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.
Showing posts with label Park Chan-ho. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Park Chan-ho. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Free Agent News Grab Bag
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.
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.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Park Chan-ho Finally Signs
In his late career quest for a ring, Korean hero Park Chan-ho has signed on with the Yankees. It sounds like he signed a 1-year deal worth about $1.5 million. If the rumors were true and Park really had a $3 million offer from the Phillies for essentially the same role that he'll have in New York, he cost himself a ton of cash by holding out.
The Korean press is excited for the possibility of Park pitching against Cleveland's Choo Shin-soo.
The Korean press is excited for the possibility of Park pitching against Cleveland's Choo Shin-soo.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Park Chan-ho, King of the Wild Frontier
Park Chan-ho stopped by Hanhwa Eagles camp this week and gave a few pointers to the K-Monster, ace Ryu Hyeon-jin. He's also working on a kickass beard. He might say he doesn't want to work out of the bullpen, but his beard says otherwise. That's a fierce "closin' beard" if I ever saw one.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
9/2 Roundup and News
The Korea Times gives Choo Shin-soo a nice write-up. He's slowly starting to produce now that he's healthy, but I can't help but wonder what's going to happen when Martinez and Hafner come back and need to DH. Cleveland has a fairly crowded OF and Choo could wind up the odd man out.
Park Chan-ho wants to start next year. This is probably just posturing before the offseason. I think he knows that if he has a future in the MLB, it's in the bullpen.
The KBO website is ten kinds of weird right now, so I can't really offer much as far as details. Here's the scores and I'll get everything updated as soon as the KBO squares itself away. Whenever that is...
Doosan 6, Hanhwa 1
Samsung 7, KIA 3
Lotte 8, LG 3
SK 4, Heroes 2
Park Chan-ho wants to start next year. This is probably just posturing before the offseason. I think he knows that if he has a future in the MLB, it's in the bullpen.
The KBO website is ten kinds of weird right now, so I can't really offer much as far as details. Here's the scores and I'll get everything updated as soon as the KBO squares itself away. Whenever that is...
Doosan 6, Hanhwa 1
Samsung 7, KIA 3
Lotte 8, LG 3
SK 4, Heroes 2
Friday, July 25, 2008
7/23 News and Roundup
Park Chan-ho has been moved back to the bullpen. If Jonathan Broxton can't fill the closer's role, Park could pick up a save or two.
The Joongang Daily's Yoo Jee-ho offers his ideas on the Giants recent struggles. I think the lax attitude toward conditioning may have something to do with their struggles. This team looks a little fried.
The Donga Ilbo offers another article shoved into a translator program. It's not nearly as entertaining as the last one.
On to the round up...
Woori 5, LG 1
W - Ma Il-yeong (9-6), L - Chris Oxspring (8-7), S - Song Shin-yeong (4)
Game Ball: Woori did all of its scoring during a 5-run 4th inning. The rally featured doubles from Lee Taek-gun, Kim Dong-su and Kim Il-kyeong, but the player that was most Game Ball worthy was the Woori ace, Ma Il-yeong. Ma worked 6 1/3 innings(96 pitches, 58 strikes) allowing 1 run on 7 hits with 1 walk. He struck out 3 Twinkies on the night.
SK 7, Lotte 6
W - Kim Won-hyeong (8-3), L - Na Seung-hyeon (0-3)
Game Ball: The game was tied 6-6 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. SK had already used 8(!) pitchers to throw 9 innings, so they were looking at a thin bullpen if this ballgame went into extras. SK's Lee Jae-won started the inning right with a leadoff single. Mo Chang-min was brought on as a pinch runner. Park Jae-hong hit a lazy fly to right for the first out. Park Kyeong-won laced a single into left field to put runners at the corners with only 1 out. Ha Joon-hyeok came in to pitch for the Giants. The first batter he faced, Na Ju-hwan laid down an awkward bunt right in front of home plate. Ha attempted to flip the ball to the catcher, but Mo was able to sprint in from third to score the winning run. Na gets the game ball for a walk off suicide squeeze.
Samsung 6, KIA 3
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook (6-3), L - Lee Beom-seok (6-7), S - Oh Seung-hwan (24)
Game Ball: Samsung outfielder, Woo Dong-gyun. Woo hit in the lead off spot last night and made the most of it. He finished 2-3 with a triple, 3 RBI and one run scored. His triple came during a 4-run second inning. The Baby Lion tripled with the bases loaded and was driven on a single from Park Han-yi.
Hanhwa v. Doosan
PPD
The Joongang Daily's Yoo Jee-ho offers his ideas on the Giants recent struggles. I think the lax attitude toward conditioning may have something to do with their struggles. This team looks a little fried.
The Donga Ilbo offers another article shoved into a translator program. It's not nearly as entertaining as the last one.
On to the round up...
Woori 5, LG 1
W - Ma Il-yeong (9-6), L - Chris Oxspring (8-7), S - Song Shin-yeong (4)
Game Ball: Woori did all of its scoring during a 5-run 4th inning. The rally featured doubles from Lee Taek-gun, Kim Dong-su and Kim Il-kyeong, but the player that was most Game Ball worthy was the Woori ace, Ma Il-yeong. Ma worked 6 1/3 innings(96 pitches, 58 strikes) allowing 1 run on 7 hits with 1 walk. He struck out 3 Twinkies on the night.
SK 7, Lotte 6
W - Kim Won-hyeong (8-3), L - Na Seung-hyeon (0-3)
Game Ball: The game was tied 6-6 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. SK had already used 8(!) pitchers to throw 9 innings, so they were looking at a thin bullpen if this ballgame went into extras. SK's Lee Jae-won started the inning right with a leadoff single. Mo Chang-min was brought on as a pinch runner. Park Jae-hong hit a lazy fly to right for the first out. Park Kyeong-won laced a single into left field to put runners at the corners with only 1 out. Ha Joon-hyeok came in to pitch for the Giants. The first batter he faced, Na Ju-hwan laid down an awkward bunt right in front of home plate. Ha attempted to flip the ball to the catcher, but Mo was able to sprint in from third to score the winning run. Na gets the game ball for a walk off suicide squeeze.
Samsung 6, KIA 3
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook (6-3), L - Lee Beom-seok (6-7), S - Oh Seung-hwan (24)
Game Ball: Samsung outfielder, Woo Dong-gyun. Woo hit in the lead off spot last night and made the most of it. He finished 2-3 with a triple, 3 RBI and one run scored. His triple came during a 4-run second inning. The Baby Lion tripled with the bases loaded and was driven on a single from Park Han-yi.
Hanhwa v. Doosan
PPD
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
7/4 - 7/6 Weekend Roundup
Park Chan-ho looks like he's going to stay in the rotation for now. At least until Brad Penny makes his return.
The Joongang Daily offers up some criticism of Centennial Investment and the current, erm, issues it's experiencing. I agree with the article, but the KBO was desperate for an 8th team. The fact that anyone was willing to join the league after the KBO screwed up 3 seperate negotiations was very fortunate.
KIA vs Samsung
7/4 - KIA 11, Samsung 0
7/5 - KIA 5, Samsung 4
7/6 - KIA 4, Samsung 3 (15)
Wow. A bad weekend to be a Lions fan. Thank god there aren't any of those around here (Matt sobs softly). A pantsing followed by two one-run losses. This after about a week of competent play.
The story on Friday wasn't really the 11 runs. It was KIA starter Lee Beom-seok. Lee threw a 0ne-hit, 4 walk shutout. It took Lee 122 pitches with 77 of them for strikes. Lee also struck out 9 baby Lions. KIA's #9 hitter had himself a night. 2nd baseman, Kim Jong-guk finished 5-5 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and a run scored.
In Saturday nights game Samsung actually recorded a hit. Actually, they hit 4 of them this time. Felix Diaz pitched better than his statistics indicate. He seemed to run out of gas during a 4-run Samsung rally in the 6th inning. KIA's Kim Won-seop hit an RBI double in the top of the the 7th to give KIA the lead. KIA's Na Ji-won came up big for the Tigers. Na finished the night 3-4 with a homer, a double, 3 RBI and two runs scored.
I honestly thought Sunday night's game would still be going on today. On Sunday nights my family usually calls from Chicago around 10:30 PM. This was the first time I remember a baseball game almost running into my parents phone call. Both offenses were equally awful. Both teams went 7 consecutive innings without scoring. KIA went from the 2nd inning to the 15th without scoring. There were a lot of zeroes on the scoreboard. In the top of the 15th with one out, Na Ji-won drew a walk and was replaced by pinch runner, Lee Jong-beom. Jang Sang-ho hit a grounder to the second baseman and Lee was forced out at second, but he broke up the double play. Then with two outs, Jang stole second base and Chae Jong-beom drew a walk. Kim Joo-hyeong came on to pinch hit for the Tigers and did just that. He drove a pitch into left-center for an RBI single and a KIA lead. KIA reliever, Yoo Dong-hoon, tossed a scoreless 15th to finish the victory.
SK vs Hanhwa
7/4 - Hanhwa 3, SK 1
7/5 - Hanhwa 7, SK 4
7/6 - SK 4, Hanhwa 3
SK faced Ryu Hyeon-jin again on Friday night and Ryu was true to form. The Eagles ace tossed 7 2/3 innings(123 pitches, 75 strikes) allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 3 walks. He recorded 12 K's on the night. SK starter, Kenny Ray, was effectively wild. He walked 6 batters in 6 innings, but only allowed 3 hits. One of the hits was a two-run homer from Hanhwa catcher, Shin Kyeong-hyeon. Shin finished the game 3-4. It took Brad Thomas only 5 pitches to record the last two outs and nail down the save.
Saturday was more of the same, but at least this time SK held a lead. Thanks to a 3-run 3rd inning rally, SK was actually in a position to win, but the Hanhwa offense had other ideas. The Eagles scored runs in 4 consecutive innings to take a 6-3 lead. SK offered a fake rally in the 6th, but Hanhwa responded with another run in the 7th to keep the Wyverns at a distance. Brad Thomas struck out two in the 9th to record his 18th save. Hanhwa slugger, Kim Tae-won, gets the game ball for going 2-3 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.
On Sunday, SK simply decided they were winning and that was that. No matter how poorly Kenny Rayborn pitched, they were winning. Kenny wasn't that awful, but he was usually in trouble during his 5 innings of work. He allowed 4 walks and 4 hits, only two of which stayed in the park, but somehow, he as still the pitcher of record when he left the game. The SK bullpen worked their magic for the last 4 innings and managed to hang on to record SK's 53rd W. The game ball goes to SK catcher, Park Kyeong-won. Park finished 2-4 with 2 RBI and 1 run scored. He clubbed a 2-run bomb in the 2nd to put SK on the scoreboard.
LG vs Lotte
7/4 - Lotte 7, LG 0
7/5 - LG 6, Lotte 2
7/6 - Lotte 4, LG 1
Friday night was a dominating effort from the Lotte offense and Lotte starting pitcher, Jang Won-joon. Jang threw 8 innings(103 pitches, 64 strikes) of shutout baseball. He allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. Karim Garcia had a two homer night. He clubbed a solo shot in the 2nd and struck again with a 2-run bomb in the 4th. Foreign, erm, guy, Marty McCleary pitched the 9th inning(I guess he lost his starting role, but still has to bring the pretzels to Jerry Royster's poker game) and allowed as many hits in one inning as Jang did in 8.
I have no problem admitting that I openly cheer for Chris Oxspring. He throws a knuckleball. I will always respect the knuckler. Chris had it fluttering for 7 innings(104 pitches, 63 strikes) on Saturday. He allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks with 1 K while recording his 8th victory. The only run he surrendered came on a solo homer from, you guessed it, Karim Garcia. The LG offense took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning with a 2-RBI double from catcher, Kim Jeong-min. LG piled on for a 4-run rally in the 8th to put the game out of reach.
Lotte sent their ace, Son Min-han, to the hill on Sunday. He was every bit the ace he's been all season. Son went 7 strong innings(94 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 6 Twins on the day. Karim Garcia didn't homer on Sunday, but he did drive in two runs on an RBI single during a 3-run 4th inning rally. His hit proved to be the difference in the game as the Lotte pitching staff and defense cruised to another series win.
Woori vs Doosan
7/4 - Woori 8, Doosan 0
7/5 - PPD
7/6 - Doosan 4, Woori 2
What's the best way to celebrate paying your expansion dues? By scoring 8 runs during a shutout! Woori, erm, ace(?) Ma Il-yeong worked 7 shutout innings(82 pitches, 48 strikes) allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. Ma recorded 10 outs on the ground. The 8-run outburst was a team effort. Only one Woori regular didn't record a hit and he scored two runs. Leadoff man/DH Jeon Joon-ho went 0-4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Lee Sung-yong and Lee Taek-geun both had 2 RBI's on the night. Nothing remotely good happened for Doosan, but Doosan starter, Lee Won-jae worked 8 innings during the blowout and allowed all 8 runs. Way to take one for the team, Lee.
Saturday's game was a plot from Centennial Investment Co. to get out of paying the KBO. Or as I like to call it, a "rainout."
Doosan was able to think about what they had done for an extra day, thanks to the rain out, and they didn't enjoy it! Doosan came out firing with a 3-run rally in the 1st inning! Bears slugger, Kim Dong-ju, a two run bomb to get the rally started right and Hong Seong-hoon followed with a solo shot. Doosan recieved adequate starting pitching from foreign ringer, Matt Randel and cruised to an easy W. Randel threw 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 7 hits and 1 walk with 3 K's. Doosan closer, Jeong Jae-hoon, thew a 1-2-3 9th to nail down the W.
The Joongang Daily offers up some criticism of Centennial Investment and the current, erm, issues it's experiencing. I agree with the article, but the KBO was desperate for an 8th team. The fact that anyone was willing to join the league after the KBO screwed up 3 seperate negotiations was very fortunate.
KIA vs Samsung
7/4 - KIA 11, Samsung 0
7/5 - KIA 5, Samsung 4
7/6 - KIA 4, Samsung 3 (15)
Wow. A bad weekend to be a Lions fan. Thank god there aren't any of those around here (Matt sobs softly). A pantsing followed by two one-run losses. This after about a week of competent play.
The story on Friday wasn't really the 11 runs. It was KIA starter Lee Beom-seok. Lee threw a 0ne-hit, 4 walk shutout. It took Lee 122 pitches with 77 of them for strikes. Lee also struck out 9 baby Lions. KIA's #9 hitter had himself a night. 2nd baseman, Kim Jong-guk finished 5-5 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and a run scored.
In Saturday nights game Samsung actually recorded a hit. Actually, they hit 4 of them this time. Felix Diaz pitched better than his statistics indicate. He seemed to run out of gas during a 4-run Samsung rally in the 6th inning. KIA's Kim Won-seop hit an RBI double in the top of the the 7th to give KIA the lead. KIA's Na Ji-won came up big for the Tigers. Na finished the night 3-4 with a homer, a double, 3 RBI and two runs scored.
I honestly thought Sunday night's game would still be going on today. On Sunday nights my family usually calls from Chicago around 10:30 PM. This was the first time I remember a baseball game almost running into my parents phone call. Both offenses were equally awful. Both teams went 7 consecutive innings without scoring. KIA went from the 2nd inning to the 15th without scoring. There were a lot of zeroes on the scoreboard. In the top of the 15th with one out, Na Ji-won drew a walk and was replaced by pinch runner, Lee Jong-beom. Jang Sang-ho hit a grounder to the second baseman and Lee was forced out at second, but he broke up the double play. Then with two outs, Jang stole second base and Chae Jong-beom drew a walk. Kim Joo-hyeong came on to pinch hit for the Tigers and did just that. He drove a pitch into left-center for an RBI single and a KIA lead. KIA reliever, Yoo Dong-hoon, tossed a scoreless 15th to finish the victory.
SK vs Hanhwa
7/4 - Hanhwa 3, SK 1
7/5 - Hanhwa 7, SK 4
7/6 - SK 4, Hanhwa 3
SK faced Ryu Hyeon-jin again on Friday night and Ryu was true to form. The Eagles ace tossed 7 2/3 innings(123 pitches, 75 strikes) allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 3 walks. He recorded 12 K's on the night. SK starter, Kenny Ray, was effectively wild. He walked 6 batters in 6 innings, but only allowed 3 hits. One of the hits was a two-run homer from Hanhwa catcher, Shin Kyeong-hyeon. Shin finished the game 3-4. It took Brad Thomas only 5 pitches to record the last two outs and nail down the save.
Saturday was more of the same, but at least this time SK held a lead. Thanks to a 3-run 3rd inning rally, SK was actually in a position to win, but the Hanhwa offense had other ideas. The Eagles scored runs in 4 consecutive innings to take a 6-3 lead. SK offered a fake rally in the 6th, but Hanhwa responded with another run in the 7th to keep the Wyverns at a distance. Brad Thomas struck out two in the 9th to record his 18th save. Hanhwa slugger, Kim Tae-won, gets the game ball for going 2-3 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.
On Sunday, SK simply decided they were winning and that was that. No matter how poorly Kenny Rayborn pitched, they were winning. Kenny wasn't that awful, but he was usually in trouble during his 5 innings of work. He allowed 4 walks and 4 hits, only two of which stayed in the park, but somehow, he as still the pitcher of record when he left the game. The SK bullpen worked their magic for the last 4 innings and managed to hang on to record SK's 53rd W. The game ball goes to SK catcher, Park Kyeong-won. Park finished 2-4 with 2 RBI and 1 run scored. He clubbed a 2-run bomb in the 2nd to put SK on the scoreboard.
LG vs Lotte
7/4 - Lotte 7, LG 0
7/5 - LG 6, Lotte 2
7/6 - Lotte 4, LG 1
Friday night was a dominating effort from the Lotte offense and Lotte starting pitcher, Jang Won-joon. Jang threw 8 innings(103 pitches, 64 strikes) of shutout baseball. He allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. Karim Garcia had a two homer night. He clubbed a solo shot in the 2nd and struck again with a 2-run bomb in the 4th. Foreign, erm, guy, Marty McCleary pitched the 9th inning(I guess he lost his starting role, but still has to bring the pretzels to Jerry Royster's poker game) and allowed as many hits in one inning as Jang did in 8.
I have no problem admitting that I openly cheer for Chris Oxspring. He throws a knuckleball. I will always respect the knuckler. Chris had it fluttering for 7 innings(104 pitches, 63 strikes) on Saturday. He allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks with 1 K while recording his 8th victory. The only run he surrendered came on a solo homer from, you guessed it, Karim Garcia. The LG offense took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning with a 2-RBI double from catcher, Kim Jeong-min. LG piled on for a 4-run rally in the 8th to put the game out of reach.
Lotte sent their ace, Son Min-han, to the hill on Sunday. He was every bit the ace he's been all season. Son went 7 strong innings(94 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 6 Twins on the day. Karim Garcia didn't homer on Sunday, but he did drive in two runs on an RBI single during a 3-run 4th inning rally. His hit proved to be the difference in the game as the Lotte pitching staff and defense cruised to another series win.
Woori vs Doosan
7/4 - Woori 8, Doosan 0
7/5 - PPD
7/6 - Doosan 4, Woori 2
What's the best way to celebrate paying your expansion dues? By scoring 8 runs during a shutout! Woori, erm, ace(?) Ma Il-yeong worked 7 shutout innings(82 pitches, 48 strikes) allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. Ma recorded 10 outs on the ground. The 8-run outburst was a team effort. Only one Woori regular didn't record a hit and he scored two runs. Leadoff man/DH Jeon Joon-ho went 0-4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Lee Sung-yong and Lee Taek-geun both had 2 RBI's on the night. Nothing remotely good happened for Doosan, but Doosan starter, Lee Won-jae worked 8 innings during the blowout and allowed all 8 runs. Way to take one for the team, Lee.
Saturday's game was a plot from Centennial Investment Co. to get out of paying the KBO. Or as I like to call it, a "rainout."
Doosan was able to think about what they had done for an extra day, thanks to the rain out, and they didn't enjoy it! Doosan came out firing with a 3-run rally in the 1st inning! Bears slugger, Kim Dong-ju, a two run bomb to get the rally started right and Hong Seong-hoon followed with a solo shot. Doosan recieved adequate starting pitching from foreign ringer, Matt Randel and cruised to an easy W. Randel threw 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 7 hits and 1 walk with 3 K's. Doosan closer, Jeong Jae-hoon, thew a 1-2-3 9th to nail down the W.
Monday, July 7, 2008
7/3 Roundup and News
Sorry for the lack of updates, but between a horrible summer cold, a horrible summer camp and the hottest weekend in the history of Daegu, I haven't had the energy to get myself to a pc room and type this up. That's right. Matt is the only guy in all of Korea that doesn't own a computer and he's proud of it.
I promise, unless my principal goes berserk and forces me to redo the entire plan for English camp(unlikely, but I am prepared for anything), I will post a full weekend update with stats tomorrow morning.
If KIA was going to do this, they should have done it a month ago. Jose Lima has actually been adequate of late. Happy trails, Jose, I'm sure you'll land on your feet. Hat tip to Aaron at the EWC.
I'm not sure what's more surprising. That Park Chan-ho looked like a major league pitcher or that he was beaten by Barry "I won a Cy Young Award Once" Zito.
Baek Cha-seung also threw during the weekend and he pitched pretty well.
I guess Centennial Investment chose to pay up and it sounds like we'll get a new sponsor next year. I want to stock up on Woori Heroes gear right now, just in case I can't get any in the future. Actually, no. “I don’t think there was any intention on the Heroes’ part not to pay the fees,” said KBO secretary general Ha Il-sung. Suuuuuuure, just, you know, intentionally missing deadlines and all.
KIA 12, Woori 2
W - Lee Dae-jin (4-8), L - Jang Won-sam (5-6)
The KIA Tigers jumped all over poor(literally) Heroes. 7 of the 12 runs surrendered came in the first 3 innings. Not a good start. KIA centerfielder and leadoff man, Lee Yong-gyu finished 5-6(all singles) with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. KIA's Lee Jong-beom went 2-4 with a triple, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI from the #2 slot. It was a good day to be at the top of KIA's lineup.
The game ball goes to KIA starting pitcher Lee Dae-jin. Lee worked 6 strong innings(88 pitches, 46 strikes) of 2-hit baseball. He allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 4 walks with 1 lonely K. 11 of the 18 outs recorded were groundballs.
Lotte 11, Samsung 3
W - Song Seung-joon (9-4), L - Wes Obermueller (6-7)
Samsung foreign ringers Tom Shearn and Wes Obermueller both made cases for getting an early release on Thursday. Between the two of them, they allowed 9 runs(only 7 earned) on 10 hits and 2 walks in 4 2/3 innings. I think it might be time for these guys to join the management training program at State Farm Insurance, because this baseball thing isn't working out. To add insult to injury, Lotte's Karim Garcia clubbed a 3-run bomb of Shearn in the 9th inning. Garcia finished the night 2-5 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBI. Most of the damage on Obermueller came during a 6-run 5th inning. A two-run double from Lotte's Jo Seong-hwan and a two-run triple from Son Kwang-min accounted for most of the damage.
The game ball goes to Song Seun-joon. Song was the "anti-Obermueller" last night. Song threw 6 innings(94 pitches, 50 strikes), allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 5(!) walks with 4 K's. He pitched in and out of trouble all night and he never gave up the big hit. For that, he gets a game ball.
Hanhwa 6, Doosan 5
W - Yoon Gyu-jin (5-2), L - Lee Jae-woo (7-1), S - Brad Thomas (16)
Both teams battled to a 5-5 tie heading into the bottom of the 8th inning. Hanhwa slugger, Kim Tae-won, untied the game with a solo shot off Lee jae-woo to give the Eagles a 6-5 advantage. Brad Thomas walked 1 batter, but struck out the other 3 to close the door on the Bears.
The gameball goes to Hanhwa shortstop, Kim Min-jae. Kim finished the game 1-3, but the hit was a 2-run bomb in the 4th inning to give Hanhwa a 4-3 advantage.
LG 4, SK 3
W - Jeong Jae-bok (4-6), L - Kim Won-hyeong (7-3)
This one had a wild finish that didn't result in an SK win. Amazing. SK was leading 3-0 in the bottom of the 8th when LG's Jeong Eui-yoon and Park Yong-taek both hit RBI singles to put the score at 3-2. In the bottom of the 9th, LG infielder, Lee Jong-yeol clubbed a solo homer to tie the game and send it into extras. In the bottom of the 10th, it went walk, walk, Sac, hit, ballgame. LG's Ahn Chi-yong drove in the winning run and was subsequently battered by his teammates.
Games balls go to both starting pitchers. SK's Song Eun-beom threw 6 1/3 innings(89 pitches, 57 strikes) of shutout baseball, allowing only 4 hits while striking out 4. LG ace, Bong Jung-geun went 7 strong innings(107 pitches, 64 strikes) he allowed 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks with 6 K's. Both deserved better than an ND.
I promise, unless my principal goes berserk and forces me to redo the entire plan for English camp(unlikely, but I am prepared for anything), I will post a full weekend update with stats tomorrow morning.
If KIA was going to do this, they should have done it a month ago. Jose Lima has actually been adequate of late. Happy trails, Jose, I'm sure you'll land on your feet. Hat tip to Aaron at the EWC.
I'm not sure what's more surprising. That Park Chan-ho looked like a major league pitcher or that he was beaten by Barry "I won a Cy Young Award Once" Zito.
Baek Cha-seung also threw during the weekend and he pitched pretty well.
I guess Centennial Investment chose to pay up and it sounds like we'll get a new sponsor next year. I want to stock up on Woori Heroes gear right now, just in case I can't get any in the future. Actually, no. “I don’t think there was any intention on the Heroes’ part not to pay the fees,” said KBO secretary general Ha Il-sung. Suuuuuuure, just, you know, intentionally missing deadlines and all.
KIA 12, Woori 2
W - Lee Dae-jin (4-8), L - Jang Won-sam (5-6)
The KIA Tigers jumped all over poor(literally) Heroes. 7 of the 12 runs surrendered came in the first 3 innings. Not a good start. KIA centerfielder and leadoff man, Lee Yong-gyu finished 5-6(all singles) with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. KIA's Lee Jong-beom went 2-4 with a triple, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI from the #2 slot. It was a good day to be at the top of KIA's lineup.
The game ball goes to KIA starting pitcher Lee Dae-jin. Lee worked 6 strong innings(88 pitches, 46 strikes) of 2-hit baseball. He allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 4 walks with 1 lonely K. 11 of the 18 outs recorded were groundballs.
Lotte 11, Samsung 3
W - Song Seung-joon (9-4), L - Wes Obermueller (6-7)
Samsung foreign ringers Tom Shearn and Wes Obermueller both made cases for getting an early release on Thursday. Between the two of them, they allowed 9 runs(only 7 earned) on 10 hits and 2 walks in 4 2/3 innings. I think it might be time for these guys to join the management training program at State Farm Insurance, because this baseball thing isn't working out. To add insult to injury, Lotte's Karim Garcia clubbed a 3-run bomb of Shearn in the 9th inning. Garcia finished the night 2-5 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBI. Most of the damage on Obermueller came during a 6-run 5th inning. A two-run double from Lotte's Jo Seong-hwan and a two-run triple from Son Kwang-min accounted for most of the damage.
The game ball goes to Song Seun-joon. Song was the "anti-Obermueller" last night. Song threw 6 innings(94 pitches, 50 strikes), allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 5(!) walks with 4 K's. He pitched in and out of trouble all night and he never gave up the big hit. For that, he gets a game ball.
Hanhwa 6, Doosan 5
W - Yoon Gyu-jin (5-2), L - Lee Jae-woo (7-1), S - Brad Thomas (16)
Both teams battled to a 5-5 tie heading into the bottom of the 8th inning. Hanhwa slugger, Kim Tae-won, untied the game with a solo shot off Lee jae-woo to give the Eagles a 6-5 advantage. Brad Thomas walked 1 batter, but struck out the other 3 to close the door on the Bears.
The gameball goes to Hanhwa shortstop, Kim Min-jae. Kim finished the game 1-3, but the hit was a 2-run bomb in the 4th inning to give Hanhwa a 4-3 advantage.
LG 4, SK 3
W - Jeong Jae-bok (4-6), L - Kim Won-hyeong (7-3)
This one had a wild finish that didn't result in an SK win. Amazing. SK was leading 3-0 in the bottom of the 8th when LG's Jeong Eui-yoon and Park Yong-taek both hit RBI singles to put the score at 3-2. In the bottom of the 9th, LG infielder, Lee Jong-yeol clubbed a solo homer to tie the game and send it into extras. In the bottom of the 10th, it went walk, walk, Sac, hit, ballgame. LG's Ahn Chi-yong drove in the winning run and was subsequently battered by his teammates.
Games balls go to both starting pitchers. SK's Song Eun-beom threw 6 1/3 innings(89 pitches, 57 strikes) of shutout baseball, allowing only 4 hits while striking out 4. LG ace, Bong Jung-geun went 7 strong innings(107 pitches, 64 strikes) he allowed 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks with 6 K's. Both deserved better than an ND.
Monday, June 30, 2008
6/27 - 6/29 Weekend Roundup
The Korea Times has an update on Park Chan-ho. He pitched well again. Good for him. Baek Cha-seung hasn't done quite as well.
Former Doosan ace and KBO MVP, Danny Rios, has been suspended by the NPB for PEDs. I really can't say I'm surprised. I like the quote at the bottom from the Doosan Bears' trainer. "We can't follow him 24/7." He could've looked like this and no one would have cared as long as he was winning games.
Not baseball related, but this headline kills me. We can expect a lot more of these in the next few months.
LG vs. Woori
6/27 - Woori 5, LG 0
6/28 - Woori 6, LG 3
6/29 - Woori 4, LG 1
Perhaps this LG team is not quite the juggernaut it appeared to be against the Samsung Lions last week. Getting swept by Woori might be enough to change my perception.
Friday night was all about Woori starting pitcher, Jeong Won-sam. Jeong tossed a complete game 6-hitter(only 105 pitches, 69 strikes) with 1 walk and 7 K's. He kept the MIGHTY LG OFFENSE off balance all night. Woori pieced together enough of an offense with timely hitting and a helpful LG pitching staff(7 walks!). Woori outfielder, Song Ji-man had a very good night at the plate. He finished 2-5 with a homer, 2 RBI and a run scored.
On Saturday, it was Ma Il-yeong's turned to baffle the INCREDIBLE LG OFFENSE. Ma tossed 6 strong innings(101 pitches, 64 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk with 3 K's. Woori jumped all over LG starter, Jeong Chan-heon in the 4th inning. Woori's Song Ji-man clubbed his second homer in as many days while going 2-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored.
Sunday was more of the same for LG. Except Woori decided to add insult to injury by calling in the... SECRET WEAPON!!! Shingo came on in the 8th to record his first KBO save. He worked 1 and 2/3 innings allowing one walk, striking out 4 and flashing his trademark goofy grin. I missed having Shingo in my life and I'm happy I have him back. It's been too long buddy....Moving on.... It was Woori starting pitcher, Lee Hyeon-seung's turn to handcuff LG and he did just that for 5 innings(92 pitches, 54 strikes) of work. He allowed 9 baserunners, but LG must've used up all their RBI's on the Lions. The Twins scored their 1 and only run of the game against Lee. Woori OFer, Song Ji-man, continued his weekend tear. Song finished 2-4 with 2 doubles and 1 RBI. You can't hope to stop Song Ji-man, you can only TRY to contain him.
Hanhwa vs. SK
6/27 - SK 9, Hanhwa 7
6/28 - Hanhwa 2, SK 0
6/29 - SK 2, Hanhwa 1 (15)
Friday nights game was a fairly ugly 9-7 affair. The pitching was mediocre and the fielding was mediocre. Kenny Rayborn's best friend, Kenny Ray, got lit up by the Eagles. I really want a foreign guy to show up and dominate. I'm tired of writing about foreigner pitchers getting clobbered. It would be easier to tell you who didn't have a multi-hit game in this recap, but dammit. I have to hand out a game ball to just one of these guys. I guess it goes to SK 1st baseman, Park Jeong-kwon. He finished 2-3 with a double, 3 RBI and a run scored. He drove in SK's first and two last runs with RBI singles in the 1st and 6th.
I think Ryu Hyeon-jin has made 20 starts against SK this year. Every time I see his name in a boxscore or mentioned on TV he's pitching against SK. This time he made them pay. Ryu tossed a complete game shutout(ONLY 109 pitches, 73 strikes) allowing only 4 hits(NO WALKS) and striking out 8. The heater and the change were deadly. SK starter, Song Eun-beom, did his best to keep the Wyverns in the game. He threw 6 innings(121 pitches, 73 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk with 6 K's. The run he allowed in the 5th on an RBI single from Eagles SS Kim Min-jae would prove to be all that Hanhwa would need on Saturday.
Songs will be written about Sunday's game. It was a 15 inning, 2-1 epic that deserves to be remembered. Not fondly, just not forgotten. In the bottom of the 15th with the bases loaded and 2 outs, SK's Kim Jae-hyeon stepped to the plate. He ripped a line drive over the head of Eagles 1B, Kim Tae-gyun, and walked off Hanhwa. He was promptly chased and beaten by his teammates.
KIA vs. Lotte
6/27 - KIA 6, Lotte 2
6/28 - PPD
6/29 - Lotte 5, KIA 4
KIA jumped on Marty McCleary often and were able to keep the potent Lotte offense from getting the big hit. Kia's Na Ji-won came in off the bench in the 1st inning after Kim Won-seop went down with an injury. Na took full advantage. He finished the night 3-4 with a double, 2 RBI and a run scored. KIA 2nd baseman, Kim Jong-guk also had a nice game on Friday night. Kim finished 2-3 with a walk, a triple, an RBI and 2 runs scored. KIA starter, Im Joon-hyeok, threw 5 shutout innings to earn the W.
Saturday's game was the only game rained out all weekend. Good thing the Lions were out of town. It was absolutely pissing in Daegu.
On Sunday, Felix Diaz did his best not to get lit up by the Giants O. He did a decent job. Diaz lasted 6 innings(90 pitches, 54 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks with 4 K's. Karim Garcia had his number. Garcia finished 2-4 with a solo homer, but both hits came off Diaz. KIA held a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 9th, but reliever, Lee Beom-seok ran out of gas. Lee was starting his 3rd inning and got in trouble. Son Kwang-min drove in the tying run with your old fashioned Baltimore chop. Then, Park Ki-hyeok clubbed a double off the wall in center, but Son was out by fifteen feet at home. Park advanced to third on the throw. With a runner on 3rd and one out, Jeong Su-geun hit a sharp grounder to first. The runner came home. The throw came home. The throw beat the runner, but catcher, Cha Il-mok, couldn't find the handle. Ball game.
Samsung vs. Doosan
6/27 - Doosan 10, Samsung 1
6/28 - Samsung 7, Doosan 0
6/29 - Samsung 2, Doosan 1
There's inconsistent and then there's WILDLY inconsistent. A team that looked dead in the water while giving up a 20-spot to LG actually looked competent against one of the better teams in the league. I thought my soul had been hardened after years as a militant White Sox fan. No longer could I be scarred by even the most depressing defeat(this game took that out of me). I lived through the Terry Bevington years, dammit! But here I am, getting worked up over these guys. I'd rather have a team just suck than be mediocre. Suckage can be entertaining, mediocrity is just sad.
I think Tom Shearn has had enough of Korea and wants to get released. I really can't think of another reason for a pitcher to be pummeled as consistently as he has. Between wildness and , uh, leaving the ball over the plate-ness, Shearn was clobbered for 8 runs in 5+ innings of work. His WHIP for the season is just over 2(2.03 to be precise). Doosan starter, Kim Sun-woo was very good on Friday night. Kim lasted 7 innings(86 pitches, 57 strikes) while allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks with 4 K's. Doosan catcher, Jae Sang-byeong, helped pace the offense by going 2-3 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored. The lone bright spot for the Lions was 1st baseman, Chae Tae-in. Chae finished the night with 4 of the 6 Lions hits.
Saturday night was all about Bae Yong-su and Justin Lehr. Bae had his finest start of the season on Saturday. He threw 6 innings(78 pitches, 47 strikes) of 3 hit, 1 walk ball with 4 K's. Justin Lehr is another disaster away from getting himself sent back to the States. Lehr came on in relief and provided little. He surrendered 4 runs in 1 2/3 innings. Samsung's backup catcher, Hyeon Jae-yoon, got the start behind the plate on Saturday and had himself a night. Hyeon went 4-5 with a double, 4 RBI and one run scored. He drove in runs in three different innings, but his biggest knock came in the 4th inning. He put Samsung on the scoreboard with a 2 RBI double.
On Sunday, Samsung and Doosan dueled to a 1-1 tie after 8 innings. Both starting pitchers,Lee Sang-mok for Samsung and Matt Randel for Doosan, were effective. However, Randel was the better of the two. Matt worked 7 strong innings allowing 1 run on 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 5. Samsung's Choi Hyeong-woo took him deep in the 5th inning. In the top of the 9th, Samsung pinch hitter, Woo Dong-gyun, clubbed an RBI triple off of Doosan reliever, Im Tae-hoon. The RBI triple proved to be the difference in the game, as Oh Seung-hwan tossed a 1-2-3 9th inning to record his 20th save.
Former Doosan ace and KBO MVP, Danny Rios, has been suspended by the NPB for PEDs. I really can't say I'm surprised. I like the quote at the bottom from the Doosan Bears' trainer. "We can't follow him 24/7." He could've looked like this and no one would have cared as long as he was winning games.
Not baseball related, but this headline kills me. We can expect a lot more of these in the next few months.
LG vs. Woori
6/27 - Woori 5, LG 0
6/28 - Woori 6, LG 3
6/29 - Woori 4, LG 1
Perhaps this LG team is not quite the juggernaut it appeared to be against the Samsung Lions last week. Getting swept by Woori might be enough to change my perception.
Friday night was all about Woori starting pitcher, Jeong Won-sam. Jeong tossed a complete game 6-hitter(only 105 pitches, 69 strikes) with 1 walk and 7 K's. He kept the MIGHTY LG OFFENSE off balance all night. Woori pieced together enough of an offense with timely hitting and a helpful LG pitching staff(7 walks!). Woori outfielder, Song Ji-man had a very good night at the plate. He finished 2-5 with a homer, 2 RBI and a run scored.
On Saturday, it was Ma Il-yeong's turned to baffle the INCREDIBLE LG OFFENSE. Ma tossed 6 strong innings(101 pitches, 64 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk with 3 K's. Woori jumped all over LG starter, Jeong Chan-heon in the 4th inning. Woori's Song Ji-man clubbed his second homer in as many days while going 2-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored.
Sunday was more of the same for LG. Except Woori decided to add insult to injury by calling in the... SECRET WEAPON!!! Shingo came on in the 8th to record his first KBO save. He worked 1 and 2/3 innings allowing one walk, striking out 4 and flashing his trademark goofy grin. I missed having Shingo in my life and I'm happy I have him back. It's been too long buddy....Moving on.... It was Woori starting pitcher, Lee Hyeon-seung's turn to handcuff LG and he did just that for 5 innings(92 pitches, 54 strikes) of work. He allowed 9 baserunners, but LG must've used up all their RBI's on the Lions. The Twins scored their 1 and only run of the game against Lee. Woori OFer, Song Ji-man, continued his weekend tear. Song finished 2-4 with 2 doubles and 1 RBI. You can't hope to stop Song Ji-man, you can only TRY to contain him.
Hanhwa vs. SK
6/27 - SK 9, Hanhwa 7
6/28 - Hanhwa 2, SK 0
6/29 - SK 2, Hanhwa 1 (15)
Friday nights game was a fairly ugly 9-7 affair. The pitching was mediocre and the fielding was mediocre. Kenny Rayborn's best friend, Kenny Ray, got lit up by the Eagles. I really want a foreign guy to show up and dominate. I'm tired of writing about foreigner pitchers getting clobbered. It would be easier to tell you who didn't have a multi-hit game in this recap, but dammit. I have to hand out a game ball to just one of these guys. I guess it goes to SK 1st baseman, Park Jeong-kwon. He finished 2-3 with a double, 3 RBI and a run scored. He drove in SK's first and two last runs with RBI singles in the 1st and 6th.
I think Ryu Hyeon-jin has made 20 starts against SK this year. Every time I see his name in a boxscore or mentioned on TV he's pitching against SK. This time he made them pay. Ryu tossed a complete game shutout(ONLY 109 pitches, 73 strikes) allowing only 4 hits(NO WALKS) and striking out 8. The heater and the change were deadly. SK starter, Song Eun-beom, did his best to keep the Wyverns in the game. He threw 6 innings(121 pitches, 73 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk with 6 K's. The run he allowed in the 5th on an RBI single from Eagles SS Kim Min-jae would prove to be all that Hanhwa would need on Saturday.
Songs will be written about Sunday's game. It was a 15 inning, 2-1 epic that deserves to be remembered. Not fondly, just not forgotten. In the bottom of the 15th with the bases loaded and 2 outs, SK's Kim Jae-hyeon stepped to the plate. He ripped a line drive over the head of Eagles 1B, Kim Tae-gyun, and walked off Hanhwa. He was promptly chased and beaten by his teammates.
KIA vs. Lotte
6/27 - KIA 6, Lotte 2
6/28 - PPD
6/29 - Lotte 5, KIA 4
KIA jumped on Marty McCleary often and were able to keep the potent Lotte offense from getting the big hit. Kia's Na Ji-won came in off the bench in the 1st inning after Kim Won-seop went down with an injury. Na took full advantage. He finished the night 3-4 with a double, 2 RBI and a run scored. KIA 2nd baseman, Kim Jong-guk also had a nice game on Friday night. Kim finished 2-3 with a walk, a triple, an RBI and 2 runs scored. KIA starter, Im Joon-hyeok, threw 5 shutout innings to earn the W.
Saturday's game was the only game rained out all weekend. Good thing the Lions were out of town. It was absolutely pissing in Daegu.
On Sunday, Felix Diaz did his best not to get lit up by the Giants O. He did a decent job. Diaz lasted 6 innings(90 pitches, 54 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks with 4 K's. Karim Garcia had his number. Garcia finished 2-4 with a solo homer, but both hits came off Diaz. KIA held a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 9th, but reliever, Lee Beom-seok ran out of gas. Lee was starting his 3rd inning and got in trouble. Son Kwang-min drove in the tying run with your old fashioned Baltimore chop. Then, Park Ki-hyeok clubbed a double off the wall in center, but Son was out by fifteen feet at home. Park advanced to third on the throw. With a runner on 3rd and one out, Jeong Su-geun hit a sharp grounder to first. The runner came home. The throw came home. The throw beat the runner, but catcher, Cha Il-mok, couldn't find the handle. Ball game.
Samsung vs. Doosan
6/27 - Doosan 10, Samsung 1
6/28 - Samsung 7, Doosan 0
6/29 - Samsung 2, Doosan 1
There's inconsistent and then there's WILDLY inconsistent. A team that looked dead in the water while giving up a 20-spot to LG actually looked competent against one of the better teams in the league. I thought my soul had been hardened after years as a militant White Sox fan. No longer could I be scarred by even the most depressing defeat(this game took that out of me). I lived through the Terry Bevington years, dammit! But here I am, getting worked up over these guys. I'd rather have a team just suck than be mediocre. Suckage can be entertaining, mediocrity is just sad.
I think Tom Shearn has had enough of Korea and wants to get released. I really can't think of another reason for a pitcher to be pummeled as consistently as he has. Between wildness and , uh, leaving the ball over the plate-ness, Shearn was clobbered for 8 runs in 5+ innings of work. His WHIP for the season is just over 2(2.03 to be precise). Doosan starter, Kim Sun-woo was very good on Friday night. Kim lasted 7 innings(86 pitches, 57 strikes) while allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks with 4 K's. Doosan catcher, Jae Sang-byeong, helped pace the offense by going 2-3 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored. The lone bright spot for the Lions was 1st baseman, Chae Tae-in. Chae finished the night with 4 of the 6 Lions hits.
Saturday night was all about Bae Yong-su and Justin Lehr. Bae had his finest start of the season on Saturday. He threw 6 innings(78 pitches, 47 strikes) of 3 hit, 1 walk ball with 4 K's. Justin Lehr is another disaster away from getting himself sent back to the States. Lehr came on in relief and provided little. He surrendered 4 runs in 1 2/3 innings. Samsung's backup catcher, Hyeon Jae-yoon, got the start behind the plate on Saturday and had himself a night. Hyeon went 4-5 with a double, 4 RBI and one run scored. He drove in runs in three different innings, but his biggest knock came in the 4th inning. He put Samsung on the scoreboard with a 2 RBI double.
On Sunday, Samsung and Doosan dueled to a 1-1 tie after 8 innings. Both starting pitchers,Lee Sang-mok for Samsung and Matt Randel for Doosan, were effective. However, Randel was the better of the two. Matt worked 7 strong innings allowing 1 run on 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 5. Samsung's Choi Hyeong-woo took him deep in the 5th inning. In the top of the 9th, Samsung pinch hitter, Woo Dong-gyun, clubbed an RBI triple off of Doosan reliever, Im Tae-hoon. The RBI triple proved to be the difference in the game, as Oh Seung-hwan tossed a 1-2-3 9th inning to record his 20th save.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
6/25 Roundup and News
According to the Korea Times, Park Chan-ho will NOT participate in the Olympic games, but Shin Soo-choo might. The title, "Major Absence," is a little misleading. I don't really think Park would do much for the national team, other than provide a face everyone knows.
Doosan 12, Woori 4
W - Lee Hye-cheon, L - Kim Su-kyeong
This little girl probably hit the strike zone more often than Kim Su-kyeong did last night. Ooooooooohhhh. Strikes weren't the problem for Kim. During his 4 innings of work, he threw 36 of 59 pitches for strikes, but left a few out over the plate for Doosan's big bats.
The final makes this game sound worse than it was. Doosan scored 4 runs in the 8th inning, just to make sure Woori knew they were beaten. I guess playing video games before the game isn't necessarily bad for Kim Dong-joo. Kim went 2-2 with a walk, a homer, 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. Kim Hyeon-su finished 3-4, but he was a single away from hitting for the cycle. He also chipped in 2 RBI and 3 runs scored. Ko Yeong-min went 3-5 with 2 RBI and 3 runs scored. The heavy hitters really came through for Doosan last night.
Samsung 2, LG 1
W - Jeon Byeong-ho, L - Shim Su-chang, S - Oh Seung-hwan
Park Han-yi made his triumphant return to the Samsung lineup by leading off the game with a double. He was driven in two runs later by a Yang Joon-hyeok homerun. Yang finished the night 4-4(!). That was all the offense Samsung would get and it turned out to be all they would need. Samsung starter, Jeon Byeong-ho scattered 7 hits over 5 2/3 innings(79 pitches, 51 strikes) with 2 K's. LG didn't get on the scoreboard until Oh Seung-hwan decided to make things interesting in the 9th. He allowed a pair of singles and LG was able to scratch out a run before the 3rd out was recorded.
Hanhwa 5, KIA 4 (12)
W - Kim Hyeok-min, L - Yoo Dong-hoon
This one was tied at 4 at the end of 9 innings. Hanhwa threatened in the 10th with the bases loaded and one out, but a double play ended the threat and kept the game tied. In the bottom of the 12th, Doug Clark drew a walk and Kim Tae-gyun clubbed a double off the left field fence to drive Clark in. Kim was then doused with water and slapped by his teammates as he tried to escape. I'm not sure what went on after the run scored, it looked like his teammates were actually trying to maim him. Kim gets the game ball, not just for the game winning RBI, but also for a 2-run homer in the first inning.
Last night was in fact Lima Time! It looks like Jose is starting to get comfortable in the KBO. Lima lasted 7 1/3 innings(100 pitches, 58 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks with 3 K's.
SK 3 Lotte 2
W - Jeong Dae-hyeon(6-2), L - Choi Hyang-nam (2-2), S - Jeong Dae-hyeon (16)
Last night in Masan the Giants broke out the camo jerseys and hats. These are pretty gross, but they have the names on the back in English and the flag from the players' home country over the heart. Somehow, they found a Mexican flag for Karim Garcia to wear. I'd like to see both changes made on every uni.
This one was tied at 2 heading into the top of the 9th and looked like it might very well go into extras...if it weren't for SK catcher, Park Kyeong-won. Park clubbed a solo homer in the top of the 9th to put SK ahead. Jeong Dae-hyeon retired the last two Lotte batters to record the save.
The game ball goes to the SK bullpen. Starter, Lee Yeong-wook, only lasted 3 innings before getting the early hook. The 3 SK relievers cobined for 6 shutout innings against one of the most potent offenses in the KBO.
Lotte centerfielder, Lee Seung-hwa, drove in both Lotte runs on a 2 RBI single in the 2nd inning.
Doosan 12, Woori 4
W - Lee Hye-cheon, L - Kim Su-kyeong
This little girl probably hit the strike zone more often than Kim Su-kyeong did last night. Ooooooooohhhh. Strikes weren't the problem for Kim. During his 4 innings of work, he threw 36 of 59 pitches for strikes, but left a few out over the plate for Doosan's big bats.
The final makes this game sound worse than it was. Doosan scored 4 runs in the 8th inning, just to make sure Woori knew they were beaten. I guess playing video games before the game isn't necessarily bad for Kim Dong-joo. Kim went 2-2 with a walk, a homer, 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. Kim Hyeon-su finished 3-4, but he was a single away from hitting for the cycle. He also chipped in 2 RBI and 3 runs scored. Ko Yeong-min went 3-5 with 2 RBI and 3 runs scored. The heavy hitters really came through for Doosan last night.
Samsung 2, LG 1
W - Jeon Byeong-ho, L - Shim Su-chang, S - Oh Seung-hwan
Park Han-yi made his triumphant return to the Samsung lineup by leading off the game with a double. He was driven in two runs later by a Yang Joon-hyeok homerun. Yang finished the night 4-4(!). That was all the offense Samsung would get and it turned out to be all they would need. Samsung starter, Jeon Byeong-ho scattered 7 hits over 5 2/3 innings(79 pitches, 51 strikes) with 2 K's. LG didn't get on the scoreboard until Oh Seung-hwan decided to make things interesting in the 9th. He allowed a pair of singles and LG was able to scratch out a run before the 3rd out was recorded.
Hanhwa 5, KIA 4 (12)
W - Kim Hyeok-min, L - Yoo Dong-hoon
This one was tied at 4 at the end of 9 innings. Hanhwa threatened in the 10th with the bases loaded and one out, but a double play ended the threat and kept the game tied. In the bottom of the 12th, Doug Clark drew a walk and Kim Tae-gyun clubbed a double off the left field fence to drive Clark in. Kim was then doused with water and slapped by his teammates as he tried to escape. I'm not sure what went on after the run scored, it looked like his teammates were actually trying to maim him. Kim gets the game ball, not just for the game winning RBI, but also for a 2-run homer in the first inning.
Last night was in fact Lima Time! It looks like Jose is starting to get comfortable in the KBO. Lima lasted 7 1/3 innings(100 pitches, 58 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks with 3 K's.
SK 3 Lotte 2
W - Jeong Dae-hyeon(6-2), L - Choi Hyang-nam (2-2), S - Jeong Dae-hyeon (16)
Last night in Masan the Giants broke out the camo jerseys and hats. These are pretty gross, but they have the names on the back in English and the flag from the players' home country over the heart. Somehow, they found a Mexican flag for Karim Garcia to wear. I'd like to see both changes made on every uni.
This one was tied at 2 heading into the top of the 9th and looked like it might very well go into extras...if it weren't for SK catcher, Park Kyeong-won. Park clubbed a solo homer in the top of the 9th to put SK ahead. Jeong Dae-hyeon retired the last two Lotte batters to record the save.
The game ball goes to the SK bullpen. Starter, Lee Yeong-wook, only lasted 3 innings before getting the early hook. The 3 SK relievers cobined for 6 shutout innings against one of the most potent offenses in the KBO.
Lotte centerfielder, Lee Seung-hwa, drove in both Lotte runs on a 2 RBI single in the 2nd inning.
Monday, June 23, 2008
6/20 - 6/22 Weekend Roundup
"Woori? My agent is so fired." Park Eun-kyong tosses out the first pitch at a Heroes game this weekend.
These still crack me up.
Park Chan-ho got another start and he didn't embarrass his country. Good for him.
Doosan vs. KIA
6/20 - Doosan 10, KIA 1
6/21 - Doosan 7, KIA 4
6/22 - Doosan 6, KIA 4
I can't believe the Joongang Daily hasn't given us another "What's wrong with the Tigers," article yet. What's wrong is they're not very good at scoring more runs than the other team.
Friday night was LIMA TIME and he wasn't that bad. Jose finished with 6 innings pitched, allowing 3 runs(2 earned) on 6 hits and 4 walks with 3 K's. Kim Myeong-jae and the Doosan bullpen were just better. Kim tossed only 5 1/3 innings, but he allowed only 2 hits, while striking out 4. The game ball for Doosan goes to pinch hitter/DH Oh Jae-won. Oh delivered a bases loaded double that broke the game open in the 7th inning. Doosan rightfielder, Kim Hyeon-su, chipped in with a 3-4 1 walk, 1 RBI, 1 run scored effort.
Saturday's game was tied at 4 heading into the top of the 9th. KIA called on ace reliever, Han Ki-joo, to take the game into extras. He crapped the bed. Doosan's Jeong Won-seok, delivered a go-ahead homer to take the lead. Ahn Kyeong-hyeon and Woo Jae-won both delivered RBI singles to give Doosan a 3-run cushion heading into the bottom of the 9th. Doosan's Jeong Jae-hoon struck out two in the 9th to record his 13th save of the season.
On Sunday, the two teams traded runs until the game was tied at 3 in the top of the 6th. Doosan called on pinch hitter, Yoo Jae-wong to deliver and deliver he did. Yoo slapped a ringing single to drive in two runs and give Doosan the lead. After tacking on an insurance run in the 9th, Jeong Jae-hoon closed the game out and picked up his 2nd save in as many days.
Hanhwa vs. Woori
6/20 - Hanhwa 13, Woori 2
6/21 - Woori 2, Hanhwa 1
6/22 - Woori 7, Hanhwa 0
If it weren't for the 13-spot and a dominating combined effort from Hanhwa pitching on Friday, I would've had 4 brooms to post today. 4 Hanhwa pitchers combined to limit the Heroes to 7 hits total, while the Hanhwa offense capitalized on almost every Woori mistake. Hanhwa's offense combined for 4 homeruns. Doug Clark started things off with a 3-run bomb in the first. Then Kim Tae-won added a 2-run blast in the third. Followed by Lee Beom-ho's 2-run shot in the 6th. Finally, Kim Tae-won struck again with a solo shot in the 6th. Lee and Kim's 6th inning bombs were back-to-back. It was just a tough day to be a Hero.
Saturday was all abou the pitching. The only Woori pitcher that allowed anything was starter, Jeong Won-sam. The Woori bullpen shut the door on the Hanhwa offense for 3 2/3 innings. Hanhwa starter, Jeong Min-cheol, was good, but not good enough. Jeong lasted 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk. The two runs Jeong surrendered came on solo homers from Woori's Jeong Seong-hoon and Song Ji-man in the first and second innings. The two solo homers proved to be all the O Woori would need.
Woori pitching limited a previously potent Hanhwa offense to just one hit on Sunday. Woori ace, Ma Il-yeong threw 6 1/3 innings of one hit ball. Ma walked 1 and struck out 2. While Hanhwa ace, Ryu Hyeon-jin, got slapped around. Ryu allowed 6 of the 7 Woori runs in just 3 1/3 innings. Woori leadoff hitter, Song Ji-man gets the game ball for going 3-4 with a walk, a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Foreign slugger, Cliff Brumbaugh, drove in two while going 1-3.
Samsung vs. SK
6/20 - SK 12, Samsung 2
6/21 - SK 3, Samsung 1
6/22 - SK 9, Samsung 3
Doosan vs. KIA
6/20 - Doosan 10, KIA 1
6/21 - Doosan 7, KIA 4
6/22 - Doosan 6, KIA 4
I can't believe the Joongang Daily hasn't given us another "What's wrong with the Tigers," article yet. What's wrong is they're not very good at scoring more runs than the other team.
Friday night was LIMA TIME and he wasn't that bad. Jose finished with 6 innings pitched, allowing 3 runs(2 earned) on 6 hits and 4 walks with 3 K's. Kim Myeong-jae and the Doosan bullpen were just better. Kim tossed only 5 1/3 innings, but he allowed only 2 hits, while striking out 4. The game ball for Doosan goes to pinch hitter/DH Oh Jae-won. Oh delivered a bases loaded double that broke the game open in the 7th inning. Doosan rightfielder, Kim Hyeon-su, chipped in with a 3-4 1 walk, 1 RBI, 1 run scored effort.
Saturday's game was tied at 4 heading into the top of the 9th. KIA called on ace reliever, Han Ki-joo, to take the game into extras. He crapped the bed. Doosan's Jeong Won-seok, delivered a go-ahead homer to take the lead. Ahn Kyeong-hyeon and Woo Jae-won both delivered RBI singles to give Doosan a 3-run cushion heading into the bottom of the 9th. Doosan's Jeong Jae-hoon struck out two in the 9th to record his 13th save of the season.
On Sunday, the two teams traded runs until the game was tied at 3 in the top of the 6th. Doosan called on pinch hitter, Yoo Jae-wong to deliver and deliver he did. Yoo slapped a ringing single to drive in two runs and give Doosan the lead. After tacking on an insurance run in the 9th, Jeong Jae-hoon closed the game out and picked up his 2nd save in as many days.
Hanhwa vs. Woori
6/20 - Hanhwa 13, Woori 2
6/21 - Woori 2, Hanhwa 1
6/22 - Woori 7, Hanhwa 0
If it weren't for the 13-spot and a dominating combined effort from Hanhwa pitching on Friday, I would've had 4 brooms to post today. 4 Hanhwa pitchers combined to limit the Heroes to 7 hits total, while the Hanhwa offense capitalized on almost every Woori mistake. Hanhwa's offense combined for 4 homeruns. Doug Clark started things off with a 3-run bomb in the first. Then Kim Tae-won added a 2-run blast in the third. Followed by Lee Beom-ho's 2-run shot in the 6th. Finally, Kim Tae-won struck again with a solo shot in the 6th. Lee and Kim's 6th inning bombs were back-to-back. It was just a tough day to be a Hero.
Saturday was all abou the pitching. The only Woori pitcher that allowed anything was starter, Jeong Won-sam. The Woori bullpen shut the door on the Hanhwa offense for 3 2/3 innings. Hanhwa starter, Jeong Min-cheol, was good, but not good enough. Jeong lasted 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk. The two runs Jeong surrendered came on solo homers from Woori's Jeong Seong-hoon and Song Ji-man in the first and second innings. The two solo homers proved to be all the O Woori would need.
Woori pitching limited a previously potent Hanhwa offense to just one hit on Sunday. Woori ace, Ma Il-yeong threw 6 1/3 innings of one hit ball. Ma walked 1 and struck out 2. While Hanhwa ace, Ryu Hyeon-jin, got slapped around. Ryu allowed 6 of the 7 Woori runs in just 3 1/3 innings. Woori leadoff hitter, Song Ji-man gets the game ball for going 3-4 with a walk, a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Foreign slugger, Cliff Brumbaugh, drove in two while going 1-3.
Samsung vs. SK
6/20 - SK 12, Samsung 2
6/21 - SK 3, Samsung 1
6/22 - SK 9, Samsung 3
Between the Lions and my beloved White Sox, I'm almost glad I was sick most of the weekend. It spared me the pain of watching my two teams get swept. At least Samsung was swept by a team that has won a championship this century.
Justin Lehr picked up his first KBO victory on Friday night thanks to 4 homeruns from SK batters and some fairly inept offense from the Daegu Nine. SK banged 18 hits off of Samsung pitching. Game balls go to SK first baseman, Lee Jin-yeong, and leftfielder, Park Jae-hong. Lee finished the night 3-4 with a homer, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. Park went 3-5 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and two runs scored.
Justin Lehr picked up his first KBO victory on Friday night thanks to 4 homeruns from SK batters and some fairly inept offense from the Daegu Nine. SK banged 18 hits off of Samsung pitching. Game balls go to SK first baseman, Lee Jin-yeong, and leftfielder, Park Jae-hong. Lee finished the night 3-4 with a homer, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. Park went 3-5 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and two runs scored.
Samsung actually held a lead on Saturday. It was 1-0 and it didn't even last an inning. Samsung scored in the top of the 5th and SK tied the game in the bottom of the 5th. SK scored the go ahead run in the 6th on an RBI double from Park Kyeong-wan. The Wyverns tacked on an insurance run in the 8th on another RBI double. This time it was probable all-star shortstop Choi Jeong delivering the big hit. Kenny Rayborn was essentially effectively wild. He allowed 5 hits and 5 walks(!) during his 5 2/3 innings of work, but Samsung could only plate one run against him.
On Sunday, SK ace, Kim Kwang-hyeon turned in a good enough performance. Thanks to the run support, Kim was able to cruise to his 10th W. Kim finished with 6 2/3 innings pitched, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 4 K's. He did surrender 2 long balls.
The big story here was SK's 6-run 6th inning that put the game out of reach. A trio of Samsung relievers walked 5 batters(!) in the inning. 3 RBI singles from the SK lineup were enough to plate 5 of the 6 runs.
On Sunday, SK ace, Kim Kwang-hyeon turned in a good enough performance. Thanks to the run support, Kim was able to cruise to his 10th W. Kim finished with 6 2/3 innings pitched, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 4 K's. He did surrender 2 long balls.
The big story here was SK's 6-run 6th inning that put the game out of reach. A trio of Samsung relievers walked 5 batters(!) in the inning. 3 RBI singles from the SK lineup were enough to plate 5 of the 6 runs.
Lotte vs. LG
6/20 - Lotte 4, LG 1 (10)
6/21 - Lotte 9, LG 3
6/22 - Lotte 10, LG 0
On Friday, the ballgame was tied at 1 at the end of 9. In the top of the 10th, Lotte busted the game open. Lotte catcher, Kang Min-ho, hit his second homerun of the game to give Lotte the lead for good. LG starting pitcher, Bong Jung-geun deserves a chance to punch his offense in the mouth. Dr. Bong tossed 8 strong innings, allowing only 1 run on 6 hits and 2 walks with 8 K's. He deserved better than a ND.
Lotte jumped on LG pitching early and often on Saturday. This game was essentially decided after the 4th inning when Lotte struck for a 4-run rally. Lotte third baseman, Lee Dae-ho, gets the game ball for going 2-4 with a double and 3 RBI. LG third baseman, Kim Sang-hyeon, turned in a nice game in a losing effort. Kim went 3-3 with 2 homers, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. He also appeared to be on of the few LG regulars that new a baseball game was being played. Marty McCleary was a big beneficiary of the 9-run outburst. He pitched just well enough to hang on to record his 5th KBO W.
It was more of the same on Sunday. By "more of the same," I mean a complete and soul-crushing loss. Lotte notched runs in the first two innings. The knockout punch was a grandslam from the bat of foreign sensation Karim Garcia. Lotte 2nd baseman, Jo Seong-hwan, finished the game 4-4 with 2 runs scored. Lee Dae-ho had another big game. Lee recored a stat line of 3-4 with a homer, 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. Lotte starting pitcher, Jo Jeong-hoon, was awesome. Jo finished the day with a complete game shutout. He allowed only 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
6/17 Roundup and News
Shingo Takatsu has become the newest Woori Hero. I have fond memories of Mr. Zero saving games for the '04 White Sox with his goofy frisbee pitch and his goofier grin.
Oh Noes! Park Chan-ho was lit up last weekend.
I was liking this article on ties in the KBO, until I read the John Kruk quote at the bottom. I didn't know about 15 inning ties in the playoffs. How can you end a playoff game in a tie? What if its a game 7? Does everyone get a trophy?
SK 11, Doosan 0
W - Kim Kwang-hyeon(9-3), L - Justin Lehr (0-3)
SK is just a machine. Usually, their games with Doosan are among the more entertaining in the KBO. Last night was entertaining, if you enjoy using AK-47's to hunt snapping turtles. If this were a video game, you would have seen this at the end...
I'd like to see SK's finishing move. My guess is that Choi Jeong uses his telekinesis to implode the opposing pitchers' mind. That's right. Implode.
SK dominated the game from beginning to end. Either by hitting meatballs all over the park or a dominating combined 3-hitter from their pitching staff.
SK ace, Kim Kwang-hyeon, was awesome last night. Kim only stuck around for 7 innings(95 pitches, 59 strikes) thanks to the 11-run outburst from the SK offense. He allowed only 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6.
At the plate for SK, Lee Jin-yeong, Na Joo-hwan and Jo Dong-hwa each had 2 RBI during the route. Only one SK starter didn't record a hit. I'm looking at YOU, Park Jae-sang, but Park did draw a walk and drive in a run. SK only had 2 extra base hits in this game and they didn't get their first until the 5th inning. Walks and line drives spelled DOOM for Doosan.
Woori 9, Samsung 6
W - Ma Il-yeong(5-4), L - Lee Sang-mok(5-5), S - Park Joon-su (1)
Welcome to the newest edition of "Get-To-Know-Your-Lions!" Today, we'll be talking about our new first baseman, Chae Tae-in. Chae, 26, is only in his 2nd year with the big club, but he only saw limited action last year. At 187 cm., he towers over the rest of the infield and his 94 kg make it difficult for him to find pants in his own country. Chae both throws and bats with his left had or, should I say, his SINISTER hand! A true road warrior, Chae is OPSing 200 points more on the road than he does in Daegu. As recently as last night, Chae led the Lions in a losing effort by going 2-4 with a double, 2 RBI and 1 run scored.
I don't mean to sound like Joe Morgan, but the only word to describe last night's effort is....inconsistent. After taking 2 of 3 from Doosan at home, I can honestly say I expected better than this against Woori. Thanks for building up my hopes again, guys. Lee Sang-mok was predictably awful. He's just not a starter...or a very good pitcher. He didn't walk anyone, but Woori clubbed two homers off him. Lee Taek-geun struck in the 3rd inning and foreign slugger, Cliff Brumbaugh, struck in the 5th. Samsung scored 5 runs during fake rallies in the 7th and 8th innings, but there was never really a sense that they would take the lead.
I was liking this article on ties in the KBO, until I read the John Kruk quote at the bottom. I didn't know about 15 inning ties in the playoffs. How can you end a playoff game in a tie? What if its a game 7? Does everyone get a trophy?
SK 11, Doosan 0
W - Kim Kwang-hyeon(9-3), L - Justin Lehr (0-3)
SK is just a machine. Usually, their games with Doosan are among the more entertaining in the KBO. Last night was entertaining, if you enjoy using AK-47's to hunt snapping turtles. If this were a video game, you would have seen this at the end...
I'd like to see SK's finishing move. My guess is that Choi Jeong uses his telekinesis to implode the opposing pitchers' mind. That's right. Implode.
SK dominated the game from beginning to end. Either by hitting meatballs all over the park or a dominating combined 3-hitter from their pitching staff.
SK ace, Kim Kwang-hyeon, was awesome last night. Kim only stuck around for 7 innings(95 pitches, 59 strikes) thanks to the 11-run outburst from the SK offense. He allowed only 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6.
At the plate for SK, Lee Jin-yeong, Na Joo-hwan and Jo Dong-hwa each had 2 RBI during the route. Only one SK starter didn't record a hit. I'm looking at YOU, Park Jae-sang, but Park did draw a walk and drive in a run. SK only had 2 extra base hits in this game and they didn't get their first until the 5th inning. Walks and line drives spelled DOOM for Doosan.
Woori 9, Samsung 6
W - Ma Il-yeong(5-4), L - Lee Sang-mok(5-5), S - Park Joon-su (1)
Welcome to the newest edition of "Get-To-Know-Your-Lions!" Today, we'll be talking about our new first baseman, Chae Tae-in. Chae, 26, is only in his 2nd year with the big club, but he only saw limited action last year. At 187 cm., he towers over the rest of the infield and his 94 kg make it difficult for him to find pants in his own country. Chae both throws and bats with his left had or, should I say, his SINISTER hand! A true road warrior, Chae is OPSing 200 points more on the road than he does in Daegu. As recently as last night, Chae led the Lions in a losing effort by going 2-4 with a double, 2 RBI and 1 run scored.
I don't mean to sound like Joe Morgan, but the only word to describe last night's effort is....inconsistent. After taking 2 of 3 from Doosan at home, I can honestly say I expected better than this against Woori. Thanks for building up my hopes again, guys. Lee Sang-mok was predictably awful. He's just not a starter...or a very good pitcher. He didn't walk anyone, but Woori clubbed two homers off him. Lee Taek-geun struck in the 3rd inning and foreign slugger, Cliff Brumbaugh, struck in the 5th. Samsung scored 5 runs during fake rallies in the 7th and 8th innings, but there was never really a sense that they would take the lead.
KIA 7, LG 1 (7)
W - Lee Beom-seok(4-3), L - Jang Chan-heon(3-7)
This one was shortened by rain. I think LG was just happy they were able to skip out on the last two inning and hit the bars a little earlier. KIA was leading 6-0 heading into the 7th, but LG mounted a fake rally just to get on the scoreboard before the rains came. Predictably, they gave the run right back in the bottom of the 7th.
The game ball goes to KIA starter, Lee Beom-seok. Lee tossed 5 shutout innings(70 pitches, 40 strikes) allowing only 3 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 3. Cha Il-mok had a big night at the plate for KIA. He finished 3-4 with a double and 3 RBI.
Lotte 9, Hanhwa 4
W- Song Seung-joon(8-3), L - Ryu Hyeon-jin(6-4)
Between Song Seung-joon and Son Min-han, Lotte has the best 1-2 punch of starting pitchers in the league. I know SK's Kim Kwang-hyeon and Chae Byeong-ryong have been very good this year, but Song and Son have been a little more consistent this season. Kim and Chae have been known to blow up from time to time. Song and Son(sounds like a moving company) haven't.
Ryu didn't get lit last night, only 4 runs over 6, but Song was a lot better. He allowed 1 run on 6 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings, while striking out 6.
Shin Kyeong-hyeon had another nice night for the Eagles. He finished 3-4 with a double and 3 RBI.The Giants 7-8-9 hitters came up big last night. Son Kwang-min, Park Hyeon-seung and Park Ki-hyeok combined to go 6-12 with 5 RBI and 5 runs scored.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
6/10 Roundup and News
The Korea Times provides us with an update on All-star voting.
I agree with the Joongang Daily. Pick up the pace, please.
Interesting commentary from the Donga Ilbo on Park Chan-ho's "revival."
Mike McStay gives a very nice write up of Song Jin-woo's 2000th strikeout. I'm fairly embarrassed to admit that I was ignorant of his milestone, but in my defense I was out of town and there's not exactly a lot of easily accessible information.
The Woori Hero preparing for battle.
Hanhwa 10, Samsung 1
W- Jeong Min-cheol(5-6), L - Cho Jin-ho(1-2)
It was a thoroughly depressing effort from the Samsung nine last night. Hanhwa actually led 10-0 in the 8th inning. Thankfully, Samsung scratched a run across because 10-1 isn't nearly as embarassing as 10-0. This one was so out of hand that Hanhwa was able to find at bats for 6 reserves.
Hanhwa starting pitcher, Jeong Min-cheol(4.97 ERA, 1.47 WHIP), made an impressive start last night. He tossed 6 innings of 3 hit ball and allowed only 3 walks while striking out 4. At the plate for Hanhwa, everyone got in on the fun. MVP candidate Kim Tae-gyun(.343/.431/.698, 14 HR, 51 RBI) finished the night 2-3 with a double, a homer, a walk, 2 RBI and 1 run scored. Shin Kyeong-hyeon(.241/.293/.352) went 3-3 with a double and 2 RBI. The only Hanhwa regular that didn't reach base was leadoff man, Lee Yeong-woo(.296/.350/.429).
Doosan 5, Lotte 2
W - Kim Myeong-je(5-1), L - Marty McCleary(4-3), S - Jeong Jae-hoon(12)
SK 4, LG 3
W - Cho Yong-min(3-0), L - Jeong Jae-bok(3-4)
LG held a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th inning, but their bullpen imploded. After pitching the 8th inning, Jeong Jae-bok(2.79 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 10 holds) was left in to finish the 9th. A double from SK's Lee Jin-yong(.327/.394/.500) scored the first run and another double from Park Jeong-kwan walked him off(.193/.260/.284).
LG ace, Bong Jung-gun(3.11 ERA, 1.26 WHIP), pitched well enough to earn the W. Dr. Bong lasted 6 2/3 innings(113 pitches, 72 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 7. SK's Kenny Rayborn(3.93 ERA, 1.57 WHIP) struggled through five innings(105 pitches, 59 strikes) of work. He allowed 5 hits and 5 walks, but LG only plated two runs against him.
SK's Jeong Gun-wo(.292/.360/.394) and LG's Park Yong-taek(.293/.352/.361) both finished the day 3-5 with a homer, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.
Woori 10, KIA 2
W - Jeong Won-sam(3-5), L - Lee Dae-jin(2-7), S - Hwang Doo-seong (6)
The Heroes lead the game 3-1 heading into the bottom of the 8th. In the 8th, they battered the KIA bullpen for 7 runs. The Heroes banged out 8 hits and drew one walk in the inning. 5 different Heroes drove in runs. The biggest hero for Woori was Song Ji-man(.293/.333/.479). Song finished the night 2-3 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI and two runs scored. Also, Woori slugger Cliff Brumbaugh(.276/.385/.454) stole a base. It was his first and, more than likely, last of the season. To be fair, he did steal 7 bases in 2004.
I agree with the Joongang Daily. Pick up the pace, please.
Interesting commentary from the Donga Ilbo on Park Chan-ho's "revival."
Mike McStay gives a very nice write up of Song Jin-woo's 2000th strikeout. I'm fairly embarrassed to admit that I was ignorant of his milestone, but in my defense I was out of town and there's not exactly a lot of easily accessible information.
The Woori Hero preparing for battle.
Hanhwa 10, Samsung 1
W- Jeong Min-cheol(5-6), L - Cho Jin-ho(1-2)
It was a thoroughly depressing effort from the Samsung nine last night. Hanhwa actually led 10-0 in the 8th inning. Thankfully, Samsung scratched a run across because 10-1 isn't nearly as embarassing as 10-0. This one was so out of hand that Hanhwa was able to find at bats for 6 reserves.
Hanhwa starting pitcher, Jeong Min-cheol(4.97 ERA, 1.47 WHIP), made an impressive start last night. He tossed 6 innings of 3 hit ball and allowed only 3 walks while striking out 4. At the plate for Hanhwa, everyone got in on the fun. MVP candidate Kim Tae-gyun(.343/.431/.698, 14 HR, 51 RBI) finished the night 2-3 with a double, a homer, a walk, 2 RBI and 1 run scored. Shin Kyeong-hyeon(.241/.293/.352) went 3-3 with a double and 2 RBI. The only Hanhwa regular that didn't reach base was leadoff man, Lee Yeong-woo(.296/.350/.429).
Doosan 5, Lotte 2
W - Kim Myeong-je(5-1), L - Marty McCleary(4-3), S - Jeong Jae-hoon(12)
Doosan jumped all over Marty McCleary(4.86 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) in the first inning and chased him from the game after only 2/3 of an inning pitched. McCleary allowed only one hit, but he had difficulty with his control. He walked 4 batters. Even with his wildness, McCleary didn't get much help in the field. He was only charged with one earned run thanks to some shoddy defense.
Doosan starting pitched, Kim Myeong-je(2.87 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) was excellent. He threw 7 innings of one-hit ball and only walked two batters. He only struck out 2, so he wasn't missing any bats. Kim was able to keep the Giants off balance for most of the night. It felt like everything was a lazy flyball.
Doosan's offense wasn't exactly electric last night. They scored 5 runs on 3 hits. Two of the hits came from Hong Seong-hoon(.339/.363/.450) and he only drove in one run. Doosan was helped by a few errors and a couple walks. Basically, Lotte made an awful lot of mental errors last night and it cost them the game.
Doosan starting pitched, Kim Myeong-je(2.87 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) was excellent. He threw 7 innings of one-hit ball and only walked two batters. He only struck out 2, so he wasn't missing any bats. Kim was able to keep the Giants off balance for most of the night. It felt like everything was a lazy flyball.
Doosan's offense wasn't exactly electric last night. They scored 5 runs on 3 hits. Two of the hits came from Hong Seong-hoon(.339/.363/.450) and he only drove in one run. Doosan was helped by a few errors and a couple walks. Basically, Lotte made an awful lot of mental errors last night and it cost them the game.
SK 4, LG 3
W - Cho Yong-min(3-0), L - Jeong Jae-bok(3-4)
LG held a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th inning, but their bullpen imploded. After pitching the 8th inning, Jeong Jae-bok(2.79 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 10 holds) was left in to finish the 9th. A double from SK's Lee Jin-yong(.327/.394/.500) scored the first run and another double from Park Jeong-kwan walked him off(.193/.260/.284).
LG ace, Bong Jung-gun(3.11 ERA, 1.26 WHIP), pitched well enough to earn the W. Dr. Bong lasted 6 2/3 innings(113 pitches, 72 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 7. SK's Kenny Rayborn(3.93 ERA, 1.57 WHIP) struggled through five innings(105 pitches, 59 strikes) of work. He allowed 5 hits and 5 walks, but LG only plated two runs against him.
SK's Jeong Gun-wo(.292/.360/.394) and LG's Park Yong-taek(.293/.352/.361) both finished the day 3-5 with a homer, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.
Woori 10, KIA 2
W - Jeong Won-sam(3-5), L - Lee Dae-jin(2-7), S - Hwang Doo-seong (6)
The Heroes lead the game 3-1 heading into the bottom of the 8th. In the 8th, they battered the KIA bullpen for 7 runs. The Heroes banged out 8 hits and drew one walk in the inning. 5 different Heroes drove in runs. The biggest hero for Woori was Song Ji-man(.293/.333/.479). Song finished the night 2-3 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI and two runs scored. Also, Woori slugger Cliff Brumbaugh(.276/.385/.454) stole a base. It was his first and, more than likely, last of the season. To be fair, he did steal 7 bases in 2004.
Friday, June 6, 2008
6/5 Roundup and News
KoreaBeat has done the impossible. He found an article that's actually postive about foreigner baseball players.
The Korea Times offers some speculation about Park Chan-ho. If only they knew that Korea had its own baseball league and covered it as such.
Aaron at the EWC has some interesting photos of Karim Garcia having some fun during a rain delay. Similar behavior gets you fined in Chicago.
SK 5, Woori 2
W - Seong Eun-beom(5-2), L - Jang Won-seop(2-5) , S - Jeong Dae-hyeon(13)
SK jumped out to an early lead thanks to Na Ju-hwan's(.303/.345/.401) 3-run homer in the 2nd inning. Woori didn't respond until they had a two-run rally in the 6th inning. The Woori 6th inning featured RBI singles from Lee Taek-gun(.299/.396/.451) and Cliff Brumbaugh(.284/.395/.474). Samsung responded with a 6th inning, two-run rally of their own with an RBI single from Jeong Gun-woo(.293/.366/.385) and a sacrifice from Jo Dong-hwa(.235/.319/.284).
The game ball goes to SK starter, Seong Eun-beom(4.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP). Seong tossed 6 innings(87 pitches, 56 strikes) and allowed two runs on 5 hits with no walks and 1 K. He didn't miss many bats, but it seemed like everything was hit directly to an SK fielder.
KIA 7, Hanhwa 3
W - Lee Beom-seok(2-3), L - Yang Hoon(3-6), S - Han Ki-joo(13)
The KIA Tigers found themselves losing 1-0 in the 2nd inning, but they battered Hanhwa starter Yang Hoon(7.56 ERA, 1.71 WHIP) for 6 runs. Most of the damage came from a grand slam homerun by KIA's Lee Jae-joo(.330/.435/.583, 7 HR, 28 RBI in 36 games). Lee finished the day 2-2 with 2 walks, a double, a homer, 4 RBI and one run scored.
Somehow, Yang lasted 5 innings(109 pitches, 59 strikes). He allowed 6 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. He managed to strikeout 3. KIA's Lee Beom-seok(3.61 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) was equally wild, but Hanhwa couldn't take advantage the way KIA did. Lee lasted 5 2/3 innings(100 pitches, 55 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 5 walks. He also struck out 4.
Hanhwa's Kim Tae-gyun(.350/.440/.707, 15 HR, 49 RBI) finished the day 2-2 with a walk and drove in all 3 Hanhwa runs.
Lotte 2, Doosan 1
W - Song Seung-joon(7-3), L - Justin Lehr(0-2), S - Choi Hyang-nam(5)
Doosan took a 1-0 lead in the 4th. Slugger Kim Dong-joo(.290/.426/.531, 11 HR, 38 RBI) scored Lee Jong-wook(.305/.393/.376) on an RBI single. Lotte struck back in the 5th with a 2-run rally off starter Justin Lehr(2nd appearance). Jeong Su-gun(.304/.418/.364) drove in two with an RBI single. The two runs proved to be all Lotte would need. Lotte starter, Song Seung-joon(3.95 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) hurled a gem last night. He tossed 8 1/3 innings(113 pitches, 74 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 7 hits. He also struck out 7.
Samsung 4, LG 3
W - Lee Sang-mok(5-3), L - Jeong Chan-heon, S - Oh Seung-hwan(16)
The score was tied 0-0 heading into the 6th inning. In the top of the 6th, Samsung took a 4-0 lead thanks to a 3-run bomb from Choi Hyeong-woo(.255/.318/.426) and a solo shot from Jin Kab-yong(.295/.367/.479). LG rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 7th. Ahn Chi-yong(.383/.457/.652) hit an RBI single and Roberto Petagine(.339/.448/.482) followed with an RBI double. LG added their 3rd run in the 8th thanks to an RBI single from Son In-ho(.289/.333/.340). Samsung called on closer, Oh Seung-hwan(2.05 ERA, 1.00 WHIP), to slam the door in the 9th. Oh didn't dissapoint. He tossed a 1-2-3 inning to record the save and preserve the W for Samsung.
The game ball goes to Samsung starting pitcher, Lee Sang-mok(4.26 ERA, 1.14 WHIP). Lee threw 7 innings(87 pitches, 57 strikes) of 3 hit ball. He allowed only two runs, while striking out 3.
The Korea Times offers some speculation about Park Chan-ho. If only they knew that Korea had its own baseball league and covered it as such.
Aaron at the EWC has some interesting photos of Karim Garcia having some fun during a rain delay. Similar behavior gets you fined in Chicago.
SK 5, Woori 2
W - Seong Eun-beom(5-2), L - Jang Won-seop(2-5) , S - Jeong Dae-hyeon(13)
SK jumped out to an early lead thanks to Na Ju-hwan's(.303/.345/.401) 3-run homer in the 2nd inning. Woori didn't respond until they had a two-run rally in the 6th inning. The Woori 6th inning featured RBI singles from Lee Taek-gun(.299/.396/.451) and Cliff Brumbaugh(.284/.395/.474). Samsung responded with a 6th inning, two-run rally of their own with an RBI single from Jeong Gun-woo(.293/.366/.385) and a sacrifice from Jo Dong-hwa(.235/.319/.284).
The game ball goes to SK starter, Seong Eun-beom(4.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP). Seong tossed 6 innings(87 pitches, 56 strikes) and allowed two runs on 5 hits with no walks and 1 K. He didn't miss many bats, but it seemed like everything was hit directly to an SK fielder.
KIA 7, Hanhwa 3
W - Lee Beom-seok(2-3), L - Yang Hoon(3-6), S - Han Ki-joo(13)
The KIA Tigers found themselves losing 1-0 in the 2nd inning, but they battered Hanhwa starter Yang Hoon(7.56 ERA, 1.71 WHIP) for 6 runs. Most of the damage came from a grand slam homerun by KIA's Lee Jae-joo(.330/.435/.583, 7 HR, 28 RBI in 36 games). Lee finished the day 2-2 with 2 walks, a double, a homer, 4 RBI and one run scored.
Somehow, Yang lasted 5 innings(109 pitches, 59 strikes). He allowed 6 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. He managed to strikeout 3. KIA's Lee Beom-seok(3.61 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) was equally wild, but Hanhwa couldn't take advantage the way KIA did. Lee lasted 5 2/3 innings(100 pitches, 55 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 5 walks. He also struck out 4.
Hanhwa's Kim Tae-gyun(.350/.440/.707, 15 HR, 49 RBI) finished the day 2-2 with a walk and drove in all 3 Hanhwa runs.
Lotte 2, Doosan 1
W - Song Seung-joon(7-3), L - Justin Lehr(0-2), S - Choi Hyang-nam(5)
Doosan took a 1-0 lead in the 4th. Slugger Kim Dong-joo(.290/.426/.531, 11 HR, 38 RBI) scored Lee Jong-wook(.305/.393/.376) on an RBI single. Lotte struck back in the 5th with a 2-run rally off starter Justin Lehr(2nd appearance). Jeong Su-gun(.304/.418/.364) drove in two with an RBI single. The two runs proved to be all Lotte would need. Lotte starter, Song Seung-joon(3.95 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) hurled a gem last night. He tossed 8 1/3 innings(113 pitches, 74 strikes) allowing only 1 run on 7 hits. He also struck out 7.
Samsung 4, LG 3
W - Lee Sang-mok(5-3), L - Jeong Chan-heon, S - Oh Seung-hwan(16)
The score was tied 0-0 heading into the 6th inning. In the top of the 6th, Samsung took a 4-0 lead thanks to a 3-run bomb from Choi Hyeong-woo(.255/.318/.426) and a solo shot from Jin Kab-yong(.295/.367/.479). LG rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 7th. Ahn Chi-yong(.383/.457/.652) hit an RBI single and Roberto Petagine(.339/.448/.482) followed with an RBI double. LG added their 3rd run in the 8th thanks to an RBI single from Son In-ho(.289/.333/.340). Samsung called on closer, Oh Seung-hwan(2.05 ERA, 1.00 WHIP), to slam the door in the 9th. Oh didn't dissapoint. He tossed a 1-2-3 inning to record the save and preserve the W for Samsung.
The game ball goes to Samsung starting pitcher, Lee Sang-mok(4.26 ERA, 1.14 WHIP). Lee threw 7 innings(87 pitches, 57 strikes) of 3 hit ball. He allowed only two runs, while striking out 3.
Monday, May 26, 2008
5/23 - 5/25 Weekend Roundup
Sounds like we'll be seeing more jewelry on the mound this year. I have fond memories of Melido Perez wearing the largest cross I've ever seen on the mound for the White Sox in the late 90's. Sadly, the internet does not remember him as well as I do. Can I suggest this?
Another Park Chan-ho article from the Korea Times. This one is about two steps away from a propaganga piece.
Doosan vs. Woori
5/23 - Rain, rain, go away.
5/24 - Rain, rain, go away.
5/25 - Doosan 6, Woori 5
Sunday's game was the only one that was dry enough to play. The game was tied 5-5 in the top of the 9th when Doosan's Kim Hyeon-su(.353/.437/.476, 32 RBI in 44 games) clubbed a double to give Doosan a 6-5 advantage. Jeong Jae-hoon(5.11 ERA, 10 saves, 1.22 WHIP) tossed a 1-2-3 9th inning to record the save.
Woori's Song Ji-man(.318/.357/.496, 31 RBI in 41 games) gets a game ball for going 2-4 with a double and 4 RBI. Doosan's Kim Dong-ju(.304/.442/.570, 10 homers, 33 RBI in 42 games) swatted another homerun. For the day he was 1-2 with two walks, a homer, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.
SK vs. Lotte
5/23 - Lotte 9, SK 3
5/24 - Lotte 7, SK 3
5/25 - Lotte 7, SK 5
Wow, Lotte sent a big message this weekend to the defending champs. The message was, "Don't get too comfortable." SK's lead in the league standing has been cut to just 3.5 games over 2nd place Doosan. It could be a real dogfight over the next 3 months.
Lotte's Karim Garcia was the story on Friday night. He went 2-5 with a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored. Manager, Jerry Royster, bumped Garcia down to the #6 spot in the batting order on May 16th. In the last week he's hitting .421 with 3 homers. I think the change has worked out. Lotte starter, Jang Won-jun(3.31 ERA, 5-3, 1.20 WHIP), tossed 8 strong innings(96 pitches, 64 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and striking out 4.
On Saturday night, it was the Kang Min-ho(.329/.413/.572, 9 HR, 33 RBI) show. Kang homered twice against SK pitching. His line for the night was 2-4 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and two runs scored. Lotte's Cho Seong-hwan went 4-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Lotte ace, Son Min-han(2.23 ERA, 6-0, 1.11 WHIP), had the good stuff working again. He tossed 7 strong innings(103 pitches, 68 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 10 hits and striking out 1.
Karim Garcia(.256/.330/.536, 13 HR, 39 RBI) and Cho Seong-hwan(.347/.390/.453, 10 SB's) struck again on Sunday. Garcia crushed another homer while finishing 2-4 with 4 RBI and 1 run scored. Cho was 2-5 with a double 3 RBI, 1 run scored and a stolen base.
SK Ace Kim Kwang-hyeon(3.12 ERA, 6-2, 1.45 WHIP) was wild again on Sunday. Kim lasted 5 innings(111 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and 5 walks. He struck out 5. The SK offense wasn't much to write home about for this entire series. There were a few multi hit games, but no game balls should be handed out for a sweep.
LG vs. KIA
This time its LG coming through with a cute girl to toss out the first pitch. This time its actress Kim Na-yeong.
5/23 - LG 4, KIA 2
5/24 - KIA 15, LG 13
5/25 - KIA 13, LG 2
The fight for the cellar! Guess which series I did my best to avoid all weekend? This one.
On Friday night LG picked up a W without getting an extra base hit. They dinked and dunked their way to a 4-run 5th inning. The big hit was a two-run single from the bat of Park Kyeong-su(.246/.349/.399). The LG bullpen only allowed 3 baserunners during 4 1/3 innings of work. Lee Jae-ju was the KIA offense on Friday night. Lee went 1-2 with a homer, 2 walks, 2 RBI and 1 run scored.
It didn't say anything on the schedule, but it was fireworks night on Saturday as the two teams combined for 28 runs. The pitching was ugly. Only 4 out of 14 pitchers used didn't allow runs to score.
KIA's Lee Jae-ju had another big night. Lee went 4-6 with a double, 2 homeruns, 5 RBI and two runs scored. KIA's Kim Seon-bin(.260/.349/.288) went 3-4 with a walk, a triple, 2 RBI and 4 runs scored.
LG's Roberto Petagine had his first big game in the KBO. Petagine was 4-5 with 2 doubles, a walk, 4 RBI and 1 run scored. Ahn Chi-yong(.369/.471/.560 in only 84 AB's) went 2-4 with a double, a walk, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.
KIA continued to take BP off of LG pitching on Sunday. KIA scored 13 runs with only one extra base hit. They hit 15 singles, drew 5 walks and were helped by two errors. Lee Jae-ju(.345/.455/.571, 4 HR, 20 RBI in only 84 AB's) cooled off on Sunday. He was only 2-4 with a walk, 2 RBI and 1 run scored. Jang Seong-ho(.375/.516/.583 in 75 AB's) and Kim Jeong-guk(.203/.281/.241) both went 3-5. KIA starter, Yoon Suk-min(2.70 ERA, 6-3, 1.16 WHIP), was the primary benificiary of KIA's 13 run outburst. Yoon lasted 6 innings(106 pitches, 66 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6.
Hanhwa vs. Samsung
5/23 - Samsung 12, Hanhwa 5
5/24 - Samsung 11, Hanhwa 4
5/25- Hanhwa 5, Samsung 1
I should have seen this coming from a mile away. A mediocre effort against LG, followed by a whuppin on Friday and Saturday. I can't believe the Lions scored a run on Sunday.
The Lions are playing .500 ball without Yang Jun-hyeok(bad), Shim Chang-su(injured) or Jacob Cruz (released). Speaking of Cruz' walking papers, Aaron gave him a really nice write up at the EWC.
Samsung brought the pain on Friday night, scoring runs in 6 consecutive innings(4th through the 9th). Park Han-yi(.359/.466/.458) lead the charge for the Lions by going 3-5 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Ryu Hyeon-jin(3.32 ERA, 5-3, 1.36 WHIP) was the story for the Eagles in that the chubby lefty pitched poorly. He worked in and out of trouble for 5 innings(99 pitches, 54 strikes) allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks, while striking out 5. Lions starter, Lee Sang-mok(5.01 ERA, 3-3, 1.25 WHIP), pitched well enough, but ran out of gas in the 8th inning. Lee lasted 7 1/3 innings(96 pitches, 64 strikes) before he had to be lifted. He allowed 5 runs(3 in the 8th) on 8 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 3.
On Saturday night Samsung used a 6-run 1st inning to cruise to an easy victory. The game ball goes to Samsung's Jae Tae-in(.304/.346/.478 in only 23 AB's). Jae was 3-5 with a double, a triple, 5 RBI and 2 runs scored. Kim Tae-won clubbed a two-run bomb in the 6th inning for the Eagles.
I knew it wouldn't last. Samsung followed the two day, 23 run barrage with 5 hits and one run on Sunday. I guess they must have celebrated a little too much after Saturday's W. Hanhwa starter, Song Jin-woo(3.86 ERA, 3-2, 1.56 WHIP) worked 5 effectively wild innings(90 pitches, 46 strikes) allowing one run on 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 2. The Hanhwa bullpen shut the door on Samsung for good. During their 4 innings of work, 3 Hanhwa relievers scattered 2 hits and one walk. Kim Tae-won(.272/.379/.510, 10 HR, 29 RBI) gets his 2nd game ball in two days. He went 2-3 with a walk, a double, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.
Another Park Chan-ho article from the Korea Times. This one is about two steps away from a propaganga piece.
Doosan vs. Woori
5/23 - Rain, rain, go away.
5/24 - Rain, rain, go away.
5/25 - Doosan 6, Woori 5
Sunday's game was the only one that was dry enough to play. The game was tied 5-5 in the top of the 9th when Doosan's Kim Hyeon-su(.353/.437/.476, 32 RBI in 44 games) clubbed a double to give Doosan a 6-5 advantage. Jeong Jae-hoon(5.11 ERA, 10 saves, 1.22 WHIP) tossed a 1-2-3 9th inning to record the save.
Woori's Song Ji-man(.318/.357/.496, 31 RBI in 41 games) gets a game ball for going 2-4 with a double and 4 RBI. Doosan's Kim Dong-ju(.304/.442/.570, 10 homers, 33 RBI in 42 games) swatted another homerun. For the day he was 1-2 with two walks, a homer, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.
SK vs. Lotte
5/23 - Lotte 9, SK 3
5/24 - Lotte 7, SK 3
5/25 - Lotte 7, SK 5
Wow, Lotte sent a big message this weekend to the defending champs. The message was, "Don't get too comfortable." SK's lead in the league standing has been cut to just 3.5 games over 2nd place Doosan. It could be a real dogfight over the next 3 months.
Lotte's Karim Garcia was the story on Friday night. He went 2-5 with a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored. Manager, Jerry Royster, bumped Garcia down to the #6 spot in the batting order on May 16th. In the last week he's hitting .421 with 3 homers. I think the change has worked out. Lotte starter, Jang Won-jun(3.31 ERA, 5-3, 1.20 WHIP), tossed 8 strong innings(96 pitches, 64 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and striking out 4.
On Saturday night, it was the Kang Min-ho(.329/.413/.572, 9 HR, 33 RBI) show. Kang homered twice against SK pitching. His line for the night was 2-4 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and two runs scored. Lotte's Cho Seong-hwan went 4-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Lotte ace, Son Min-han(2.23 ERA, 6-0, 1.11 WHIP), had the good stuff working again. He tossed 7 strong innings(103 pitches, 68 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 10 hits and striking out 1.
Karim Garcia(.256/.330/.536, 13 HR, 39 RBI) and Cho Seong-hwan(.347/.390/.453, 10 SB's) struck again on Sunday. Garcia crushed another homer while finishing 2-4 with 4 RBI and 1 run scored. Cho was 2-5 with a double 3 RBI, 1 run scored and a stolen base.
SK Ace Kim Kwang-hyeon(3.12 ERA, 6-2, 1.45 WHIP) was wild again on Sunday. Kim lasted 5 innings(111 pitches, 62 strikes) allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and 5 walks. He struck out 5. The SK offense wasn't much to write home about for this entire series. There were a few multi hit games, but no game balls should be handed out for a sweep.
LG vs. KIA
This time its LG coming through with a cute girl to toss out the first pitch. This time its actress Kim Na-yeong.
5/23 - LG 4, KIA 2
5/24 - KIA 15, LG 13
5/25 - KIA 13, LG 2
The fight for the cellar! Guess which series I did my best to avoid all weekend? This one.
On Friday night LG picked up a W without getting an extra base hit. They dinked and dunked their way to a 4-run 5th inning. The big hit was a two-run single from the bat of Park Kyeong-su(.246/.349/.399). The LG bullpen only allowed 3 baserunners during 4 1/3 innings of work. Lee Jae-ju was the KIA offense on Friday night. Lee went 1-2 with a homer, 2 walks, 2 RBI and 1 run scored.
It didn't say anything on the schedule, but it was fireworks night on Saturday as the two teams combined for 28 runs. The pitching was ugly. Only 4 out of 14 pitchers used didn't allow runs to score.
KIA's Lee Jae-ju had another big night. Lee went 4-6 with a double, 2 homeruns, 5 RBI and two runs scored. KIA's Kim Seon-bin(.260/.349/.288) went 3-4 with a walk, a triple, 2 RBI and 4 runs scored.
LG's Roberto Petagine had his first big game in the KBO. Petagine was 4-5 with 2 doubles, a walk, 4 RBI and 1 run scored. Ahn Chi-yong(.369/.471/.560 in only 84 AB's) went 2-4 with a double, a walk, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.
KIA continued to take BP off of LG pitching on Sunday. KIA scored 13 runs with only one extra base hit. They hit 15 singles, drew 5 walks and were helped by two errors. Lee Jae-ju(.345/.455/.571, 4 HR, 20 RBI in only 84 AB's) cooled off on Sunday. He was only 2-4 with a walk, 2 RBI and 1 run scored. Jang Seong-ho(.375/.516/.583 in 75 AB's) and Kim Jeong-guk(.203/.281/.241) both went 3-5. KIA starter, Yoon Suk-min(2.70 ERA, 6-3, 1.16 WHIP), was the primary benificiary of KIA's 13 run outburst. Yoon lasted 6 innings(106 pitches, 66 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6.
Hanhwa vs. Samsung
5/23 - Samsung 12, Hanhwa 5
5/24 - Samsung 11, Hanhwa 4
5/25- Hanhwa 5, Samsung 1
I should have seen this coming from a mile away. A mediocre effort against LG, followed by a whuppin on Friday and Saturday. I can't believe the Lions scored a run on Sunday.
The Lions are playing .500 ball without Yang Jun-hyeok(bad), Shim Chang-su(injured) or Jacob Cruz (released). Speaking of Cruz' walking papers, Aaron gave him a really nice write up at the EWC.
Samsung brought the pain on Friday night, scoring runs in 6 consecutive innings(4th through the 9th). Park Han-yi(.359/.466/.458) lead the charge for the Lions by going 3-5 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Ryu Hyeon-jin(3.32 ERA, 5-3, 1.36 WHIP) was the story for the Eagles in that the chubby lefty pitched poorly. He worked in and out of trouble for 5 innings(99 pitches, 54 strikes) allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks, while striking out 5. Lions starter, Lee Sang-mok(5.01 ERA, 3-3, 1.25 WHIP), pitched well enough, but ran out of gas in the 8th inning. Lee lasted 7 1/3 innings(96 pitches, 64 strikes) before he had to be lifted. He allowed 5 runs(3 in the 8th) on 8 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 3.
On Saturday night Samsung used a 6-run 1st inning to cruise to an easy victory. The game ball goes to Samsung's Jae Tae-in(.304/.346/.478 in only 23 AB's). Jae was 3-5 with a double, a triple, 5 RBI and 2 runs scored. Kim Tae-won clubbed a two-run bomb in the 6th inning for the Eagles.
I knew it wouldn't last. Samsung followed the two day, 23 run barrage with 5 hits and one run on Sunday. I guess they must have celebrated a little too much after Saturday's W. Hanhwa starter, Song Jin-woo(3.86 ERA, 3-2, 1.56 WHIP) worked 5 effectively wild innings(90 pitches, 46 strikes) allowing one run on 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 2. The Hanhwa bullpen shut the door on Samsung for good. During their 4 innings of work, 3 Hanhwa relievers scattered 2 hits and one walk. Kim Tae-won(.272/.379/.510, 10 HR, 29 RBI) gets his 2nd game ball in two days. He went 2-3 with a walk, a double, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.
Monday, May 19, 2008
5/16 - 5/18 Weekend Roundup
Park Chan-ho made his first start in over a year and Korea couldn't be happier. We even got another bizarre headline from the Korea Times. At least they didn't blame foreigners in this one.
Also, a few pictures from a pretty good brouhaha in the KIA/LG series. At the end there are some killer cheerbabe photos. I love writing about fights at baseball games simply for the chance to use words like "dustup," "imbroglio," "fracas," "tussle," "donnybrook," "melee," and "brouhaha." I've only seen one live in my life. It was the infamous Michael Barrett/A.J. Pierzynski battle of '06. That one featured A.J. destroying Barrett at the plate and Barrett following up with a limp-wristed sucker-punch. Then Scott Podsednik leaping from the on deck circle to tackle Barrett.While Brian Anderson was ready to take on the entire Cubs roster. Ozzie Guillen was not only the first one out of the dugout, but the first one to try to get the situation under control. I still say A.J. hit Barrett harder than Barrett hit A.J.
Doosan vs Samsung
5/16 - Samsung 8, Doosan 3
5/17 - Doosan 11, Samsung 4
5/18 - Rained out :-(
This was probably the best result Lions fans could have hoped for. A split plus a rain delay.
Longtime Samsung OF/1B/DH Yang Jun Hyeok has been demoted to the minor leagues. This could be the beginning of the end for the 39 year old slugger. I believe the move came after Friday's game. I can only imagine how depressing the Korean minors are.
On Friday, the Lions were able to get to a tired Lee Won-jae and a mediocre Doosan bullpen in the late innings. The big hit came from the bat of catcher, Jin Kab-yong in the form of a bases clearing double. Samsung started Lee Sang-mok pitched well enough to earn the W. In his 6 innings(100 pitches, 57 strikes) of work he allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while managing 1 K. Doosan's Ko Yeong-min went 2-4 with a homer, 1 RBI, one run scored and 2 SB's.
I can't believe Samsung used only two pitchers during Saturday's 11-4 shellacking. Samsung starter, Cho Jin-ho only lasted 3 1/3 innings(73 pitches, 46 strikes) in this one. He allowed 7 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks while only striking out one. The big bat belonged to Doosan's Kim Dong-ju. Kim drove in 7(!) RBI while going 3-4 with 2 homers, 3 runs scored and one walk.
Lotte vs. Woori
Cliff Brumbaugh totally loses it with an umpire on Sunday night. To be fair to Cliff, the call was ridiculous. Cliff was getting out the way of some chin music and the umpire claimed he swung. The ump was lucky Cliff didn't tear him in half. In the middle of the dispute, the ump choose to get back in Cliff's face. Cliff's teammates had to restrain the umpire instead of the angry foreigner.
5/16 - Woori 7, Lotte 6
5/17 - Lotte 9, Woori 2
5/18 - Woori 2, Lotte 1 (11)
11 pitchers were used Friday in a 4 hour grindfest. Lotte took a 6-5 lead into the 9th, but closer Im Kyeong-won allowed 2 runs on 3 hits. The knockout punch was a two-run double from Woori's Jeong Seong-hun. Both Lee Dae-ho and Karim Garcia homered for Lotte.
Lotte starter, Jang Won-jun, tossed a complete game on Saturday night. Jang allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 during his 122 pitch(84 strikes) outing. Lotte used some thunder, homeruns from Karim Garcia and Cho Seong-hwan, and lightning, 5 SB's, to beat Woori.
Sunday's game was fairly entertaining. Both offenses didn't seem to like the rainy weather very much, but it was the starting pitching that was the difference. Lotte ace Son Min-han tossed 9 innings(101 pitches, 66 strikes) of 1-run ball allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. Woori ace Ma Il-yeong did his best to match Son. Ma lasted 8 innings(129 pitches, 74 strikes) allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6. This was one of the more memorable regular season games and not just because of Brumbaugh's 11th inning blowup. In the 11th, the Heroes got a walk, a hit and then a costly error to score the winning run.
KIA vs. LG
5/16 - KIA 6, LG 4
5/17 - LG 5, KIA 0
5/18 - LG 11, KIA 2
Wow, the two worst teams together again. Let's just say I wasn't exactly glued to my TV set for this one, although we did get a small imbroglio between the two teams. It's always the frustrated teams that lash out. At least these two lashed out against each other.
LG blew Friday's game because they left Chris Oxspring in way too long. He simply ran out of gas in the 7th inning. At least LG was nice enough to mount a fake rally to make the final a little closer. The less said about this game the better.
Saturday night, LG turned to Dr. Bong to get the W and he delivered. Bong Jung-gun tossed 7 1/3(123 pitches, 78 strikes) scoreless allowing only 4 hits and two walks while striking out 7. The Doc was the difference. KIA couldn't do anything offensively and LG pieced together enough of an offense to get the W.
LG scored a 7 inning W on Sunday night. The game was shortened due to miserable weather. It took KIA starter, Lee Beom-seok 75 pitches(!) to throw 2 innings. I would have hung myself. Park Kyung-su was the big hitter for LG. Park went 2-5 with a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored. Just an ugly game from all aspects.
I can't believe over 10,000 people showed up to each of these games. There must be NOTHING to do in Gwangju.
SK vs. Hanhwa
5/16 - SK 7, Hanhwa 3
5/17 - Hanhwa 5, SK 4
5/18 - Rain, rain go away...
Two of Koreas hottest young teams taking the field against each other? That goes a long way to wash the taste of that KIA/LG series out of my mouth.
On Friday, SK struck early and often against Hanhwa starter, Yoo Won-sang. Yoo was chased from the game after only 3 2/3 innings pitched. He allowed 5 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2. The real stand out was the SK bullpen. 5 relievers combined for 4 innings and allowed only 1 run on 4 hits and two walks.
Saturday's game featured Hanhwa's Ryu Hyeon-jin pitching against SK's Kenny Rayborn. Neither pitched particulary well and the game was in the hands of the bullpens. SK's bullpen surrendered a two-run homer to Hanhwa's foreign sensation, Doug Clark. Clark's homer proved to be the difference in Saturday nights game.
Also, a few pictures from a pretty good brouhaha in the KIA/LG series. At the end there are some killer cheerbabe photos. I love writing about fights at baseball games simply for the chance to use words like "dustup," "imbroglio," "fracas," "tussle," "donnybrook," "melee," and "brouhaha." I've only seen one live in my life. It was the infamous Michael Barrett/A.J. Pierzynski battle of '06. That one featured A.J. destroying Barrett at the plate and Barrett following up with a limp-wristed sucker-punch. Then Scott Podsednik leaping from the on deck circle to tackle Barrett.While Brian Anderson was ready to take on the entire Cubs roster. Ozzie Guillen was not only the first one out of the dugout, but the first one to try to get the situation under control. I still say A.J. hit Barrett harder than Barrett hit A.J.
Doosan vs Samsung
5/16 - Samsung 8, Doosan 3
5/17 - Doosan 11, Samsung 4
5/18 - Rained out :-(
This was probably the best result Lions fans could have hoped for. A split plus a rain delay.
Longtime Samsung OF/1B/DH Yang Jun Hyeok has been demoted to the minor leagues. This could be the beginning of the end for the 39 year old slugger. I believe the move came after Friday's game. I can only imagine how depressing the Korean minors are.
On Friday, the Lions were able to get to a tired Lee Won-jae and a mediocre Doosan bullpen in the late innings. The big hit came from the bat of catcher, Jin Kab-yong in the form of a bases clearing double. Samsung started Lee Sang-mok pitched well enough to earn the W. In his 6 innings(100 pitches, 57 strikes) of work he allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while managing 1 K. Doosan's Ko Yeong-min went 2-4 with a homer, 1 RBI, one run scored and 2 SB's.
I can't believe Samsung used only two pitchers during Saturday's 11-4 shellacking. Samsung starter, Cho Jin-ho only lasted 3 1/3 innings(73 pitches, 46 strikes) in this one. He allowed 7 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks while only striking out one. The big bat belonged to Doosan's Kim Dong-ju. Kim drove in 7(!) RBI while going 3-4 with 2 homers, 3 runs scored and one walk.
Lotte vs. Woori
Cliff Brumbaugh totally loses it with an umpire on Sunday night. To be fair to Cliff, the call was ridiculous. Cliff was getting out the way of some chin music and the umpire claimed he swung. The ump was lucky Cliff didn't tear him in half. In the middle of the dispute, the ump choose to get back in Cliff's face. Cliff's teammates had to restrain the umpire instead of the angry foreigner.
5/16 - Woori 7, Lotte 6
5/17 - Lotte 9, Woori 2
5/18 - Woori 2, Lotte 1 (11)
11 pitchers were used Friday in a 4 hour grindfest. Lotte took a 6-5 lead into the 9th, but closer Im Kyeong-won allowed 2 runs on 3 hits. The knockout punch was a two-run double from Woori's Jeong Seong-hun. Both Lee Dae-ho and Karim Garcia homered for Lotte.
Lotte starter, Jang Won-jun, tossed a complete game on Saturday night. Jang allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 during his 122 pitch(84 strikes) outing. Lotte used some thunder, homeruns from Karim Garcia and Cho Seong-hwan, and lightning, 5 SB's, to beat Woori.
Sunday's game was fairly entertaining. Both offenses didn't seem to like the rainy weather very much, but it was the starting pitching that was the difference. Lotte ace Son Min-han tossed 9 innings(101 pitches, 66 strikes) of 1-run ball allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. Woori ace Ma Il-yeong did his best to match Son. Ma lasted 8 innings(129 pitches, 74 strikes) allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6. This was one of the more memorable regular season games and not just because of Brumbaugh's 11th inning blowup. In the 11th, the Heroes got a walk, a hit and then a costly error to score the winning run.
KIA vs. LG
5/16 - KIA 6, LG 4
5/17 - LG 5, KIA 0
5/18 - LG 11, KIA 2
Wow, the two worst teams together again. Let's just say I wasn't exactly glued to my TV set for this one, although we did get a small imbroglio between the two teams. It's always the frustrated teams that lash out. At least these two lashed out against each other.
LG blew Friday's game because they left Chris Oxspring in way too long. He simply ran out of gas in the 7th inning. At least LG was nice enough to mount a fake rally to make the final a little closer. The less said about this game the better.
Saturday night, LG turned to Dr. Bong to get the W and he delivered. Bong Jung-gun tossed 7 1/3(123 pitches, 78 strikes) scoreless allowing only 4 hits and two walks while striking out 7. The Doc was the difference. KIA couldn't do anything offensively and LG pieced together enough of an offense to get the W.
LG scored a 7 inning W on Sunday night. The game was shortened due to miserable weather. It took KIA starter, Lee Beom-seok 75 pitches(!) to throw 2 innings. I would have hung myself. Park Kyung-su was the big hitter for LG. Park went 2-5 with a homer, 3 RBI and one run scored. Just an ugly game from all aspects.
I can't believe over 10,000 people showed up to each of these games. There must be NOTHING to do in Gwangju.
SK vs. Hanhwa
5/16 - SK 7, Hanhwa 3
5/17 - Hanhwa 5, SK 4
5/18 - Rain, rain go away...
Two of Koreas hottest young teams taking the field against each other? That goes a long way to wash the taste of that KIA/LG series out of my mouth.
On Friday, SK struck early and often against Hanhwa starter, Yoo Won-sang. Yoo was chased from the game after only 3 2/3 innings pitched. He allowed 5 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2. The real stand out was the SK bullpen. 5 relievers combined for 4 innings and allowed only 1 run on 4 hits and two walks.
Saturday's game featured Hanhwa's Ryu Hyeon-jin pitching against SK's Kenny Rayborn. Neither pitched particulary well and the game was in the hands of the bullpens. SK's bullpen surrendered a two-run homer to Hanhwa's foreign sensation, Doug Clark. Clark's homer proved to be the difference in Saturday nights game.
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