this series this summer to see who will take the fourth and last playoff spot. But things turned out differently and both are on opposite trajectories.

Doosan at SK (Saturday and Sunday only)

A two game series between these two unfortunate teams means there could be a tied series. This could be the best outcome here, as it will end the humiliation for either team, at least for one weekend.

Samsung and Kia with byes.

Edit: This entry is wrong. Make-up games are happening right now. What I wrote up there for "mid-week" series are just the games for Tuesday. The LG at SK mid-week series will go ahead. The rest of the games are as follows: Samsung at Lotte, Nexen at Doosan on Wednesday and Nexen at Doosan and Kia at Lotte for Thursday.

I wrote this entry at 1am after working out (yeah I work out at night) and I decided to post something and this is what it turned into. Thanks for reading and apologies!!

Week 20 Rankings and Things

2011-08-22T05:08:00.004+09:00

Lee Man-su: Ready to Rock.

The rankings from last week turned into the actual standings for the start of this week! Here are the rankings for the week of August 16 to 21. Win/Loss records for the week are in brackets.

1. Lotte Giants (4-1)

They talk a lot about how if teams are supposedly “for real” or not when they go from not good to good. This question was made for this year's Giants. After struggling early season after their last manager was replaced, rookie manager Yang Seung-ho has this team firmly in post season contention and just 3 games back of third place Kia. Lotte swept Kia and then split their series with SK. Impressive was their 9-1 thrashing of the headless SK in the week's finale.

2. Nexen Heroes (3-1)

Nexen did not have a dominating week, but they did play enough good baseball to get a 3-1 record for the week. Nexen is still in last place but the race to finish second last is still on as the Burgundy Boys hang 4 games back of second last place Hanhwa with 5 games in hand. Heroes' 5-5 record in their last ten is better than SK (4-6), Kia (3-7), and LG (4-6). Corey Aldridge is quietly joining the yearly short list of KBO imports that have pretty good years. He leads the team in home runs with 14 and RBI's with 51.

3. LG Twins (2-1)

Pandemonium happened with LG's fanbase when they repeatedly demonstrated outside of the team's players' exit demanding an explanation for the Twins' losing ways. Ignoring the pointlessness of that exercise, the Korean Twinkies did have a winning week this week after not having one last week. The LG's 3 games played was the least, and they do have a big chance to catch up with only 98 games played so far, compared to Lotte's 102. Radhames Liz has been letting in 2 or 3 or 4 runs a game every start and this needs to be made smaller if LG is going to make a run.

4. Samsung Lions (2-2)

After slapping around an SK team in turmoil (mini sweep), they couldn't hang against a more determined LG team. Still probably the best overall team in the league when you factor in games played plus wins, it might finally be the Lions year to get back into the win column when it comes to Korean Series championships. Still cruising in first place and 6 and 4 in their last 10 games, Samsung is propelled to the top mostly by their KBO leading pitching. Their 3.44 team ERA is tops and their starters have 60 wins, which is only 1 win less than Kia's starters who have played 10 more games.

5. Doosan Bears (2-2)

The Bears were having a decent week beating and annoying their Jamsil rivals in the only game played for that series. Highlight of the week was definitely the come-from-behind 18-9 thrashing of the Hanhwa Eagles in the Saturday game. Doosan had 18 hits and 18 runs to bat .429 for the game and made Hanhwa's 8 pitchers go home with a 20.3 ERA. The problem is, the Bears still couldn't beat a team that is as bad as this in the series and lost the series. Their next series is with SK and will be one to watch as two disasters meet.

6. Hanhwa Eagles (2-2)

Hanhwa is still out of last place and had a non-losing week for the second week in a row. The Eagles are actually 6-4 in their last 10 and in a good position to fight off Nexen for the battle of second last place. Beating Doosan in their series despite the embarrassing game described above is a good step in keeping this mini-drive alive. Hanhwa has no players hitting near .300, but there are five players Kang Dong-woo, Choi Jin-heng, Han Sang-hoon, and Lee Dae-su who are batting over .250. Actually, that wasn't even worth mentioning. Karim Garcia has been off and on, and he is hitting an embarrassing 0.226 after finally hitting a home run in many weeks.

7. SK Wyverns (1-3)

After canning their very celebrated manager Kim Seung-gen on Thursday, SK has gone 1-2 and has been shut out once and slapped around 9-1 another time. SK went absolutely limp against import rookie Chris Bootchek in that embarrassing loss to Lotte on Sunday. They only managed 2 hits, an Ahn Chi-hong home run in the 5^th and a Choi Dong-su double in the eighth. SK took 5 innings to manage a hit against this rookie and whatever tension SK and their fans were feeling during those 5 innings, I believe they will be having a lot of opportunity to feel it again as this season drags on for this team. Kim Seung-geun has a brilliant baseball mind, taking this upstart team into the KBO's elite. SK will now revert right back to what it was before Kim Seung-geun.

8. Kia Tigers (1-4)

Injuries are finally catching up to the Kia Tigers. Luckily Yoon Suk-min (14-4, 2.42) is healthy and back to dominating mode after two losses. Yoon and the Tigers' pitching staff 2011 are actually looking kind of like Ryu Hyun-jin and the Eagles' staff from 2010. Where one pitcher dominates and everyone else hangs on. It's definitely not a fair comparison as Aq. Lopez is also very effective at 10-4 and 2.91. Lee Bum-ho is very much missed as his 17 home runs on the season and .306/.440/.535 slash would have helped quite a bit in their 9-3, 4-1, 3-2, 5-4 losing games this week against Lotte and Nexen.

The Week Ahead (Week 20)

2011-08-16T10:20:00.002+09:00

Let's take a look at the week ahead. The week ahead is week 20 for this season in the KBO.

Mid-Week Series:

Hanhwa at Nexen

The two bottom feeders face off for second last place. The Heroes have 5 games in hand and 7 less wins. A series win plus a few winning series will have Hanhwa looking up at Nexen.

LG at Doosan

Battle of Jamsil with different implications than what we've been used to seeing. LG fans are mad and Doosan fans are madder. Both teams may sit out this post-season.

Giants at Kia

Lotte's offense is red hot but so is Kia's pitching. Yoon Suk-min will not lose a third game in a row and his start in this series will be the game of the week.

Samsung at SK

2010 Korean Series re-match. We will see what Samsung is made of.

Weekend Series:

Hanhwa at Doosan

Doosan had trouble with Hanhwa in their two game series last week. Doosan will have trouble again.

Kia at Nexen

Series sweep for Kia and the series to skip for this weekend. Shim Soo-chan will lose again.

LG at Samsung

Will Samsung still be #1 at this stage? Will LG be in playoff positioning by this stage? How about Doug Mathis? Will he keep his hot mini streak alive or will he feel the wrath of what KBO bats can do?

SK at Lotte

Choice match up for the weekend. We will see what Lotte is made of. It's funny how even in third place, the true test for a KBO team is how they perform against SK.

Week 19 Rankings and Things

2011-08-15T04:42:00.022+09:00

LG Twins in the post season. Lots of people want it!

Week of Tuesday, August 9 to Sunday, August 14. 20 of the 24 games scheduled went ahead.

1. Samsung Lions (3-2) Split a condensed series against Hanhwa then took 2 of 3 from a crucial Kia series keeping Samsung at the top of the standings yet again. Oh Seong-hwan is the best closer in the game with 35 saves on the year, that's a full 22 more than SK's Jeong Dae-hyun, who is second with 13. Noobie Doug Mathis is 2-0, 1.42 since finalizing his immigration papers. Samsung's other starters Anh Ji-man (11-4, 2.88), Yoon Seung-hwan (9-4, 3.16), and Cho Woo-chan (8-4, 3.29) may make up the best 1-2-3 in the league. Offensively, Samsung plays good baseball, and they still can win despite only Choi Hyung-woo (.313/.417/.568, 108 hits) being spectacular. The Lions ran out of gas in their 2010 Korean Series appearance being swept by SK. Fixing this power issue is a must if they don't want to face the same fate this season.

2. SK Wyverns (3-2) Sitting at 3rd place but has 5 games in hand against first place Samsung and a full 13 games in hand against second place Kia. Second place is a very real possibility and with the welcoming addition of Ben Gordon, now 3-2, 2.43, SK has a realistic chance of clinching the regular season. Their 1-2-3 starters of Song Eun-bum (8-4, 3.32), Gary Glover (7-3, 3.20), and Lee Seung-ho (6-2, 2.68) are as good as any. Former Korean Series MVP Choi Jeong is the star of this team's offense currently riding 103 hits and a .328/.422/.541 slash line. I love slash lines that go 3-4-and-5.

3. Kia Tigers (3-3) Handled 2 of 3 from a fading LG but couldn't produce to make ground on first place against Samsung in the losing series described above. Yoon Suk-min (13-4, 2.48) is on a personal 2 game losing streak, but surprising is Kim Hyu-gul, a mediocre career middle reliever, currently on an 11 and 2/3 inning shut-out streak. Kim started and won 2 games in a row but was used in middle relief again in the Sunday vs. Samsung game and gave up a hit and no runs. I like the options Kia has.

4. Lotte Giants (3-2) Slowing down a bit with a 6-4 in their last 10. 6 game winning streaks and a revived Hong Seung-heun (.304/.378/.386) has Lotte firmly but thinly holding onto the 4th and last playoff space. Lotte split the rain shortened series with the 5th place Twins. But Lotte only beat LG 8-7 in total runs in that two game set. This signals the tightness of this current race. Lotte has established themselves as a hitters team as its .347 team batting average is good for best in the league as is their 82 home runs helped a lot by Lee Dae-ho's 22.

5. LG Twins (2-3) Twins had a hot start to this season but their performance lately has been middle of the road. Offensively, their .269 team batting average is good for 4th in the league and star right fielder Lee Byong-gyu is the only batter hitting over .300 (.331). They do have some power as said Lee with his good friends Cho In-seong (15) and Park Yong-tek (13) help LG to be the third best home run hitting team in the KBO with 76. Defensively, their 4.12 team ERA is good for 4th in the league again and actually beats current arch-rival Lotte's 4.34. LG has got to gain some ground against non-playoff Doosan because the other series they got next week is against first place Samsung.

6. Doosan Bears (3-2) 5 and 5 in their last 10 make them average and this is doing them no favors as they sit well out of playoff positioning with September coming up. They have played the least number of games with 91, tied with Nexen, and may make up some ground to make a run for the post season if they play more than mediocre but it's not working out like this right now. They will rumble against a hungry LG team but get an easier Hanhwa team in the series after that. But Doosan split a series against the Eagles most recently including a very embarrassing 8-2 loss. A sweep of the next two series, however unlikely, will still have Doosan out of a playoff spot even if you don't count that the other teams would also win during that time.

7. Hanhwa Eagles (2-2) As a bottom tier team, with no dream of winning a playoff game this season, the various contributors of this team do hold their own at times. They are 4 and 6 in their last 10 and have won games against all the good teams recently. Sometimes this team clicks, most of the time it doesn't. For instance, look at the team batting of their last five games: .381, .235, .361, .152, .371. Eagles' offense is either hitting like pros or limp, depending on their mood. Either way, Hanhwa is an overall bad team, their offense, despite their outburst is last with a .248 team BA and their 5.18 team ERA is also good for last. Hanhwa's next series is a battle for second last place against Nexen.

8. Nexen Heroes (1-4) A huge opportunity to finally get out of last place with a 3 game set against Hanhwa coming up. Nexen may be wasting away at last place in the standings but they are still ahead of Hanhwa in team batting (.250) and team ERA (4.56). Shim Soo-chan (1-8, 5.30) finally won a game this season after coming over from LG in their trade, but preceded to lose his next game. The game in question was the most recent 11-0 thrashing the boys in burgundy received by the hands of the SK Wyverns. Nexen committed no errors and every single last one of those 11 runs Nexen allowed were earned. Nexen is an extremely unskilled baseball team.

EDIT/OFF-TOPIC: I wrote up that stuff for you guys so you have to click on my newest music video and get its view count up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4jC8wdoJxs

Enjoy!!

TSoKB Vlog #2

2011-08-06T11:44:00.000+09:00

Gwang-hyun Update

2011-08-03T22:55:00.004+09:00

Kim Gwang-hyun update.

SK Wyverns ace Kim Gwang-hyun had been in Fukuoka, Japan receiving rehabilitative treatment for facial paralysis caused by a very unfortunate stroke. He arrived back in Korea on the 3rd of August as seen in the photo above.

His face looks very healthy in the photo and reports at the airport confirmed that he is looking very good.

Kim had not given interviews after his stroke as his facial condition did not allow it. He stated to onlookers during his arrival that his face did not hurt and he thanked everyone for their concern.

Kim suffered a minor stroke right after leading his team to a KBO championship win in 2010. He couldn't train in the off-season and started to pitch at the beginning of the 2011 season despite not achieving full recovery. With career stats at 48-20, 2.65 at the end of the 2010 season, people were wondering why his balance was off and he could not match his usual numbers at the beginning of the season. He was shuffled back and forth from the big to minor leagues from May to June. After giving up 6 runs in 4 and a third innings against the LG Twins on June 18 and 8 runs in 9 innings against the Kia Tigers in his next start on the 23rd, Kim was sent to the minors and has not seen KBO action again so far this season.

After an announcement made that he had suffered this stroke, he was sent to Japan for rehabilitation on the 12th of July.

SK has been pushing for a September return, but Kim's return may come sooner as his rehabilitation is ahead of schedule. Still, SK manager Kim Seung-geun states he will not rush Kim's return, as he wants to start the Kim Gwang-hyun everyone knows.

Upon arrival at the airport on the 3rd, Kim went home and planned to rejoin the team the following day.

Week 17 Rankings and Things

2011-08-02T06:06:00.004+09:00

For the KBO week of Tuesday, July 26 to Sunday, July 31. Week records in brackets. Typhoon season has not passed yet on the Korean peninsula, only the SK/Lotte and Samsung/Kia series' went ahead mid-week.

1. Samsung Lions, 4-1

This might finally be Samsung's year. This team's ability to lead, come back from behind, and generally out play their 7 enemies in the league is quite a thing for the baseball watcher. Statistically, Samsung's weakness is their offense: their team .259 batting average is good for only 6th in the league.

2. Lotte Giants, 4-1

LG might have had an off week, but their 4-1 week takes Lotte into the playoff picture with a demand of respect from the Korean baseball world. Hong Seong-heung has raised his average to .299 after early struggles and Jang Won-joon (9-3, 3.63) has been absolutely lights out

3. Kia Tigers, 2-4

Still a playoff team, going through an injury spell. Their offense is on fire hitting .276, good for first in the league, and tied with Lotte above. Yoon Suk-min will be the best pitcher in the league for this season and all eyes will be on him to make the move to the majors.

4. SK Wyverns, 3-2

Steadying their ship with a 5-5 record in their last 10 games. Split a series with Lotte and then won a series against Hanhwa this week. You still can't write off this team as their 3.47 team ERA is still good for tops in the Organization.

5. LG Twins, 1-1

LG did lose their playoff positioning, but they only played 2 games to defend it. Snatching Son Seung-rak from Nexen, pretty much the only effective pitcher on that team, will help LG lots as they fight off Lotte in the playoff race.

6. Hanhwa Eagles, 1-2

Avoiding last place in the league standings but they are still last in offense (.331 team BA) and defense (5.20 team ERA) in league standings. Ryu Hyun-jin, at 8-6, 3.66 is not putting up numbers that we're going to write e-mails home about, and he's the only pitcher doing anything special on this staff. There's still a lot of work to do.

7. Nexen Heroes, 1-2

KBO's version of the blockbuster trade done with this team. Trading away their best pitcher, Son Seung-rak, pretty much signifies Nexen throwing in the towel. When you go to a Nexen game, you will see fans wearing Hyundai Unicorns gear, which is the Heroes' heritage. It's a wonder why this literal loser of a team does not embrace their history as the Unicorns, a very proud and respectable baseball franchise.

8. Doosan Bears, 0-3

Doosan Bears are arguably the most popular franchise in the KBO. SK Wyverns might have won the most championships in recent years, and Kia and Samsung might be winning a lot, but SK is a new franchise and Kia and Samsung play in smaller cities. The only issue with a team like Doosan losing as compared to a team like Nexen losing is that people will care, and Doosan's management will have to take notice.

Edit: It's not Son Seung-rak I'm talking about up there, I'm talking about Son Sin-young. I was drinking alcohol as I was writing this up ha ha.

7/30 Roundup and News

2011-07-31T10:27:00.003+09:00

I'm in transit and unable to offer up a full roundup.

KIA left fielder Kim Sang-hyeon may or may not have been murdered by Nexen's Kim Sang-su in the sixth inning of Friday's game. Kim was drilled near the temple and needed to be taken off in an ambulance. It sounds like he's going to be gone for about six weeks. His injuries required surgery. KIA first baseman Choi Hee-seop will also be out for two-three weeks with an injury.

Lotte 4, Doosan 1
W - Kang Yeong-sik (1-1), L - Dustin Nippert (8-5), S - Kim Sa-yul (6)
Lotte HR - Kang Min-ho (12), Lee Dae-ho (21)
Doosan HR - None

SK 8, Hanhwa 4
W - Brian Gordon (1-1), L - Yang Hoon (3-8)
SK HR - Park Jin-man (4), Choi Jeong (13), Goh Dong-jin (7)
Hanhwa HR - None

Samsung 4, LG 2
W - Cha Woo-chan (7-4), L - Radhames Liz (8-9), S - Oh Seung-hwan (29)
Samsung HR - None
LG HR - Park Yong taek(13), Cho In-seong (15)

KIA 10, Nexen 5
W - Son Yeong-min (6-5), L - Brandon Knight (3-10), S - Han Ki-ju (3)
KIA HR - Na Ji-wan 2(8)
Nexen HR - None

True Stories of Korean Baseball Vlog #1

2011-07-31T01:02:00.001+09:00

7/28 Roundup and News

2011-07-29T11:19:00.002+09:00

Hanhwa/Nexen and Doosan/LG were both washed out last night.

Samsung 7, KIA 3
W - Jeong In-wook (4-1), L - Seo Jae-wong (4-7)
Samsung HR - None
KIA HR - None

This win gives Samsung a sweep, on the road no less, over the KIA Tigers and sole possession of first place in late July.

Samsung put up a big inning, added some insurance late and basically kept the potent KIA offense in check.

Lions starter Jeong In-wook basically threw well enough to win. Jeong tossed 5 2/3 innings(113 pitches, 65 strikes) and only allowed two runs. Jeong gave up six hits, four walks and a hit batsman while striking out four.

Samsung broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the fifth inning with a four-run rally. With one out and the bases empty, third baseman Cho Dong-chan doubled. Cho would score when the very next batter, short stop Kim Sang-su poked a single into center. Kim would score from first on a double from center fielder Lee Yeong-wook to make the score 3-1. Lee scored on a double from right fielder Park Han-yi. Samsung loaded the bases with two outs and Park managed to score on a single to left by second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol. DH Choi Hyeong-woo tried to score from second on the play, but he was out at the plate by almost ten feet. By the time the dust settled and Samsung stopped spraying line drives, the scoreboard read 5-1 in favor of the Lions.

Samsung third baseman Cho Dong-chan went 3-4 with two doubles, a HBP, three runs scored and a steal. Center fielder Lee Yeong-wook went 3-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, two RBIs and a stolen base.
Lotte 6, SK 4
W - Jang Won-joon (9-3), L - Song Eun-beom (6-3), S - Kim Sa-yul (5)
Lotte HR - Jeon Joon-woo (7)
SK HR - Ahn Chi-yong (3)

31-year old journeyman outfielder Ahn Chi-yong has hit three homers in his last two games. He should also be booking a trip to Macau and buying as many lottery tickets as he can. Luck like this doesn't come around often. Ahn finished the game 2-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.

Lotte was facing a 4-2 deficit in the fifth inning. Lotte put runners on second and third with one out. Lotte center fielder Jeon Joon-woo put a base-hit into left and both runners were able to score to tie the game at four.

Jeon struck again in the seventh inning. Jeon blasted a homer after third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun lead off the inning with a single. Jeon's blast gave Lotte a 6-4 advantage. Jeon finished the game 3-4 with four RBIs and a run scored.

To the surprise of most KBO watchers, the Lotte bullpen didn't blow the lead. Reliever Lim Kyeong-wan threw an uneventful eighth inning and pseudo-closer Kim Sa-yul threw a scoreless ninth.

7/27 Roundup and News

2011-07-28T21:00:00.002+09:00

Doosan/LG, Hanhwa/Nexen and SK/Lotte were all washed out on an extremely wet evening on the peninsula.

Samsung 5, KIA 1
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (7-4), L - Kim Hee-geol, S - Oh Seung-hwan (28)
Samsung HR - Cho Dong-chan (1)
KIA HR - None

Samsung starter Yoon Seong-hwan looked rested and refreshed for his first start after the All-star break. The Samsung veteran had struggled through a mediocre first 90 games of the season.

Yoon threw seven innings(106 pitches, 69 strikes) of one-run baseball. Yoon allowed only five hits and one walk while striking out four. Once Yoon left the game, the Samsung bullpen closed the door on any hope of a KIA comeback. Reliever Ahn Ji-man struck out one during a perfect eighth and three Samsung relievers threw in the ninth to keep the Tigers off balance and off the scoreboard. Closer Oh Seung-hwan threw only four pitches while recording the final out for the vulture save.

This game was tied at one until the fifth inning. The Lions broke the tie when shortstop Kim Sang-su poked a single into left field with one out and the bases loaded. One run was able to score and Samsung took a 2-1 lead. Samsung right fielder Park Han-yi just missed hitting a grand slam. The ball bounced off the top of the fence and rolled away from KIA right fielder Kim Won-seop. Three runs were able to score and Park made it to second with a stand up double to give the Lions a 5-1 advantage.

7/26 Roundup and News

2011-07-27T17:29:00.004+09:00

I bumped into the Samsung Lions newest addition, pitcher Doug Mathis, at the immigration office in Daegu yesterday. My guess is he'll be in action in fairly soon.

Doosan/LG and Hanhwa/Nexen were both washed out last night.

SK 11, Lotte 2
W - Lee Seung-ho (6-1), L - Goh Won-joon (4-6)
SK HR - Lee Ho-joon (6), Ahn Chi-yong 2(2), Jeong Sang-ho (6)
Lotte HR - Kim Ju-chan (2)

Lotte started the post All-star break looking as lethargic as they did when they started the season.

Lotte starter Goh Won-joon looked flat and uninterested and it showed in his stat line. Goh threw 5 1/3 innings(96 pitches, 61 strikes) and gave up five runs(all earned). Goh allowed nine hits and one walk while striking out four.

Things were bad when Goh was in the game, but things got out of hand when Lotte called upon its bullpen. "Relievers"(I didn't see them providing very much relief) Bae Jang-ho, Jin Myeong-ho and Kim Myeong-seong were all lit up.

Journeyman outfielder Ahn Chi-yong tagged Lotte pitching for two homers. Ahn went 3-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Catcher Jeong Sang-ho went 4-5 with two doubles, a homer, three RBIs and three runs scored.

SK starter Lee Yeong-wook was pulled from the game in the fourth inning because, well, he's not a very good pitcher. Lee Seung-ho came in and threw three scoreless innings. Lee gave up only one hit and one walk while striking out one.

Samsung 5, KIA 2
W - Jang Won-sam (4-4), L - Han Ki-ju (0-2), S - Oh Seung-hwan (27)
Samsung HR - None
KIA HR - None

KIA broke out a pseudo-throwback uni for their first game after the break. This is definitely one of the more aggressive designs in the KBO.

Samsung trailed for the majority of this game thanks to KIA pushing across a couple of runs in the early innings. Left fielder Kim Sang-hyeon drew a bases loaded walk in the first inning and third baseman Lee Beom-ho hit a RBI single in the second.

Samsung trailed 2-1 heading into the top of the eighth inning when they started a rally. Samsung put runners on the corners with two outs. Left fielder Kang Byeong-gyu put a single back through the middle to tie the game at two. The next batter, Shin Myeong-cheol, hit a ball to deep right that bounced off the wall and took that awkward bounce back towards center field. By the time the dust settled, Shin was standing on third and both runners had scored to give the Lions a 4-2 lead. Catcher Jin Kab-yong capped the rally with a flare into right for a base hit. Shin could have crawled in from third.

Lions closer Oh Seung-hwan struck out two during a perfect ninth for the save.

KIA starter Travis Blackley deserved better than a ND. Blackley threw 7 2/3 innings(114 pitches, 69 strikes) of two-run baseball. Big Trav only allowed five hits and three walks while striking out five.

Samsung starter Jang Won-sam threw his best game of the year. Jang tossed seven innings(122 pitches, 74 strikes) and surrendered two runs. Jang gave up four hits and four walks while striking out five.

West All-Stars 5, East All Stars 4 (10)

2011-07-24T21:27:00.004+09:00

W - Park Hyeon-joon, L - Oh Seung-hwan
West HR - Cho In-seong
East HR - Choi Hyeong-woo

The box score can be found here. At least 90% of it. They didn't bother to include the tenth inning. Thanks, KBO.

The KBO held it's all-star game on Saturday and, well, I guess I should write about it. This all-star game is especially meaningless because it's only an eight team league and all the teams face each other a lot. There really isn't much that's interesting about seeing Yoon Seok-min pitch against Lee Dae-ho because we already see it several times a year in actual games.

Either way, on with the round up.

The West(KIA, LG, Nexen and Hanhwa)started the scoring in the bottom of the first. KIA center fielder Lee Yong-gyu lead off the game with a double down the left field line and scored when teammate and third baseman Lee Beom-ho poked a single through the right side. Lee would score when the very next batter, LG left fielder Lee Byeong-gyu stung a double off the wall in right center to give the West a 2-0 advantage.

The West picked up another run in the bottom of the second on a solo homer from LG catcher Cho In-seong.

The East(Samsung, SK, Lotte, Doosan) finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning. Lotte catcher Kang Min-ho singled and advanced to third on a single from Samsung third baseman Park Seok-min. Kang would score on a sac fly from SK second baseman Jeong Geun-woo.

The Eastern squad tied the game at three in the fifth inning when Samsung right fielder Choi Hyeong-woo hit a two-run bomb to right/center off of Hanhwa's Yang Hoon.

The game remained tied until the top of the tenth. The East put runners on first and third with one out. SK left fielder Park Jeong-kwon hit a grounder to the right side that should have been a double play, but second baseman Ahn Chi-hong appeared to struggle finding the handle and the runner from third was able to score to give the East a 4-3 lead.

Samsung reliever Oh Seung-hwan threw the ninth inning and stayed in for the tenth. He put runners on first and second almost instantly. KIA center fielder Lee Yong-gyu flied out to shallow center for the first out of the inning. Nexen left fielder Yoo Han-joon struck out swinging for the second out. LG third baseman Jeong Seong-ho singled to center to score the runner from second and tie the game at four. The next batter, LG slugger Lee Byeong-gyu, fell behind 0-2 and made a desperation swing on what would have been strike three. The ball was a perfectly placed fly ball down the left field line that managed to find fair territory in between three Eastern fielders. The go-ahead run scored and the Western Stars walked off the Eastern stars.

Lee Byeong-gyu was named the MVP of the whole affair.

Now, can we please get back to regular baseball?

7/21 Roundup and News

2011-07-22T13:12:00.003+09:00

The KBO All-star game will be played on Saturday night at 6:30 local time. Rosters can be seen here. Weather permitting.

Doosan 6, Lotte 4
W - Kim Sun-woo (8-5), L - Jang Won-joon (8-3), S - Lee Hyeon-seung (3)
Doosan HR - Kim Dong-ju (10)
Lotte HR - Hong Seong-heun (4)

Lotte picked up a couple late runs to make this game look a little closer than it really was.

Doosan fell behind early thanks to a RBI single in the first inning by Lotte right fielder Son Ah-seop, but the Bears offense put together more than a few one and two-run innings and wound up with a 6-1 lead.

The Doosan outfield played a huge part in piecing together an offense. Bears left fielder Kim Hyeon-su went 1-3 with two walks and two RBIs. Right fielder Jeong Su-bin went 1-3 with a walk, one RBI and two runs scored. Center fielder Lee Jong-wook went 3-4 with a triple, one RBI and two runs scored.

Doosan starter Kim Sun-woo was solid. Kim threw seven innings(93 pitches, 63 strikes) of one-run baseball. Kim allowed four hits and struck out five. Doosan reliever Lee Hyeon-seung threw a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save after reliever Kim Kang-ryul gave up a solo homer to Lotte DH Hong Seong-heun.

Nexen 11, LG 7
W - Lee Bo-geun (2-1), L - Shim Su-chang (0-6)
Nexen HR - Corey Aldridge 2(14)
LG HR - None

This was not a game for fans of good pitching. Both LG starter Ben Jukich and Nexen starter Moon Seong-hyeon were chased from the game in the fourth inning. The Nexen bullpen was slightly less bad than the LG bullpen.

Corey Aldridge blasted a three-run homer in bottom of the third that tied the game at three. Aldridge blasted a solo homer in the sixth inning that wound up being the difference on the scoreboard. After Aldridge's second homer, Nexen rallied for three more runs in the sixth inning
to put the game out of reach.

Nexen right fielder Song Ji-man actually lead off the game for the Heroes. Song is one of the all-time great sluggers in the KBO at the end of a long and productive career. He wasn't the prototypical lead off guy even when he was younger. Song went 3-5 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored.

Center fielder Jang Ki-yeong went 3-4 with a double, two RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base. Shortstop Kang Jeong-ho went 3-4 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored.

LG banged out 13 hits, but only one went for extra bases. Right fielder Lee Jin-yeong delivered the Twins' only extra-base hit of the night with a double in the third inning. Lee finished 3-5 with a run scored and a RBI.

KIA 4, Hanhwa 2
W - Yoon Seok-min (12-2), L - Kim Hyeok-min (4-7)
KIA HR - None
Hanhwa HR - None

With this effort, KIA starter Yoon Seok-min dotted the exclamation point that has been his 2011 pre-all star break effort.

Yoon threw seven innings(114 pitches, 76 strikes) of one-run ball. Yoon allowed four hits and two walks while striking out five.

KIA did most of its damaged during a three-run rally in the third inning. Right fielder Kim Won-seop started the scoring with a RBI double and later scored on a RBI single from third baseman Lee Beom-ho. Lee advanced to third on two wild pitches and scored on a Choi Hee-seop single.

SK 2, Samsung 1
W - Song Eun-beom (6-2), L - Ahn Ji-man (10-4)
SK HR - Park Jin-man (3)
Samsung HR - None

SK took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a RBI single from first baseman Lee Ho-joon. SK held onto that one run lead until Samsung tied the game in the eight inning on a RBI single from slugger Choi Hyeong-woo.

SK shortstop Park Jin-man was a thorn in the side of his former team yet again. Park blasted a solo homer in the top of the ninth to give SK a late 2-1 lead.

SK reliever Song Eun-beom stayed on to pitch a scoreless ninth and earn the W.

Samsung starter Cha Woo-chan finally threw a quality start despite walking five and allowing nine baserunners total. Cha threw 6 1/3 innings(102 pitches, 49 strikes) of one-run ball. Cha managed to strike out six.

Samsung Starter Ken Kadokura Placed on Waivers

2011-07-21T16:27:00.003+09:00

Officially. Kadokura owns a 5-6 record with a 4.07 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 86 1/3 innings of work. Kadokura had spent the previous two years in Incheon with teh SK Wyverns. It wouldn't be a huge shock to see a team in need of an innings eater make a claim. Stay tuned...

7/20 Roundup and News

2011-07-21T14:58:00.003+09:00

KIA 5, Hanhwa 3
W - Park Kyeong-tae (1-2), L - Jang Min-je (1-5), S - Han Ki-ju (2)
KIA HR - Na Ji-wan (6)
Hanhwa HR - Karim Garcia (8)

KIA was trailing 2-0 until the fifth inning. KIA pushed across a run on a sac fly from catcher Cha Il-mok. Then, KIA third baseman Lee Beom-ho hit a double with the bases loaded to plate three runs and push the lead to 4-2.

KIA DH Na Ji-wan hit a solo homer in the sixth to make the lead 5-2. Hanhwa put up a fake rally in the bottom of the seven and scored a run on a RBI ground out by pinch hitter Jeon Hyeon-tae.

KIA reliever Han Ki-ju threw 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Han gave up one hit and struck out one.

SK 10, Samsung 4
W - Lee Yong-wook (2-1), L - Jang Won-sam (3-4)
SK HR - Lee Ho-joon (5)
Samsung HR - None

Samsung jumped out to to a 3-0 lead in the second inning thanks to a RBI single from first baseman Mo Sang-ki and a two run single from shortstop Kim Sang-su...and then the wheels came off.

SK rallied for six runs in the third inning and put this one out of reach. SK first baseman Lee Ho-joon hit a two-run single and things kind of snowballed from there. Lee would finish the game 2-4 with a walk, a homer, two runs scored and three RBIs. Former Samsung Lions shortstop Park Jin-man came back to haunt the Lions by going 3-5 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored.

SK reliever Lee Yong-wook came in to get SK out of the jam in the second inning and put up zeroes for seven straight innings. Lee threw 7 1/3 innings(105 pitches, 70 strikes) and only allowed one run. Lee gave up one hit and one walk while striking out seven.

Lotte 13, Doosan 5
W - Ryan Sadowski (6-5), L - Fernando Nieve (2-4)
Lotte HR - Park Jong-yoon (2), Hwang Jae-gyun (6)
Doosan HR - Kim Dong-ju (9), Kim Hyeon-su (7)

Fernando Nieve took the loss, but it wasn't all his fault. He threw 6 1/3 innings(102 pitches, 67 strikes) and allowed five runs(all earned), but Doosan surrendered 11 hits while he was in the game. Not all of those fall on the pitcher's shoulders. The game didn't get out of hand until the Doosan bullpen came in and started giving up homers.

Lotte center fielder Jeon Joon-woo lead the way for the Giants' offense. Jeon went 3-4 with a stolen base and three runs scored. Left fielder Kim Ju-chan, first baseman Lee Dae-ho and DH Hong Seong-heun each drove in two runs. Backup first baseman Park Jong-yoon didn't get a lot of at bats, but he made them count. Park blasted a three run homer in garbage time to make this one look laughable in the newspaper.

Lotte starter Ryan Sadowski threw 6 2/3 innings(87 pitches, 48 strikes) of two-run ball. Sadowski gave up five hits and three walks. Ryan didn't managed to strike out any of the patient Doosan batters.

Nexen 4, LG 3
W - Son Seung-rak (3-2), L - Radhames Liz (8-8)
Nexen HR - Kim Min-seong (2)
LG HR - Kim Tae-wan (3)

This one was tied at two until the bottom of the seventh inning. Nexen second baseman Kim Min-seong hit an absolute bomb down the left field line to give Nexen a 3-2 lead.

LG answered in the top of the eighth with a RBI double from pinch hitter Yoon Sang-gyun to tie the game at three.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the ninth. With one out, catcher Heo Do-hwan hit an off-the-wall double and advanced to third on a passed ball. Heo scored when Kim Min-seong put a base-hit into left field to give the Heroes a walk-off win and earn a savage beating from his teammates.

Nexen center fielder/lead off hitter Jang Ki-yeong went 2-4 with a stolen base and two RBIs.

Kim Kwang-hyeon Had a What?

2011-07-20T23:41:00.006+09:00

Cerebral infarction? Suffers facial paralysis? And he's been trying to pitch this year? And the information was apparently leaked from the hospital?

I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV, but it probably would be a good idea if Kim took a few months off. Supposedly(again, not a doctor), this is the reason Kim has appeared "sluggish" this year. I think having a stroke at the age of 22 might do that to a person.

7/19 Roundup and News

2011-07-20T22:13:00.003+09:00

Hanhwa 7, KIA 6
W - Kim Kwang-su (2-2), L - Son Yeong-min (5-5)
Hanhwa HR - Choi Jin-haeng (13)
KIA HR - Choi Hee-seop (7)

KIA actually lead 6-2 heading into the bottom of the eight. Hanhwa picked up a run on solo homer from DH Choi Jin-haeng to cut the KIA lead to 6-3.

KIA brought in reliever Shim Dong-seop to close out the game in the bottom of the ninth. Hanhwa promptly loaded the bases with one out. Hanhwa right fielder Kang Dong-woo hit a grounder right back to the pitcher to get a force out at home.

Reliever Son Yeong-min was brought in to record the final out for the Tigers. Pinch hitter Jeon Hyeon-tae put a base hit into center to score a pair and cut the lead to 6-5. First baseman Jang Seong-ho took a pitch in the shoulder to re-load the bases for Choi Jin-haeng. Reliever Yoo Dong-hoon was brought in to face Choi. Choi promptly lined a 1-0 pitch into right/center to complete the comeback and walk off the Tigers.

Travis Blackley should be pissed. The KIA starter threw seven innings(107 pitches, 70 strikes) of two-run ball. Travis gave up seven hits and two walks while striking out four.

KIA first baseman Choi Hee-seop went 3-4 with a walk, a homer, three RBIs and one run scored.

Nexen 2, LG 1 (10)
W - Yoon Ji-wong (1-0), L - Shim Su-chang (0-5)
Nexen HR - None
LG HR - None

LG put runners on the corners with no outs and pushed across a run when third baseman Jeong Seong-hoon grounded out into a double play.

Nexen tied the game in the seventh on a RBI single from first baseman Kang Byeong-sik.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the tenth. LG reliever Shim Su-chang walked the bases loaded. Nexen shortstop Kang Jeong-ho put a base-hit into right/center to walk off the LG Twins.

Kang finished the game 2-4 with a walk, a run scored and a RBI.

Nexen starter Kim Seong-tae surprised everyone, even Nexen fans. All ten of them. Kim tossed seven innings(104 pitches, 68 strikes) of one-run baseball. Kim allowed four hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Lotte 5, Doosan 3 (10)
W - Kim Sa-yul (5-2), L - Noh Kyeong-eun
Lotte HR - None
Doosan HR - Goh Yeong-min

Lotte held a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. After Lotte pitcher Chris Bootcheck walked the lead off hitter, second baseman Goh Yeong-min hit a fly ball to left field that landed in the third row for a home run. Bootcheck allowed a few more hits, but managed reliever Kim Sa-yul managed bail the Giants out and to get out of the ninth with the game tied at three.

Lotte answered in the top of the tenth. Lotte put runners on second and third with two outs. Pinch hitter Son Yong-seok singled and advanced to second on the throw, but both runners were able to score to give Lotte a 5-3 advantage.

Reliever Kim Sa-yul stayed in for the bottom of the tenth and recorded a 1-2-3 inning to end the game.

Lotte DH Hong Seong-heun lead the Giants offense and went 3-5 with a double, a run scored and a RBI. Slugger Lee Dae-ho went 2-4 with a RBI.

Both starters deserved better than a no decision on their record. Lotte starter Goh Won-joon tossed 6 2/3 innings(95 pitches, 60 strikes) of one-run baseball. Goh gave up seven hits and two walks while striking out five. Doosan's Dustin Nippert threw seven innings(114 pitches, 74 strikes) of one-run ball. Nippert surrendered eight hits, one walk and a hit batsman while striking out four.

Samsung 3, SK 2
W - Kwon Hyeok (1-1), L - Jeong Dae-hyeon (2-3), S - Oh Seung-hwan (27)
Samsung HR - None
SK HR - None

Samsung was facing a 2-1 deficit heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. Samsung put runners on first and second with one out when RBI machine Choi Hyeong-woo poked a single into center to tie the game at two. Samsung took a 3-2 lead when Kang Bong-gyu slapped a base-hit into right.

Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan struck out two and gave up a base-hit during a scoreless ninth inning.

Lost in this game was a solid effort from SK starter Gary Glover. The Glove tossed seven innings(114 pitches, 73 strikes) of two-run ball(one earned). Glover allowed four hits and two hit batsmen while striking out nine.

Week 15 Rankings and Things

2011-07-20T04:26:00.009+09:00

Yoon Suk-min, nickname: Ace

Week of July 12 to 17. Week's records in parenthesis.

1. Samsung Lions, 3-1

Currently in first place going back and forth with Kia. Troubling is their team BA at .262, which is third last in the league. Upcoming series with SK should either crown Samsung as this year's beast or SK's staff will come alive and stifle Samsung's bats some more.

2. Lotte Giants, 4-1

7-3 on in their last 10 games is very impressive no matter how you try and spin it. Batting line-up needs more balance as Lee Dae-ho seems to be doing all the work. Jang Won-joon is 8-2, 3.38 and there's no other pitcher like that on this team's staff.

3. Kia Tigers, 3-2

Took first, then lost first place to Samsung. Yoon Suk-min is the star of the show at 11-2 and 2.62. Yoon along with Lopez (10-3, 3.03) and Travis (7-4, 3.05) make up the best 1-2-3 in the Organization.

4. LG Twins, 2-2

Finally took a win against streaky Lotte on Sunday and maintaining their 4th place position. A series before Nexen to close off the first half of the season means no danger of losing it. Hard hitters have only 1 less home runs than league leaders Kia (68 to 67).

5. Doosan Bears, 1-2

They need to make a push if they want to threaten LG for the last playoff spot but isn't doing it going 5 and 5 in their last 10. What was once a hard hitting team has no players anywhere near the top of any offensive stat. For example, supposed slugger Choi Joon-suk leads the team with 11 home runs but this is good for 10th best in the league (Lotte's Lee Dae-ho leads with 20).

6. Hanhwa Eagles, 1-2

Karim Garcia seemed have been hitting key home runs left and right but has only 1 in his last 5 games. His solo blast in the 7th against Lotte Monday was hardly clutch in a 11-3 loss. With pitchers not named Ryu Hyun-jin on this staff, only Oneli has a winning record at 4-1 but he hasn't won in many weeks. Statiz, my main source, is down and this is the reason why I can't tell you when he won his last game.

7. Nexen Heroes, 1-1

There's still nobody on this team's staff that has 4 wins. And despite a very bad offense that has the least number of hits in the league (602 to Kia's league leading 791), Corey Aldridge is looking like a decent pick-up as his 12 home runs and 45 RBI's lead the team. He's 7 hits back of center fielder Yoo Han-joon, who leads the team in hits, and Aldridge also leads the team in drawn walks at 41. I really hope Nexen will hold onto Aldridge and build something off of him.

8. SK Wyverns, 0-2

2 and 8 in their last games look bad but they only played 2 games this week due to the weather. Much is said about their poor pitching but their 3.47 collective ERA is still the best in the league and they have allowed the least number of hits at 545. But, their 2 and 8 record still does look bad and it may only get worse with a series with Samsung to close out the half.

보너스편, SHAMELESS PLUG: Matt knows I am a fledgling amateur rap musician so now I will come out of the closet and share this secret passion with the True Stories of Korean Baseball community. I put a lot of time into these little rap things I do but they only get about 100 hits. Here are my last two videos, including my most recent video I finished this morning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8jI9ArA9sI&feature=channel_video_title

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyfyTE0_ycE&feature=relmfu

There is no swearing or any bad things in these videos. Enjoy and if you're an English teacher use them in your classes!!! Thanks!

7/17 Roundup and News

2011-07-19T13:21:00.004+09:00

We actually got in all four games in the same day. Unbelievable.

Nexen 3, Doosan 2
W - Brandon Knight (3-9), L - Lee Yong-chan (3-5), S - Son Seung-rak (7)
Nexen HR - None
Doosan HR - None

Nexen starter Brandon Knight was solid in this one, while the Heroes gave him just enough offense to earn the W. Knight tossed 5 2/3 innings(85 pitches, 57 strikes) of two-run baseball. Knight gave up seven hits and one walk while striking out five.

Nexen pushed across runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to give their pitching juuuuust enough support to beat the struggling Doosan Bears. Left fielder Corey Aldridge went 2-4 with two RBIs.

Bears catcher Yang Eui-ji lead the Doosan offense by going 3-4 with a RBI.

Hanhwa 5, SK 0
W - Yang Hoon (3-7), L - Brian Gordon (0-1)
Hanhwa HR - None
SK HR - None

Hanhwa starter Yang Hoon looked like a professional starter on Sunday. Yang tossed eight innings(122 pitches, 76 strikes) of scoreless baseball. Yang gave up only five hits and one walk while striking out six.

Yang has been one of the more inconsistent young pitchers in the KBO for his entire career. He looked like he found a niche as the Eagles closer last year, but he was shoved into the rotation this season and his results have varied from frighteningly bad to reasonably competent. He's still only 25 years old and doesn't have a ton of mileage on his arm like most of the younger KBO pitchers. He could still develop into something special for Hanhwa.

Hanhwa did most of their damage during a four-run rally in the fourth inning. Catcher Shin Kyeong-hyeon lead the Eagles' offense by going 2-2 with two walks and a RBI. Karim Garcia went 1-4 with a double and a run scored.

SK starter Brian Gordon made his KBO debut and it was fairly forgettable. The former Yankees farmhand tossed four innings(63 pitches, 40 strikes) and gave up four runs. Gordon allowed three hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out one.

KIA 4, Samsung 2
W - Shin Dong-seop (3-0), L - Bae Yeong-su (5-5), S - Han Ki-ju (1)
KIA HR - None
Samsung HR - None

KIA's 4-2 win over Samsung put the Tigers in sole possession of first place in the KBO. This game also marked reliever Han Ki-ju's first save in over a year. Han was once considered the next great Korean reliever, but arm troubles sidetracked his once promising career. It used to be pedestrian to see him rack up a save, but now it's an event. Han is still only 24 years old and there's no reason he can't have a long and fulfilling career. Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan was written off as recently as last year due to nagging injuries and now he looks better than ever.

KIA and Samsung traded runs in the early innings. The Tigers broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning with a two-run rally. KIA loaded the bases with two outs and scored a pair of runs on a single from shortstop Lee Hyeon-gon.

Samsung picked up a run in the fifth inning in a bizarre sequence. Catcher Hyeon Jae-yoon walked and advanced to third on a very wild pitch. Hyeon scored when second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol hit a bouncer to short. Lee Hyeon-gon picked the ball cleanly and fired to first, but first baseman Choi Hee-seop fell asleep after catching the ball and Hyeon scampered home while Choi clutched the ball.

KIA added some insurance in the eighth inning on a RBI single from catcher Cha Il-mok.

Han Ki-ju threw three innings of perfect relief to earn his first save in over a year. It was an emotional scene on the mound as he high-fived his teammates after a save for the first time in a long time.

LG 4, Lotte 0
W - Radhames Liz (8-7), L - Song Seung-joon (7-7)
LG HR - None
Lotte HR - None

Lotte was riding a four-game winning streak heading into this one, but sadly they ran into the buzzsaw that is Radhames Liz. Liz threw seven shutout innings(106 pitches, 75 strikes) for the Twins in this one. Liz gave up only three hits and a hit batsman while striking out six.

Lotte starter Song Seung-joon wasn't the problem on Sunday. Song tossed seven innings(115 pitches. 73 strikes) of three-run ball. He gave up seven hits and two walks while striking out four. Song was more Dr. Jekyll than Mr. Hyde and did a good job of keeping the Giants in the game will Liz shut them down.

LG rallied for three runs in the third inning and the game was basically over. Third baseman Jeong Seong-hoon went 2-3 with a double, a run scored and a RBI. Slugger Lee Byeong-gyu was 1-3 with a walk and a RBI double.

7/16 Roundup and News

2011-07-17T21:02:00.003+09:00

Hanhwa/SK and Doosan/Nexen were both washed out...again.

Samsung 4, KIA 3
W - Ahn Ji-man (10-3), L - Son Yeong-min (5-4), S - Oh Seung-hwan (25)
Samsung HR - None
KIA HR - None

KIA drew first blood with a three-run rally in the first inning off of Samsung starter Ken Kadokura. Left fielder Kim Won-seop started the scoring with a RBI double and later scored on a single by third baseman Lee Beom-ho. Lee would make his way to third and eventually score on a dropped third strike by Samsung catcher Jin Kab-yong.

Samsung started to creep back into this one when they rallied for two runs in the third inning. Samsung pushed the runs across thanks to a RBI single from right fielder Park Han-yi and second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to plate the second run.

The Lions tied the game in the sixth inning when Shin Myeong-cheol singled, advanced on a sacrifice, stole third and took home when the throw went into left field.

Samsung broke the 3-3 tie in the eighth inning when shortstop Kim Sang-su singled to center with runners on first and second.

Lions closer Oh Seung-hwan struck out two during a perfect ninth inning for the save.

Lotte 5, LG 4
W - Kim Sa-yul (4-2), L - Lim Chan-gyu (6-3)
Lotte HR - None
LG HR - Park Kyeong-su (4), Son In-ho (1)

Lotte carried a 4-2 lead into the top of the eighth inning. LG tied the game when pinch hitter Son In-ho blasted a two-run homer to right center.

LG loaded the bases in the top of the ninth, but Kim Sa-yul was able to get a ground ball to get the Giants out of the jam.

Lotte started a rally in the bottom of the ninth. Lim Chan-gyu managed to walk lead off hitter Kim Ju-chan, get a force out at first base and then walk the next two batters to load the bases. He walked one intentionally and one not-so intentionally. Bench warmer Lee In-guh came in as a pinch hitter for the DH in the seventh inning and came up with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Lee blooped the first pitch he saw into right field for a game winning, walk-off single. By succeeding, Lee earned a beating from the entire team.

Lost in this one was a solid start from Lotte ace Jang Won-joon. Jang tossed seven innings(100 pitches, 67 strikes) of three-run ball. Jang gave up ten hits and one walk while striking out three.

Na Kyung-min: What's Up

2011-07-17T13:53:00.008+09:00

I was looking through some minor league scores and came across Na Kyung-min's name in today's short season A level Boise Hawks at Vancouver Canadians game box score. That's a good enough excuse to report on how the young outfielder has been doing since he signed for big bucks with the Cubs organization.

Na's been finding American ball very different from what he's used to in Korea.

He seems to understand that in the US, there are players competing from all over the world. He's finding it difficult but he's determined to persevere. Na's basically having a hard time but he has the goal of making the major leagues so he'll keep trying.

He is currently in Boise hitting .155 with no home runs and 3 RBI's from 58 at-bats. He was actually playing a league above with the regular A level Peoria Chiefs, but he got demoted sometime between June 19 and July 02 of this year. He was hitting an acceptable .258 but only managed 3 RBI's in 89 at-bats. A hitter is definitely not as valued when they can't hit with RISP.

This is the last game he played with Peoria:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&gid=2011_06_19_peoafx_qcsafx_1&cid=443&t=g_box

Na is only 19 but he is struggling greatly and is probably not on a tangent to make it to the majors.

At Boise, Na has been given full time outfielders duties. But he is humming along pretty mediocre-ly with little signs of improvement.

Here are his recent stats:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&gid=2011_06_19_peoafx_qcsafx_1&cid=443&t=g_box

Na's size is puny. His height is acceptable at 5'10'' but he absolutely must hit the weights hard. His feminine 170lb frame might make the Korean girls who love a sensitive man swoon but he will be ripped apart when or if he starts to move up towards the major leagues. Pitchers have no mercy down there and little boy frames like Na's is nothing but cannon fodder for them.

Na Kyung-min played for Duk Soo High School in Seoul and was considered the top player in his graduating class. He signed with the Chicago Cubs organization for $750,000 in 2010.

Links:

http://sports.media.daum.net/worldbaseball/news/mlb/breaking/view.html?cateid=1071&newsid=20110324150605179&p=poctan

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=na----001kyu

EDIT: Na's current stats are right here:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=OF&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=595776

Wrong link was posted above.

Happenings in the Organization

2011-07-16T22:51:00.002+09:00

Cancellations and Rescheduling

Tonight's (July 16) games at Jamsil and Moonhak Stadiums were indeed rained out as games usually are these days. The KBO is not shy about cancelling games as they reserve September for playing them. Septembers are pretty pleasant in Korea and this is probably a good tactic on the KBO's part.

SK has been victim to 17 cancelled games and are fighting to stay in the top 3 in the standings. Needless to say, all these rescheduled games will create havoc in September when it comes to the playoff seeding picture.

SK has 2 wins and 8 losses in its last 10 games, and has by the grace of God/Allah/Buddah been spared from playing due to rain since last Tuesday, a typical 2-0 shut out loss to LG that helped LG stay in the top 4 and didn't help SK at all.

September ball is great in Korea due to the end of the tortuous heat and humidity in the country during July and August. But the KBO reschedules games at random during this time, with very few actual series' being played. Baseball is a game of habit, where players get into the rhythm of anticipating their at-bats or starting games as a pitcher. This system of re-scheduling cancelled games all at once is inherently a flawed system.

New Foreign Faces

Teams have added a few new imports to their rosters in recent weeks. SK canned Jim Magrane and brought in righty Brian Gordon, the Lions ditched struggling slugger Ryan Garko and joined the other KBO teams by bringing in another foreign arm with Doug Mathis, and former part time Angels/Pirates reliever Chris Bootcheck was brought in to replace Brian Corey in Busan with the Lotte Giants.

These rain cancellations will have an effect in easing the new dudes into the league. Will it have a positive effect, in that they can study the batters of the league, get accustomed to the new culture and surroundings, and generally be more prepared? Or will the time off lead to rust and discontentment. All of these new pitchers are 30 or close.

Bootcheck will a giant for real, standing 6'5'' and even taller on the mound. And he is off to a good start grabbing a win in his debut against a hard hitting LG team. He only needed 88 pitches to retire 16 batters and only let in a run in the 10 to 6 Lotte win.

Ben Gordon will be eased into the league by being put up to start against 2-7, 4.30 Hanhwa starter Yang Hoon on Sunday. And Doug Mathis has yet to pitch in the KBO.

Goodbye Statiz.co.kr

The KBO is a great league, but its control over its stats is a big issue. And our beloved Korean baseball stat base statiz.co.kr has been taken offline. It's unnamed operator wrote a huge piece explaining why it had to be done at their website. He cites copyright issues and Korean pro-baseball stats control. Everyone hopes this site and others like it will go back online.

www.statiz.co.kr

7/15 Roundup and News

2011-07-16T21:39:00.002+09:00

Nexen/Doosan and Hanhwa/SK were both washed out last night.

KIA 4, Samsung 0
W - Yoon Seok-min (11-2), L - Cha Woo-chan (4-6)
KIA HR - Lee Beom-ho (17)
Samsung HR - None

KIA starter Yoon Seok-min stated a loud and convincing case for the 2011 MVP award. Yoon threw a complete game shutout(128 pitches, 85 strikes) against the team that KIA is in a fight for first place with. Yoon gave up only one hit and one walk while striking out 11. His stuff was simply electric.

KIA broke the scoreless tie in the third inning with a RBI ground out from third baseman Lee Beom-ho. KIA added a RBI double in the fourth inning from right fielder Kim Ju-hyeong and a two-run homer from slugger Lee Beom-ho.

Nothing neither good nor interesting happened for the Samsung Lions in this game. They would have done as well against Yoon by not using bats. At least then they'd have an excuse.

Lotte 10, LG 6
W - Chris Bootcheck (1-0), L - Park Hyeon-joon (10-6)
Lotte HR - None
LG HR - Kim Tae-wan (2)

10-6 makes this game sound close. LG rallied for five runs in the top of the ninth to make this one look respectable in the paper. Lotte reliever Jin Myeong-ho came in for garbage time in the ninth inning of a 10-1 route and crapped all over himself. Jin was batter for all five runs on four hits, one walk and a hit batsman.

Lotte's newest addition, starter Chris Bootcheck, looked solid in his KBO debut. Bootcheck tossed 5 1/3 innings(88 pitches, 55 strikes) and gave up five hits and two walks while striking out two.

This game was actually tied 1-1...until Lotte started scoring runs in bunches in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings.

Lotte infielder Moon Gyu-hyeon lead the Giants' offense by going 2-2 with two doubles, two walks, four RBIs and three runs scored. Third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun went 1-2 with a walk, a double, a HBP and three runs scored.

7/14 Roundup and News

2011-07-15T23:47:00.003+09:00

Samsung/Nexen and SK/LG were both washed out last night.

Doosan 11, KIA 2
W - Kim Sun-woo (7-5), L - Han Ki-ju (0-1)
Doosan HR - Goh Yeong-min (1)
KIA HR - Lee Beom-ho (16)

The Doosan Bears' offense pounded the snot out of whichever sad sack KIA ran out there.

Doosan left fielder Kim Hyeon-su started the scoring for Doosan with a two-run single in the third inning to give Doosan a 2-1 lead. Doosan started piling on after that.

Doosan second baseman Goh Yeong-min went 3-5 with a double, a homer, one run scored and four RBIs. Right fielder Jeong Su-bin went 2-4 with a walk, a triple, two runs scored and a RBI.

Doosan starter Kim Sun-woo enjoyed the run support. Kim tossed six innings(108 pitches, 72 strikes) of two-run baseball. Kim gave up seven hits and one walk while striking out four.

KIA pitcher Han Ki-ju was given the start. This was Han's first KBO appearance in over a year thanks to arm surgery. Han was completely forgettable. Han threw three innings(60 pitches, 34 strikes) of two-run ball. Han allowed two hits and three walks while striking out three.

Lotte 4, Hanhwa 3
W - Ryan Sadowski (5-5), L - Kim Hyeok-min (4-6), S - Kim Sa-yul (4)
Lotte HR - None
Hanhwa HR - None

4-3 makes this game sound closer than it really was.

Lotte started the scoring with an RBI triple from right fielder Son Ah-seop in the third inning. Sohn tried to turn a triple into an inside-the-park homer, but was thrown out at the plate by ten feet.

Lotte picked up another run in the fifth inning on a RBI infield single from left fielder Kim Ju-chan. Lotte added two more insurance runs to push the lead to 4-0 in the sixth inning thanks to a RBI single from second baseman Cho Seong-hwan and a RBI sac fly from third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun.

Hanhwa rallied for three runs in the eighth inning, but never really threatened to take the lead. Most of the damage came on a two-run single from backup catcher Park Noh-min.

Lotte starter Ryan Sadowski threw 6 2/3 innings(99 pitches, 58 strikes) of scoreless baseball. Sadowski gave up seven hits and three walks while striking out four.

Lotte reliever Kim Sa-yul recorded the final five outs for the save. Kim struck out two and didn't give up anything.

7/13 Roundup and News

2011-07-14T14:55:00.004+09:00

Samsung/Nexen, Hanhwa/Lotte and SK/LG were washed out last night. KIA/Doosan was the only game on the peninsula last night.

The Samsung Lions have finally given Ryan Garko his walking papers and announced that they have signed pitcher Doug Mathis to take his roster spot. Mathis is a 27 year old righty and he has spent 2011 with the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's AAA teams. He was last seen in the majors with Texas in 2010.

KIA 5, Doosan 4
W - Son Yeong-min (5-3), L - Goh Chang-seong (1-4), S - Yoo Dong-hoon (7)
KIA HR - None
Doosan HR - None

KIA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run double from third baseman Lee Beom-ho.

Doosan tied the game in the second thanks to a couple of mistakes by pitcher Travis Blackley. A key error by Travis allowed Doosan to score their first run and a wild pitch brought the second Bears' run to the plate. Blackley fielded a bunt, hesitated and whipped it into right field.

KIA took a 4-2 lead in the fifth because center fielder Lee Yong-gyu hit a RBI double and right fielder Kim Won-seop followed him with a RBI triple.

Doosan tied the game again in top of the sixth when pinch hitter Jeong Su-bin hit a two-run double.

KIA broke the 4-4 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning with Doosan reliever Lee Hyeon-seung made an error with runners on first and third. Lee couldn't find the handle on a bouncer off the bat of right fielder Kim Won-seop and KIA was able to coax the go-ahead run across the plate.

A trio of KIA relievers shut the door on any thoughts of a Bears' comeback.

KIA center fielder Lee Yong-gyu lead the Tigers' offense by going 3-5 with a double, a stolen base, two runs scored and a RBI.

7/12 Roundup and News

2011-07-13T21:34:00.003+09:00

Doosan/KIA was washed out last night.

Samsung 7, Nexen 4
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook (3-3), L - Oh Jae-yeong (1-2), S - Oh Seung-hwan (24)
Samsung HR - Lee Yeong-wook (3), Park Seok-min (10), Choi Hyeong-woo (19)
Nexen HR - Corey Aldridge (12)

Nexen tied the game at four in the sixth inning when they rallied back from a 4-1 deficit. Nexen right fielder Song Ji-man, shortstop Kang Jeong-ho and DH Oh Yoon hit three consecutive RBI singles into center field with two outs. The only thing that stopped the rally was Oh getting caught trying to advance to second after the third run of the rally scored.

Samsung took the lead back in the seventh inning with a RBI single from RBI machine Choi Hyeong-woo. The Lions tacked on two more runs in the ninth inning when Choi hit a two-run homer. Choi finished the game 4-5 with one run and three RBIs.

Lions third baseman Park Seok-min went 3-5 with a homer, one run scored and two RBIs.

Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan struck out two during a perfect ninth inning. The only thing lower than Oh's ERA (0.79) is his WHIP (0.76).

Lotte 11, Hanhwa 3
W - Song Seung-joon (7-6), L - Yang Hoon (2-7)
Lotte HR - Cho Seong-hwan (5)
Hanhwa HR - Karim Garcia (7)

Lotte starter Song Seung-joon threw the ball pretty well, but there was no way that Hanhwa was going to stop the Lotte offense.

Song tossed seven innings(98 pitches, 65 strikes) of one-run baseball. Song gave up three hits and one walk while striking out five. The only Hanhwa batter that got close to him was Karim Garcia. Garcia tagged Song for a solo homer.

Lotte scored their first run in the first inning on a RBI ground out by first baseman Lee Dae-ho and the Giants kept scoring until Hanhwa recorded 24 outs.

The Lotte offense banged out 20 hits and 19 of them were singles.

Lotte right fielder Jeon Joon-woo went 3-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored. DH Hong Seong-heun went 4-5 with two runs scored and one RBI. Second baseman Cho Seong-hwan went 2-2 with a three-run homer.

Lotte was able to empty the bench during this one. Almost all of the backups were in the game by the eighth inning.

LG 2, SK 0
W - Radhames Liz (7-7), L - Goh Hyo-joon (2-5), S - Lim Chan-gyu (7)
LG HR - None
SK HR - None

LG starter Radhames Liz was excellent against the Wyverns. Liz threw 7 1/3 innings(106 pitches, 68 strikes) of shutout baseball. Liz allowed only six hit and three walks while striking out four. Liz was yanked in the eighth inning with two runners on base, but reliever Lee Sang-yeol was able to get a double play ball to get out of the inning.

LG closer Lim Chan-gyu struck out two during a perfect ninth inning for the save.

LG pushed across a pair of runs in the fourth inning on a RBI single from DH Yoon Sang-gyun and a RBI double from left fielder Jeong Eui-joon.

7/10 Roundup and News

2011-07-11T12:40:00.003+09:00

I read about this, meant to blog it and totally forgot. The SK Wyverns have cut pitcher Jim Magrane and purchased the contract of right-handed pitcher Brian Gordon from the New York Yankees.

Doosan/Samsung and Nexen/Hanhwa were both completely washed out yesterday. SK and Lotte tried to get the game in, but it wound up getting rained out before it was official. The guy who really suffered? Lee Dae-ho. Lee had his 21st homer wiped out by the rainstorm.

KIA 6, LG 2
W - Aquilino Lopez (10-3), L - Ben Jukich (5-4)
KIA HR - Kim Sang-hyeon (10)
LG HR - Cho In-seong (14)

KIA starter Aquilino Lopez has to be in the discussion for a KBO Golden Glove this year. I don't think he should win, yet, but he's in the discussion. Lopez threw eight innings(91 pitches, 61 strikes) and gave up only two runs. Only LG catcher Cho In-seong was able to get to him with a two-run bomb in the seventh inning. Lopez gave up two hits and a hit batsman while striking out five. Lopez recorded 12 outs via the ground ball.

KIA left fielder Kim Sang-hyeon broke a scoreless tie with a RBI single in the fourth inning. Kim also homered while going 2-4 with a walk, a run scored and two RBIs.

The Tigers also rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh. Most of the damage came on a two-run single from second baseman Ahn Chi-hong.

LG starter Ben Jukich actually threw the ball pretty well, but seemed to run out of gas. Throwing in relief earlier in the week and then throwing 120 pitches will do that. Jukich tossed 6 1/3 innings(120 pitches, 74 strikes) and gave up four runs. Jukich allowed six hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Week 14 Rankings and Things

2011-07-11T09:13:00.003+09:00

Special thanks to commenter Dan for pointing out that pitcher Brian Gordon will be replacing Jim Magrane on the SK staff. New York Times recently ran an article on the man which you can read here. This career minor leager seems to be a real battler, ready to do what it takes. But career minor leagers are like that, generally.

Rankings

Rankings for week of July 5 to 10. This is the 14th week of the KBO season. There are 8 weeks left in the 2011 KBO regular season.

1. Kia Tigers, 4-1 on the week, 1 cancelled game.

Nothing can stop the Tigers, even the weather. They were again the team that played the most, and they won the most. Their only loss was a 1 run loss against LG when Yang Hyun-joon slipped early.

Edit: LG played the most.

2. LG Twins, 3-3 on the week, no cancelled games.

LG's turn to play all games during a rainy week. They now have 8 less wins than Kia with time slipping away on the season.

3. Samsung Lions, 2-1 on the week, 3 cancelled games.

Resiliency and composure is what defines this team. Come from behind wins have been the norm. But this is the second straight week Samsung has played only 3 games.

4. SK Wyverns, 2-2 on the week, 2 cancelled games.

Lost both games to Samsung and then won both games against Lotte. SK is making themselves look very comfortable at 3rd place.

5. Doosan Bears, 1-2 on week, 3 cancelled games.

Dustin Nippert (8-4, 2.44) is the only positive out of Doosan this season. Fine tuning is what this team needs because it is still a good team on paper. Actually, this team's only good on paper if you look at their players' past seasons stats. I take that back, they're not even a good team on paper.

6. Hanhwa Eagles, 2-2 on the week, 2 cancelled games.

Unfortunately only got one Nexen series game in and fell to seventh place because of it. Eagles still have most wins out of the bottom 4. But with the second most games played in the league (78 GP to Kia's 79), LG's still in the driver's seat for the 4th and last playoff spot.

7. Lotte Giants, 2-2 on the week, 2 cancelled games.

Had a fun time beating up Doosan but couldn't handle SK. Offense is picking up, their .269 BA as a team is good for second in the league and they have the 3rd most hits at 685. Important to note is their 64 home runs is tied for second with LG and only Kia has more with 65.

8. Nexen Heroes, 0-4 on the week, 2 cancelled games.

I oppose expansion if all we're going to see are Nexen type teams. Yoon Suk-min and Aq. Lopez have 10 wins apiece for Kia, but nobody on Nexen has won 4 games yet. Pitcher Song Shin-yong, who went 8-0, 3.53 in 2004 is having a bit of a resurgence at 3-1, 2.40, 9 saves in Nexen's bullpen. It's only a resurgence because he plays on Nexen.

Things

Japan? Pass: Yoon Suk-min

Yoon does not want to go the way of Lee Bum-ho, Kim Tae-gyun, Lee Seung-yeop and other KBO overachievers by going to Japan, reports Osen. He would much rather go to the major leagues. This filler article does say that 20 major league teams are active in scouting in Korea. And all of them have looked at Yoon either at the park or on TV. The article also says that an unnamed American league scout compared Yoon to SF Giants righty Matt Cain. The article ends with the statement that if Yoon goes to the majors after this season, it would be a Korean baseball milestone. Total number of new things learned after reading this article: 0, total number actual facts reported in this article: 0.

http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=baseball&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=109&article_id=0002230119

BREAKING NEWS: LG/HANHWA TRADE

Well, looking through the Naver sports pages was a bit fruitful today as E-Daily is reporting that LG and Hanhwa have completed a mid-season pitchers trade. LG will be sending Kim Kwang-su to Daejeon and LG will be obtaining the services of Yoo Won-sang and Yang Seung-jin. None of these pitchers are notable but Kim is the older of the 3 at 30. Hanhwa may be looking for more veteran guidance as they prepare for what could be a playoff run.

http://news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=baseball&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=018&article_id=0002463974