6/19 - 6/21 Weekend Roundup - Seoul Heroes vs. Hanhwa

6/19 - Hanhwa 4, Heroes 1
6/21, Game 1 - Heroes 8, Hanhwa 5
6/21, Game 2 - Heroes 9, Hanhwa 6

Hanhwa rode an excellent start from Ahn Yeong-myeong and pieced together enough of an offense to win on Friday. Ahn tossed 8 solid innings(103 pitches, 71 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed only 3 hits and struck out 4. 1st baseman Kim Tae-wan lead the way for the Hanhwa offense. Kim finished the game 2-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. His first inning single drove in the first Hanhwa run and his double in the 6th drove in the 2nd Hanhwa run. Hanhwa reliever Yang Hoon, AKA Mr. Arson, recorded the final 2 outs and earned his first save of the season.

Hanhwa starting pitcher Kim Hyeok-min continues to get abused at a record setting pace. His ERA after Sunday stands at 8.67 in 63 1/3 innings. That's...amazing. Kim was pummeled for all 8 Heroes runs in the first game on Sunday. Heroes starter Kang Yoon-guh was also fairly ineffective. This game would have become a slugfest if it weren't for Heroes reliever Lee Bo-geun. Lee tossed 4 innings of scoreless relief and is making a case for the Heroes rotation. On the offensive side, no one really posted the mammoth stat line that would be expected in an 8-5 game. Brumbaugh and Clark both posted solid games for the Heroes. Brumbaugh went 1-3 with 2 walks, a solo homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Clark finished 3-5 with a stolen base and a run scored. Heroes 3rd baseman Hwang Jae-gyun also homered.

The Heroes continued to batter Hanhwa pitching in the 2nd game as well. Hanhwa starter Yoon Gyu-min only lasted 1 1/3 innings and gave up 4 runs. Hanhwa starter Kim Su-kyeong actually threw a great game. Kim stuck around for 6 innings(89 pitches, 57 strikes) He allowed 2 runs, both on solo homers, on 4 hits and 2 walks. Kim also struck out 7 Eagles. Doug Clark, center fielder Lee Taek-geun and shortstop Kang Jeong-ho drove in 2 runs each for the Heroes. Heroes reliever Shin Cheol-in tossed 2 1/3 innings of relief and earned his 3rd save of the season.

6/12 - 6/14 Weekend Roundup: KIA vs. Hanhwa

6/12 - KIA 16, Hanhwa 6
6/13 - Hanhwa 8, KIA 3
6/14 - KIA 5, Hanhwa 2

KIA jumped all over Hanhwa starter Yoo Won-sang in the early innings on Friday. Yoo was battered for 10 runs(all earned) on 9 hits and 4 walks during his 2 1/3 innings of work. KIA right fielder Na Ji-wan inflicted a lot of damage on the Hanhwa pitching staff. Na went 2-5 with 2 homers, 6 RBIs and 2 runs scored. KIA 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon drove in 4 runs while going 2-5 with a double. KIA reliever Park Kyeong-tae threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief work. Park allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. Shortstop Song Kwang-min was one of the few bright spots for Hanhwa. Song finished 4-5(all singles) with 2 runs scored.

Hanhwa exacted some measure of revenge on Saturday thanks to a quality start from Ahn Yeong-myeong. Ahn tossed 6 2/3 innings(99 pitches, 55 strikes) of 3-run baseball. He surrendered 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4. KIA's Rick Guttormson had his worst start of the season. Guttormson lasted 6 innings(98 pitches, 61 strikes), but he allowed 6 runs(4 earned) on 7 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman. Rick did manage to strike out 6 batters during his outing. Hanhwa held a 4-3 lead in the 7th inning and blew the game wide open with a 4-run rally. Guttormson was pulled in the 7th with runners on 1st and 3rd with 0 outs. Hanhwa 3rd baseman Lee Beom-ho singled off of reliever Song Yeong-min to score the first run of the inning. With the bases loaded, Song walked left fielder Choi Jin-haeng to score another run. The next batter, center fielder Choo Seung-woo, would hit a sac fly to score another run and make the score 7-3. 2nd baseman Oh Seon-jin hit a grounder to KIA 2nd baseman Ahn Chi-hong that should have ended the inning, but Ahn almost threw the ball into left field. Everyone was safe and Song Kwang-min was able to race across the plate to make the score 8-3.

KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong enjoyed one of his finest starts of the season and Han Ki-joo recorded his first save in 2 months while the Tigers rolled to an easy W. The 21 year old Yang is in his first season as a starting pitcher in the KBO and he is making the most of it. Yang threw 6 1/3 innings(117 pitches, 75 strikes) and allowed 2 runs with 7 hits. He racked up 11 K's during his start and only walked 2. Han threw 1-2-3 9th inning to earn his 3rd save of the season. This KIA pitching staff appears to have a lot of depth at the moment. KIA right fielder Na Ji-wan must like hitting against Hanhwa pitching(who doesn't?). Na hit 2 more homers on Sunday, giving him 4 for the weekend. Na finished the game 3-4 with 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored.

2009 Season Primer: Hanwha Eagles

4. Hanwha Eagles

I really wish this team had more pitching than Ryu Hyeon-jin and Brad Thomas. If this team could find anyone else to throw the ball, they could compete with SK for the top spot in the league. Ryu is a legit ace and Australian national, Brad Thomas, is one of the top relievers in the KBO, but there isn't much after them. This team's pitching reminds me a lot of the Chinese National team. They were competent enough to keep things close and make the game competitive, but every so often they would bring in some zombie who would just get lit up. Hanhwa had last year's TSOKB Cy Yuck Award Winner, Mr. Yang Hoon. Yang worked 65 1/3 innings for Hanhwa last year. He allowed 81 hits and 34 walks. His ERA was 7.71 and his WHIP was 1.73.

Ryu Hyeon-jin is one of the guys worth knowing in the KBO. Ryu finished last year with a 14-7 record in 26 starts. He struck out 143 batters in 165 2/3 innings. He walked only 67 hitters last year. He posted a 3.31 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP. He's left-handed and he just celebrated his 22nd birthday. Last year was his 3rd KBO season, so only 6 more until free agency! The clock is ticking!

Brad Thomas finished 2nd in the league with 31 saves last season. He was the one reliever that manager Kim In-sik could always count on. He threw 63 1/3 innings in 59 games last year. In those 63 1/3 innings, he struck out exactly 63 batters. Hanwha has to be thrilled that he's returning for another season. Hanwha has a few okay relievers to bridge to Thomas, but the staff is fairly thin. Yoon Gyu-jin and Koo Dae-seong are a nice righty, lefty combo, but they're not exactly shut down relievers.

Hanwha spent most of the season looking for a #2 and #3 starter behind Ryu. They would have settled for a #4 or #5. They usually found pitching machines. Actually, scratch that. Pitching machines can be programmed to throw strikes. Ooooooohhh! Song Jin-woo and Yu Won-sang had moments of competence, but they were never reliable. Hanwha added Choi Sang-deok from SK, but his best days are very far behind him. The last time the 38-year old righty was KBO relevant was 2003. Kim Hui-kwon was signed from LG. He's only 23. At least he has some upside.

As lacking as Hanwha is in the pitching department, they try to make up for it by hitting baseballs really, really hard. WBC star Kim Tae-kyun lead the KBO in homers(31) and OPS(1.039). If Hanwha had qualified for the playoffs, the slugging first baseman would have been in the mix for the MVP award. Protecting Kim this year will be foreign ringer Victor Diaz. Diaz should man right field for the Eagles and bat behind Kim in the lineup. Diaz is really intriguing as a middle of the order prescence in the KBO. In just under 500 career MLB AB's, Diaz has 24 homers. He's coming off a 24 homer, 100 RBI season at AAA. I think he has a chance to out-produce Doug Clark and at the very least he'll fill the void created by Clark's departure. Third baseman Lee Beom-ho is a nice power/speed guy. He finished last year with double-digit homers and stolen bases with an .844 OPS in 434 AB's. DH Kim Tae-won also posted a solid season last year. He clubbed 23 homers with 73 RBI and a .850 OPS.

One guy to watch out for is Song Kwang-min. I'm not sure where he's going to play, but if he does he could be another thumper for this lineup. He posted an .805 OPS in 140 AB's with 7 homers. He's also had a nice exhibition season. He's leading all batters with 5 homers and 15 RBI. He still strikes out a ton. He struck out 44 times last year. He could be the KBO's answer to Pablo Sandoval.

Unless Ryu Hyeon-jin is starting, this team is going to play a lot of 10-8, 9-6, 11-7 ballgames. This is a lineup of thumpers. They'll live and die with the long ball. I think they can bash their way to a 4th place finish. If it weren't for a late season swoon, they probably would have edged out Samsung for the 4th playoff spot. They should be able to get there this season. Even if the KBO has to rig the league, NBA style. The KBO needs Kim Tae-gyun and Ryu Hyeon-jin in the playoffs.

Playing Catchup...

First and foremost, Mr. Sensitive himself, Hong Seong-heun, the DH/Catcher for the Doosan Bears has landed with a new club. Hong will be DHing for Jerry Royster's Lotte Giants next year. Hong signed a 1 year deal worth 279 million won.

It sounds like the Hanhwa Eagles have signed a new foreign guy. Meet Outfielder, Victor Diaz. Victor spent 2008 with Houston and Seattle's AAA affiliates. He thumped at Tacoma. He posted a .280/.362/.546 line in 414 AB's. I'm surprised he didn't at least warrant a September callup with numbers like that and a team as bad as Seattle. Welcome to Korea Victor.

Also this article from the Joongang Daily caught my eye....I quote, "Also, a catcher was suspected of telling opposing hitters about the pitch selection when a certain foreign pitcher on his team took the mound." I've been trying to guess who this is and I can't. It can't be SK, Hanhwa, Doosan or Lotte. Samsung isn't likely, but possible. The 3 worst teams in the league didn't really have anyone stick around long enough for this to seem possible. KIA had Jose Lima, The Heroes had Josh Scobey and LG had Jamie Brown. Looking at the day-to-day results, I can't find a pattern with a certain catcher.

Round 2, Game Three

Bears 6, Eagles 0
Doosan wins the series 3-0

This was by far the most watchable game of this series. It wasn't a ridiculous blowout. It wasn't a 4 1/2 hour marathon. It was actually a closely contested ballgame...four about 7 innings.

Doosan was able to take the crowd out of the game early. The Bears put up a three-spot in the first due to ineffective pitching and some miserable fielding. Ryu Hyun Jin got the start and didn't make it out of the 2nd inning. He labored through the first and got a quick hook in the 2nd. Gone was the ace that carved up the Samsung Lions for 6 2/3 innings in game one of round one. Ryu looked fatigued from the first pitch and his pitches didn't have the movement that they had in round one. He looked like he was out of gas, but that doesn't mean he deserved to be pulled in the 2nd inning. He was the victim of the players around him failing to record outs to get him out of the inning. Of the three runs he allowed, only one was earned.

The Hanwha manager called on Cedric Bowers. Bowers was what you might call effectively wild. He lasted 6 innings(throwing 114 pitches, so Korean managers can leave their guys in for more than five batters), but he was clearly out of gas when Doosan started to get to him.

The hero: Doosan leadoff man, Lee Chong Wook. He was the catalyst for an offense that scored 23 runs during the 3 game series. He went 6 for 11 during the series with 7 RBIs and 4 runs scored. Starting pitcher, Kim Myung Choi was suprisingly effective. Few balls were hit hard and everything seemed to find the glove of a Doosan fielder. He held the lead and got ahead on most batters. This was probably his finest start of the year. Final line, 6 2/3 innings, only 3 hits, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. It was a Paul Byrd performance. He looks like he should be battered around, but before you knew it, it was the 7th inning and your team only had three hits.

The goat: The Hanwha catcher, Shin Kyong Hyun. Passed balls and wild pitches absolutely killed Hanwha in this series. The catcher cost them five runs in 3 games, that's just inexcusable.

Hanwha could book its team golf outing when: Ryu Hyun Jin struggled in the first inning. The crowd was taken out of the game for the first five innings and the advantage swung to Doosan. If not for some excellent relief work from Bowers, this game would have gotten out of hand quickly. Hanwha was able to keep all three games close, but had trouble getting and could never hold a lead.

The next game is on 10/19. For some reason, Hanwha is playing the Kia Tigers at 2pm on the 19th. Starting pitchers haven't been announced yet.

The Championship series starts on 10/22. Starting pitchers haven't been announced, but my guess is its Danny Rios going for Doosan and Kenny Rayburn for SK. Doosan! SK! Rios! Rayburn! The battle for the championship and the right to face Asia's best in November. Live on KBS!

Round 2, Game Two

Bears 9, Eagles 5
Doosan takes a 2-0 series lead

This game started around 6pm and ended around 10:30. It was an epic of Gaussian proportions. This was also the first game that featured a lead change. The previous 4 playoff games had one team taking control and keeping it for the entire game. This was only the 2nd game that you could say had a level of drama to it and it wound up being a 9-5 depantsing. Here's hoping Game 3 and the Championship series are more viewer friendly.

Wildest play of the night: in the 3rd inning, TWO runs were scored on a dropped 3rd strike. This highlight will probably be shown for the entire next season. THe ball got away from the Hanwha catcher. The play at home was reasonably close, but the throw from the catcher bounced in front of the pitcher and skipped away. The batter was able to round all the bases and make it home. He never stopped running. Hard. It was just a great heads up play.

Korean Playoff Fact: The team that makes the FEWEST pitching changes wins. For some reason, managers in the KBO like to play more matchups with their pitching staffs and have an exceptionally shorter hook with starters. This doesn't not lead to victory. So far, the team that makes the fewest changes is a perfect 5/5. This should seem obvious. The team that makes the fewest changes usually has better pitching and therefore a better chance to win the game. The problem is starters are getting yanked far too early and the bullpens are blowing up, not the starters. Typically, in American ball, if the starter gives up a couple early runs, no big deal. Managers usually stick with the starter for a few more innings, just to avoid burning through the bullpen. Well, in Korea, the rosters are a bit larger(Hanwha, for example, has 29 pitchers on its roster, but only 9 or 10 are active) allowing for more pitchers and a tendency for managers to tinker more.

The Hero: The top 1/3 of the Doosan batting order. Lee Chung Wook, Kim Hyun Su and Ko Yong Min combined to go 7 for 13 with 5 RBI, 2 runs sopred and two homeruns.

The Goat: The Hanwha manager. While Chong Min Chol wasn't great, he didn't deserve to get yanked in the 3rd. Had he stuck with his #2 starter for more than 2 1/3 innings, his bullpen might have performed better.

Hanwha could packs its bags for Daejon, down 2-0 when: The Hanwha bullpen coughed up 4 runs in the last 3 innings. It was a one run game and the bullpen couldn't keep Doosan off the scoreboard in a critical game.

Next game: October 17 at 6pm. The series moves from Seoul to Daejon. Ace Ryu Hyun Jin(17-7, 2.94 ERA) takes the mound for Hanwha, while Kim Myong Jae(4-7, 5.05 ERA) rumbles to the bump for Doosan in the possibly decisive Game Three. Hanwha! Doosan! Ryu! Kim! Catch the KBO on KBS!

Round 2, Game 1

Bears 8, Eagles 0
Doosan takes 1-0 series lead.

Doosan beat Hanwha in every facet of the game. Doosan pitched better, they hit better and they caught the ball better. Doosan ace, Danny Rios, was spectacular. He went 8 strong innings, only striking out one, but he kept the Hanwha batters off balance all day. It took Rios only 91 pitches to carve up Hanwha for 8 innings. He scattered 6 hits and allowed a walk, but was in complete control all game long.

Danny Rios is a 34 year old former Yankees and Royals farmhand. He had a few cups of coffee in the big leagues, but never anything that could be called a career. He is nearing the end of his finest season in pro ball with Doosan. Rios finished the year with a league best 22-5 record and a leagues best 2.07 ERA while averaging over 7 innings a start. Rios is a "power pitcher," but he doesn't post high strikeout totals("only" 147). He's been an out machine all year. He's essentially become the Korean version of Jon Garland, except more effective against Korean bats than Garland has been against American bats. He boasts a plus fastball with movement, but what makes him effective is his ability to change speeds to keep the hitters off balance here. There's some speculation that Rios might leave for Japan next year. I'm not sure how well he'd do there. As long as he can change speeds effectively on hitters, I think he could succeed anywhere.

Hanwha was able to keep the game close for a while. They were trailing only 2-0 in the 6th but in the 7th and 8th innings the floodgates opened. It was a hit parade in both innings. Doosan managed to score 8 runs without hitting a homerun. Doosan has the most patient lineup in the KBO. These guys are the Oakland A's of the KBO. They are very good at not making outs. The stand out was Lee Dae Su. He went 4-4 with a triple, a run scored and two RBIs.

The hero: Danny Rios. He was a buzzsaw.

The goat: The Hanwha bullpen. Hanwha did not spell relief on Sunday. It looked like they were throwing BP for the last 3 innings.

Hanwha could start planning for game two when: Doosan started slapping around the Hanwha bullpen. If this keeps up, it could be a short series.

Game two is Monday at 6pm Seoul time. Chong Min Chol(12-5, 2.90 ERA) takes the rubber for Hanwha and foreign ringer Matt Lander(12-8, 3.12 ERA) is scheduled for Doosan.

Round 1, Game 3

Eagles 5, Lions 3
Eagles win the series 2-1

This game was almost over before it started. Lions' starter, Brian Mazone, was chased from the game after only 2/3 of an inning. His final line was 3 hits, 1 walk and 2 earned runs. Everything over the plate was hit hard and every thing off the plate was ignored. Lions' manager, Sun Dong-Yol, took him out before the game was out of hand. The Eagles started Cedric Bowers, a pitcher who had been in and out of the starting rotation all season. He was about as effective as Mazone was, but Samsung was unable to inflict as much damage on the scoreboard as the Eagles could.

This game was your typical 4-hour Korean grindfest. You could fall asleep for an hour and not miss anything in this one. The two teams combined to use 12 pitchers. 8 of them used by Samsung. This game was slow and fairly dull for a playoff game. Play was stopped so much that there was never any flow to the game. It felt like a big, ugly mess, but it wasn't without its highlights.

Samsung had to battle all night to keep the game close. The same problems that plagued Samsung during the regular season came back to haunt them in the playoffs. The Lions are excellent at getting runners on 1st and 2nd with less than two outs, but terrible at actually plating them. Samsung did make a game out of it and even managed a great fake rally in the 9th. I had the feeling during this one that Samsung was always an inning away from the bullpen opening the floodgates. It never really flooded, but a pair of solo homers made the Lions more than a little soggy.

In the 6th inning, Hanwha turned to game one star, Ryu Hyon-Jin, to close the door on Samsung. After looking dominant in game one, he looked very mediocre in game three. He had trouble finding the plate and left a few pitches up in the zone. Samsung was more than willing to let him off the hook and he was able to escape with only allowing one run in 3 1/3 innings of work.

The hero: Lee Bum-Ho of Hanwha. He hit .556 in the series, including the nail-in-the-coffin homerun in game 3 off Oh Seung-Hwan.

The goat: Brian Mazone. He looked awful.

Hanwha could pack its bags for Seoul and Samsung could pack its bags for home when: Lee Bum-Ho hit his 7th inning homerun to put Hanwha up 4-2. It took all the air out of the Lions fans in attendance.

The playoffs head to Seoul where the rested and ready Doosan Bears will face the Hanwha Eagles in a best of 5 series. Game 1 is set for 10/14 at 2pm Korean time.

Round 1, Game 2

Lions 6, Eagles 0

Last night was essentially the exact opposite of game 1. The Lions bats came to life, homering twice and scoring a runner from second on a basehit for the first time in a week. 5 Lions pitchers combined to scatter 3 hits. The Eagles only had one runner reach 2nd base all night. I think it was more inept hitting than effective pitching, but what it really came down to was tat the Lions executed and the Eagles didn't.

The crowd was into the game before the first pitch was thrown. Hanwha fans came in from Daejon for what could have been the clinching game, but around 8:30 most had either left or were looking at their watches drying to decide if they should catch the 9:03 express train or wait for the 9:32. The Samsung fans came out in force as the cheering section was as loud and as large as I've ever seen it. The stadium was about 90% full. If I had to guess the size of the crowd, I'd say about 5500 people showed up.

The funniest moment of the night came when a group of young people advertising for a Korean baseball movie(The Scout, hitting theatres in Korea on 11/15) lost control of their banner in centerfield. These guys were about as uncoordinated as possible when it came to waving their massive banner. The also had different number claps. Every time their Fearless Leader would call for a different clap, that's exactly what happened. Everyone would clap differently. Su-Jin summed it up best, "I think these guys need practice."

Keys to the game: Samsung kept Hanwha's big bats in check for most of the game. Jacob Cruz and Kim Tae Gyun were a combined 1-6 with two walks. If these two aren't driving in runs, usually doesn't do much.

This game wasn't without questionable managing from Samsung. For example, removing an effective Chon Byung Ho after only three innings, replacing a pitcher in the middle of an at bat(while he was ahead in the count) and allowing ace closer Oh Seung Hwan to work the 9th of a blowout. Fans shouldn't complain after a 6-0 victory, but I was really scratching my head at some of the decisions made.

Game 3 is in Daejon on Friday. One team goes on, the other goes home. Hanwha! Samsung! Cruz! Yong! Tomorrow on MBC! KBO fever! Catch it.

Game 1 of the 2007 Playoffs!

Welcome to the Korean baseball blog!

What better time than the playoffs to get this rolling.

For the past six months, 8 teams have battled to gain one of the 4 playoff births. Now, it’s time for Korea’s second season to begin! Hanwha! Samsung! Ryu! Yong! Tonight on MBC!

Okay, a quick primer for those of you new to Korean Baseball, here’s how the playoff system works. The top four teams in an 8 team league go. The 3 and 4 seeds play a 3 game series for the right to play the second place team in a best of 5. The winner of the second series plays the top seed in a 7 game series for the championship. The Samsung Lions are the two time defending champs. This year, they limped to the finish and barely made the playoffs as the 4 seed. Hanwha bounced around the league standing all year before a strong final month earned them the 3 seed.There is legit bad blood between Samsung and Hanwha. It’s spilling over from last season’s playoffs which featured a fairly intense series that almost boiled over when some pitches missed the catcher’s glove and hit batters.

This game features not one, but two pregame hype shows. Normally, we’re lucky to get lineups before the first pitch, but today we get actual pregame. The two managers held a joint press conference to smooth over any hard feelings from last year. It’s about 50 steps away from Creed/Drago at the beginning of Rocky 4.

The Hanwha manager is sitting in the dugout wearing John Lennon glasses. His goal is to set the international record for most ridiculous glasses worn by a manager in a playoff setting. The current record holder is Tony La Russa.

The pitching matchup for tonight is Hanwha’s Ryu Hyon Jin vs. Samsung’s “Downtown” Jamie Brown. Ryu is probably the best young pitcher in the KBO. He’s got a devastating circle-change that he uses as his out pitch. He also mixes in an above average fastball and breaking stuff that’s above league average. Brown is your typical foreign journeyman. He won’t overpower any big leaguers any time soon, but his stuff gets by in the KBO. Ryu was 18-7 in 30 starts with a 2.94 ERA and 178 K’s in 211 innings. Brown ended the regular season with a respectable 12-8 record with a 3.33 ERA and 68 K’s in 162 innings.

5:59- Natonal Anthem along with a shot of a guy singing while wearing a bright orange Hanwha jersey on top of a long-sleeve plaid shirt. Yikes.

6:03- Samsung leadoff man Shin Myung-Chal takes the first pitch for a ball before grounding out weakly. One down.

6:05-Park Han-Yi gets a seeing-eye single for the first hit. You can officially cancel the postgame show.

6:07-A misplayed pop fly in right field puts runners on first and second with one out. The right fielder is mediocre slugger Jacob Cruz and the second baseman is a Korean guy. I’m guessing Jacob didn’t have time to find “I’ve got it” in his pocket dictionary.

6:09-DH Shim Jung Su steps in against Ryu. We’ve got a pitcher with wild hair facing off against a power hitter with glasses. It’s an 80’s baseball challenge! Shim is caught swinging at the circle change.

6:13-Shot of the crowd looking unimpressed, then realizing they’re on TV and half-heartedly banging their stix together. Come on Hanwha! This is October baseball!

6:15-Strikeout #2 looked a lot like Strikeout #1. Swinging at the change.

6:20- A video montage of Samsung left fielder, Yong Jun-Hyuk almost killing himself trying to catch baseballs at the warning track. Yong is a very good ballplayer, he’s finishing his 16th season with Samsung. He also collected his 2,000 hit and holds most of the career hitting records for Samsung, but that doesn’t make him a solid left fielder. When the ball goes out to left, it’s an adventure.

6:21- Foreigner Battle! Jacob Cruz vs. Jamie Brown. Cruz is caught staring at strike three.

6:25 – Great catch at the wall robs Samsung of a double. He caught the ball, then he caught the wall, rolled around for a minute. Stood up, waved to the fans and was followed back to his position by cheers. It’s a Joe Pepitone special or for younger readers, it’s a “Derek Jeter.”

6:33 – K #3 for Ryu, swinging at the change.6:34 – K #4, again swinging.

6:39 – 1st hit for Hanwha, a RINGING double by Lee Bum Ho.

6:44 – Hanwha draws first blood on a line drive single. 1-0, Eagles. Jamie Brown looks like he’s two steps away from a “Gonna be here a while” moment.

6:47 – I would comment on the commercials, but this is Asia. Just assume that all commercials either feature a giant squid, a boy band or a woman that is SHOCKED that a product she purchased actually worked.

6:56 – Samsung managed another hit, but failed to score. This inning featured 38 year old left fielder, Yong Jun Hyuk busting his ass to attempt to beat a throw. He didn’t make it, but it’s nice to see a vet like Yong, in a league like this that still cares. He was maybe four levels away from Tom Berenger at the end of Major League.

7:02 – Foreigner Battle #2 – This time Brown gets Cruz to ground out to end the 3rd.

7:09 – K #5 for Ryu. This time staring at the fastball.

7:10 – Kim Jae Gol at the plate. He is quite possibly the worst athlete in the history of sports to have his named chanted at a sporting event. He plays the field well enough, but his bat is painfully anemic. In 11 years in the KBO, he has hit exactly 12 homeruns while batting a robust .231. His career slugging percentage is only two points higher than his career OBA. Sitting at .297 and .295 respectively.

Korean names are awesome for chanting. “Kim Jae Gol! Kim Jae Gol! Kim Jae Gol!” If his name were say, oh, Andy Gonzalez, it wouldn’t have quite the same impact.http://www.baseball-reference.com/g/gonzaan01.shtml

7:13 – Kim Tae Gyun leads off the inning with a blast into left-center. 2-0 Hanwha. Brown doesn’t seem at all surprised by any of this. He’s a got a “Yeah, pretty much” face going on right now.

7:16 – Double barrel action in the Lions bullpen. It’s the 4th inning! Not exactly a leap of faith from the Samsung manager.

7:19 – Controversy! A 3rd strike is ruled a foul ball! The Samsung manager is too stunned to move. He looks like someone just told him the restaurant was out of kimchi. It doesn’t matter anyway.

7:26 – The Lions go down quietly in the 5th inning. Yong Jun Hyuk is determined to hit a two-run homerun with no one on base.

7:30 – Leadoff double for Hanwha followed by a perfect bunt. Runner on 3rd with one out.

7:31 – A shot of two salarymen with Hanwha banners is shown. The funny part? The banners are upside down.

7:32 – 2 strikes on Ko Dong Jin, the Hanwha center fielder and leadoff man. Samsung is almost out of this jam. Spoke too soon. Sac fly to deep center. 3-0 Hanwha.

7:42 – 80’s Challenge round 2: Full count…..oooooh. Ball Four. Take your base. Shim’s glasses saw through the sideburns of Ryu and advance to first.

7:45 – 1st and 2nd with no one out. Ryu looks like he’s running out of gas. His pitching coach raves like my friend, Jason during a Sox game. “Here’s the pop up to the 2nd baseman,” followed by an eye-roll when he actually does it. Lots of hand waving and thigh slapping.

7:47 – Sacks packed with Lions. Ryu doesn’t look all that wobbly, I get the feeling he’s getting out of this…

7:51 – Lazy fly ball to right. One down. The pitching coach is now using the, “Blank Stare of Doom.” I think if Ryu gives up a hit, this guy will throw punches. Everyone in the dugout has moved at least twenty feet away from him. I can just imagine the conversation, “We better get some Pocari(Gatorade). He gets like this some times, time to be shufflin’ down the road.”

7:53 – 3-1 count. Foul Ball. 3-2. Swings at the change. K #7 for Ryu. He’s got a lot of composure for a guy who just turned 21. Then again, these guys aren’t exactly the ’07 Tigers or for that matter the ’03 Tigers.

7:57 – 2-2 pitch. Ball three….and the batter stares at strike 3. He was praying for a walk. “Please, please, please. Let it bounce in the dirt, let the ump blow the call, just please don’t put it near the plate…..damn.”

8:02 – Foreigner battle #3. Cruz wins this time with a line drive basehit.

8:08 – Turn out the lights. 2 run bomb for Hanwha to make it a 5-0 deficit. You can close the book on Brown. He deserved better.

8:15 – To the surprise of me, Ryu is out for the 7th. He’s over 100 pitches, labored through the last inning and Hanwha has a 5-0 lead, but let’s send the kid out for another. They must have zero faith in their bullpen.

8:18 – Ryu goes through them like a hungry Korean businessman through cigarettes. K #8.

8:20 – Base hit for Samsung. Fake rally time! That’s all for Ryu. Final #’s, 6.2 innings, 8 k’s, 0 runs. He was the difference tonight for Hanwha.

8:34 – Shot of Ryu in the dugout. He appears to be wearing a terry cloth t-shirt and attempting to smile while the insane pitching coach is critiquing his performance. “Yes, coach. Yes, coach. Ah, I see coach.” Meanwhile, he’s thinking, “Man, I hope he finishes before the nightclubs close.”

8:48 – One, two, three inning for Hanwha. On to the top of the 9th. It’s last gasp time for Samsung.

8:54 – 1-2-3. No balls left the infield. A Hanwha win and a commanding 1-0 series lead. On to Daegu for Game 2. Hopefully I’ll be in attendance and able to offer a full recap.