8/28 - Lotte 12, Heroes 5
8/29 - Lotte 4, Heroes 3
8/30 - Heroes 4, Lotte 3
Karim Garcia started the series the right way for Lotte. With a mammoth grand slam in the first inning of Friday night's game. The right fielder didn't even blink. Garcia must have had family on hand because he posed for a full 10 seconds after he connected. The Lotte slugger finished 3-4 with 2 doubles, 5 RBIs and 3 runs scored. The Giants added an RBI double by outfielder Kim Joo-chan and a 2-run bomb from 2nd baseman Kim Min-seong in the 2nd inning. That was all the offense Lotte would need and the Giants were able to coast to an easy W.
On Saturday, the Giants turned to starting pitcher Cho Jeong-hoon to eat up some innings and Cho did exactly that. Cho tossed 8 innings(112 pitches, 66 strikes)of 3-run baseball. Cho gave up 7 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5. With the score tied at 3 in the bottom of the 7th, the Giants mounted a rally. With runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs, infielder Kim Min-seong hit a ground ball through the left side for a base hit and drove in the go-ahead run. Lotte closer Jon Adkins tossed a 1-2-3 9th for the save.
Sunday's game was eerily similar to Saturday's. The only difference is that Jerry Royster left his starting pitcher in a liiiiiittle too long. In the top of the 9th with the score tied at 3, Royster had a tired Song Seung-joon on the mound. With runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs, Heroes shortstop Kang Jeong-ho hit a blooper down the right field line that fell in for a hit. The go ahead run would score easily. Song threw well enough, he just should've known when to say when. He tossed 8 2/3 innings(125 pitches, 77 strikes), but gave up all 4 runs. Song allowed 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. Heroes starting pitcher Hwang Doo-seong was every bit Song's equal. Hwang tossed 8 innings(98 pitches, 73 strikes) of 3-run ball. He gave up only 6 hits and struck out 3. The only players that had any success against Hwang were Lee Dae-ho and Karim Garcia. Both players homered and doubled off of him.
Showing posts with label Woori Heroes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Woori Heroes. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
8/21 - 8/23 Weekend Roundup: Seoul Heroes vs. Hanhwa
8/21 - Hanhwa 9, Heroes 4
8/22 - Heroes 4, Hanhwa 2
8/23 - Hanhwa 8, Heroes 5
A Hanhwa pitcher, not Ryu Hyeon-jin, threw 5 1/3 shutout innings. That doesn't happen very often. Ahn Yeong-myeong recorded 16 outs without giving up a run. Ahn only gave up 1 hit and 3 walks while striking out 4. For the season Ahn has given up 27 homers in only 112 2/3 innings. Yikes. Of course the Hanhwa bullpen came in and gave up 4 runs, but by that point Hanhwa was up 9-0. The Eagles banged out 13 hits and drew 8 walks. WBC hero Lee Beom-ho finished 2-5 with a homer, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
Heroes starter Kim Su-kyeong put the team on his back and carried them for 7 2/3 innings. Kim gave up only 2 solo homers during his 114-pitch outing. Kim gave up only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1. Both DH Kim Tae-wan and 1st baseman Kim Tae-gyun took Kim Su-kyeong out of the ballpark. Heroes catcher Kang Gui-tae drove in a pair of runs with a single in the 2nd inning.
Sunday's game was an effort to watch. It was your typical KBO grindfest with approximately 264 pitching changes. The Eagles took a team approach to offense on Sunday. 7 different Eagles drove in runs. Shortstop Song Kwang-min drove in 2 while going 2-5 with a double. The Heroes offense was lead by its #1 and #9 hitters. 3rd baseman Hwang Jae-gyun and shortstop Kang Jeong-ho combined to go 4-9 with 2 homers, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Games like this make me wish I were still in Chicago watching my beloved White Sox. Hmmm, maybe not.
8/22 - Heroes 4, Hanhwa 2
8/23 - Hanhwa 8, Heroes 5
A Hanhwa pitcher, not Ryu Hyeon-jin, threw 5 1/3 shutout innings. That doesn't happen very often. Ahn Yeong-myeong recorded 16 outs without giving up a run. Ahn only gave up 1 hit and 3 walks while striking out 4. For the season Ahn has given up 27 homers in only 112 2/3 innings. Yikes. Of course the Hanhwa bullpen came in and gave up 4 runs, but by that point Hanhwa was up 9-0. The Eagles banged out 13 hits and drew 8 walks. WBC hero Lee Beom-ho finished 2-5 with a homer, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
Heroes starter Kim Su-kyeong put the team on his back and carried them for 7 2/3 innings. Kim gave up only 2 solo homers during his 114-pitch outing. Kim gave up only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1. Both DH Kim Tae-wan and 1st baseman Kim Tae-gyun took Kim Su-kyeong out of the ballpark. Heroes catcher Kang Gui-tae drove in a pair of runs with a single in the 2nd inning.
Sunday's game was an effort to watch. It was your typical KBO grindfest with approximately 264 pitching changes. The Eagles took a team approach to offense on Sunday. 7 different Eagles drove in runs. Shortstop Song Kwang-min drove in 2 while going 2-5 with a double. The Heroes offense was lead by its #1 and #9 hitters. 3rd baseman Hwang Jae-gyun and shortstop Kang Jeong-ho combined to go 4-9 with 2 homers, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Games like this make me wish I were still in Chicago watching my beloved White Sox. Hmmm, maybe not.
Friday, April 3, 2009
2009 KBO Season Primer: The Rest
I'm sick and lazy. That's a deadly combination when it comes to blogging. So, before I go home and build a fort out of my pillows and blankets, I'm going to run down the last 4 teams in my projected order of finish.
5. Samsung Lions
My beloved Samsung Lions could be completely awful this year. A 5th place finish is actually a little optomistic. They've got serious holes in their lineup and even more serious holes in their pitching staff. They tried and failed to acquire(buy) lefty Jeong Won-sam from the Seoul Heroes. He could have been the ace that this team is missing. Yoon Seong-hwan could emerge as a potential ace this season. After completing his military service in 2007, Yoon returned to the Lions as a reliever and did a servicable job. In 2008, he went back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. Somehow, he ended the year with a 10-11 record in 35 appearances. He lead the Lions with 135 2/3 innings last year. He posted a respectable 3.92 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. After Yoon, the Lions will use their 2 new foreign arms, Runelvys(Run! Elvis! Run!) Hernandez and Francisco Cruceta. The rest of the rotation is anyone's guess. Most likely Bae Yong-su's rotting corpse and Lee Sang-mok's rotting corpse will be propped up and forced to throw pitches. Personally, I'd like to see Ahn Ji-man turned into a starter. He looked strong working long relief in last year's playoffs.
The Samsung bullpen should be strong again. Oh Seung-hwan looked awful in the WBC, but he should make a run at another 40 save season. Kwon Hyeok should continue in his role as top set up man. Oh and Kwon were a deadly 1-2 punch in 2008. Both posted ERA's under 2.00.
The biggest story for Samsung is ageless DH Yang Jun-hyeok's run at the KBO homerun record. With any luck, he should have the record wrapped up by mid-April. I believe he needs 2 more homers for the record(He currently sits at 339). Rightfielder Choi Hyeong-woo was the 2008 KBO Rookie of the Year. That sounds more impressive than it is. He was the best of a mediocre crop of rookies last year. He's also 26 years old. I'm looking forward to watching Park Seok-min handle the everyday 3rd base job and I can't help but wonder what Park Han-yi would look like patrolling centerfield for the White Sox. He can't be worse than this guy. Other than that things look bleak for the Lions in the field. Shortstop Park Jin-man and catcher Jin Kab-yong are really starting to show their age.
5. Samsung Lions
My beloved Samsung Lions could be completely awful this year. A 5th place finish is actually a little optomistic. They've got serious holes in their lineup and even more serious holes in their pitching staff. They tried and failed to acquire(buy) lefty Jeong Won-sam from the Seoul Heroes. He could have been the ace that this team is missing. Yoon Seong-hwan could emerge as a potential ace this season. After completing his military service in 2007, Yoon returned to the Lions as a reliever and did a servicable job. In 2008, he went back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. Somehow, he ended the year with a 10-11 record in 35 appearances. He lead the Lions with 135 2/3 innings last year. He posted a respectable 3.92 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. After Yoon, the Lions will use their 2 new foreign arms, Runelvys(Run! Elvis! Run!) Hernandez and Francisco Cruceta. The rest of the rotation is anyone's guess. Most likely Bae Yong-su's rotting corpse and Lee Sang-mok's rotting corpse will be propped up and forced to throw pitches. Personally, I'd like to see Ahn Ji-man turned into a starter. He looked strong working long relief in last year's playoffs.
The Samsung bullpen should be strong again. Oh Seung-hwan looked awful in the WBC, but he should make a run at another 40 save season. Kwon Hyeok should continue in his role as top set up man. Oh and Kwon were a deadly 1-2 punch in 2008. Both posted ERA's under 2.00.
The biggest story for Samsung is ageless DH Yang Jun-hyeok's run at the KBO homerun record. With any luck, he should have the record wrapped up by mid-April. I believe he needs 2 more homers for the record(He currently sits at 339). Rightfielder Choi Hyeong-woo was the 2008 KBO Rookie of the Year. That sounds more impressive than it is. He was the best of a mediocre crop of rookies last year. He's also 26 years old. I'm looking forward to watching Park Seok-min handle the everyday 3rd base job and I can't help but wonder what Park Han-yi would look like patrolling centerfield for the White Sox. He can't be worse than this guy. Other than that things look bleak for the Lions in the field. Shortstop Park Jin-man and catcher Jin Kab-yong are really starting to show their age.
6. Seoul Heroes
For a team without a sponsor, they're not that bad. Really, they're not. Assuming they can complete the season without folding(they should, the worst thing that happens is they get taken over by the league office again), they could hang around and possibly post a winning record. The middle of their order should be stronger. Cliff Brumbaugh will be back for another season(his 5th!) and Doug Clark was signed away from Hanwha. I like a #3/#4 combo of Clark and Brumbaugh. Leftfielder, Lee Taek-geun was a catalyst for this team last year and he should continue in his role as a leadoff hitter. He posted a .398 OBP in 2008 with 59 runs scored and 18 SB's. Veteran KBO infielder, Song Ji-man is returning for his 14th KBO season. He's spent every year with Hyundai/Woori/The Heroes. He should provide some protection for Clark and Brumbaugh. He can still hit.
On the mound, the Heroes have the best 1-2 combo in the league. Ace Ma Il-yeong and Jeong Won-sam combined for 23 of the team's 50 wins. Ma Il-yeong finished 11-11 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. In 173 KBO innings, he struck out 83 and walked 69. Jeong finished the year with a 12-8 record in 27 starts. He worked 167 1/3 innings last year. In those innings, he struck out 126 and walked 59. These two could pitch the Heroes into contention....if the Heroes bullpen wasn't completely awful. Only The Great Shingo Takatsu could stabalize the backend of the Heroes bullpen. Shingo joined the Heroes in mid-June and started putting zeroes on the scoreboard. He posted a 0.86 ERA and 8 saves over the last 3 months of the season. He also won the heart of this poor, bitter White Sox fan all over again. (swoon) Sadly, he wasn't brought back and this bullpen is a mess again. I guess Hwang Doo-seong is the de facto closer, but he was the reason Shingo was signed in the first place.
For a team without a sponsor, they're not that bad. Really, they're not. Assuming they can complete the season without folding(they should, the worst thing that happens is they get taken over by the league office again), they could hang around and possibly post a winning record. The middle of their order should be stronger. Cliff Brumbaugh will be back for another season(his 5th!) and Doug Clark was signed away from Hanwha. I like a #3/#4 combo of Clark and Brumbaugh. Leftfielder, Lee Taek-geun was a catalyst for this team last year and he should continue in his role as a leadoff hitter. He posted a .398 OBP in 2008 with 59 runs scored and 18 SB's. Veteran KBO infielder, Song Ji-man is returning for his 14th KBO season. He's spent every year with Hyundai/Woori/The Heroes. He should provide some protection for Clark and Brumbaugh. He can still hit.
On the mound, the Heroes have the best 1-2 combo in the league. Ace Ma Il-yeong and Jeong Won-sam combined for 23 of the team's 50 wins. Ma Il-yeong finished 11-11 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. In 173 KBO innings, he struck out 83 and walked 69. Jeong finished the year with a 12-8 record in 27 starts. He worked 167 1/3 innings last year. In those innings, he struck out 126 and walked 59. These two could pitch the Heroes into contention....if the Heroes bullpen wasn't completely awful. Only The Great Shingo Takatsu could stabalize the backend of the Heroes bullpen. Shingo joined the Heroes in mid-June and started putting zeroes on the scoreboard. He posted a 0.86 ERA and 8 saves over the last 3 months of the season. He also won the heart of this poor, bitter White Sox fan all over again. (swoon) Sadly, he wasn't brought back and this bullpen is a mess again. I guess Hwang Doo-seong is the de facto closer, but he was the reason Shingo was signed in the first place.
7. KIA Tigers
The highest OPS on this team was a 242-year old catcher that had posted solid #'s exactly once in his 203-year career in Korean baseball. Actually, Lee Jin-ju is only 36, but he was still the best hitter on this team last year. He LEAD the team with 58 RBI's. It was that kind of year for KIA. Supposedly former mediocre MLB slugger, Choi Hee-seop slimmed down in the off season. I'll believe it when I see it. He was eating his way out of the league last year. This team has a little speed on offense(5 Tigers registered double digit steals last year), but not much else. I don't see how this team is going to score any runs.
On the mound, things aren't nearly as bad. Staff ace/WBC hero Yoon Seok-min turned in an excellent 2008 season. Yoon finished the year 14-5 in 24 starts. In his 154 2/3 innings, he struck out 119 and walked 46. His ERA ended at 2.05 and his WHIP was a solid 1.05. If he pitched for any other team(except LG) he would have been in contention for the MVP award. Lee Beom-seok was a solid #2 starter. Lee ended the season with a 7-10 record in 28 starts. He worked 119 2/3 innings with a 3.08 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Former Tampa Bay Devil Ray, Seo Jae-weong was a disappointment. He spent the year moving between the rotation and the DL. In 16 starts, Seo was 5-5 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Somehow, closer Han Ki-joo saved 26 games last year. He struck out 46 batters in 58 innings and finished with a 1.71 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Yoon Dong-hoon and Son Yeong-min were solid in middle relief. Both posted sub 3.50 ERA's. Lacking an semblence of an offense, KIA of course chose to bring in two foreign pitchers to bolster their staff. Rick Guttormson and "Senor Smoke", Aquilino Lopez, will likely fill out the KIA rotation.
The highest OPS on this team was a 242-year old catcher that had posted solid #'s exactly once in his 203-year career in Korean baseball. Actually, Lee Jin-ju is only 36, but he was still the best hitter on this team last year. He LEAD the team with 58 RBI's. It was that kind of year for KIA. Supposedly former mediocre MLB slugger, Choi Hee-seop slimmed down in the off season. I'll believe it when I see it. He was eating his way out of the league last year. This team has a little speed on offense(5 Tigers registered double digit steals last year), but not much else. I don't see how this team is going to score any runs.
On the mound, things aren't nearly as bad. Staff ace/WBC hero Yoon Seok-min turned in an excellent 2008 season. Yoon finished the year 14-5 in 24 starts. In his 154 2/3 innings, he struck out 119 and walked 46. His ERA ended at 2.05 and his WHIP was a solid 1.05. If he pitched for any other team(except LG) he would have been in contention for the MVP award. Lee Beom-seok was a solid #2 starter. Lee ended the season with a 7-10 record in 28 starts. He worked 119 2/3 innings with a 3.08 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Former Tampa Bay Devil Ray, Seo Jae-weong was a disappointment. He spent the year moving between the rotation and the DL. In 16 starts, Seo was 5-5 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Somehow, closer Han Ki-joo saved 26 games last year. He struck out 46 batters in 58 innings and finished with a 1.71 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Yoon Dong-hoon and Son Yeong-min were solid in middle relief. Both posted sub 3.50 ERA's. Lacking an semblence of an offense, KIA of course chose to bring in two foreign pitchers to bolster their staff. Rick Guttormson and "Senor Smoke", Aquilino Lopez, will likely fill out the KIA rotation.
8. LG Twins
This team was among the more active in the offseason. At least they realized that sticking with the same group of corpses was a bad idea. Roberto Petagine will be asked to be the only middle of the order prescence on this roster. Big Bobby delivered a .984 OPS in 216 AB's last year, but if LG can't find someone to protect him, he's not going to see a pitch all year. Lee Jin-yeong was signed from SK to bolster the outfield and provide some punch near the top of the order. The 29-year old vet has a .301 career batting average over 10 KBO seasons. Mediocre slugger Choi Dong-su figures to bat behind Petagine. Choi lead the team in homers(16) and RBI(62) last year. Center fielder Lee Dae-hyeong's .598 OPS will likely be back at the top of the LG batting order next year. (But he stole 63 bases! He drives in runs with his legs!).
LG is solid at the top of the rotation with Bong Jung-geun and Austrialian hero, Chris Oxspring. Dr. Bong pitched magnificently for this motley crew. In 28 starts, Bong finished with a 11-8 record. In his league best 186 1/3 innings, he struck out 140 and walked 80. He ended the year with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Oxspring is essentially a foreign innings eater, but he finished with a .500 record and a sub 4.00 ERA last year. The LG bullpen is absolutely rotten. 34-year old Kim Kyung-tae was brought in to help stabilize the middle relief. He wasn't that bad with SK. He posted a sub 3.00 ERA in 24 1/3 innings with 6 holds. Jeong Jae-bok's 3.89 ERA and double-digit holds and saves don't sound that bad, but he managed to be responsible for 10 LG losses last year.
This team was among the more active in the offseason. At least they realized that sticking with the same group of corpses was a bad idea. Roberto Petagine will be asked to be the only middle of the order prescence on this roster. Big Bobby delivered a .984 OPS in 216 AB's last year, but if LG can't find someone to protect him, he's not going to see a pitch all year. Lee Jin-yeong was signed from SK to bolster the outfield and provide some punch near the top of the order. The 29-year old vet has a .301 career batting average over 10 KBO seasons. Mediocre slugger Choi Dong-su figures to bat behind Petagine. Choi lead the team in homers(16) and RBI(62) last year. Center fielder Lee Dae-hyeong's .598 OPS will likely be back at the top of the LG batting order next year. (But he stole 63 bases! He drives in runs with his legs!).
LG is solid at the top of the rotation with Bong Jung-geun and Austrialian hero, Chris Oxspring. Dr. Bong pitched magnificently for this motley crew. In 28 starts, Bong finished with a 11-8 record. In his league best 186 1/3 innings, he struck out 140 and walked 80. He ended the year with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Oxspring is essentially a foreign innings eater, but he finished with a .500 record and a sub 4.00 ERA last year. The LG bullpen is absolutely rotten. 34-year old Kim Kyung-tae was brought in to help stabilize the middle relief. He wasn't that bad with SK. He posted a sub 3.00 ERA in 24 1/3 innings with 6 holds. Jeong Jae-bok's 3.89 ERA and double-digit holds and saves don't sound that bad, but he managed to be responsible for 10 LG losses last year.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Official TSKB Year End Awards
The wheels kind of fell off here during the last week. I've been painfully sick. When I say sick, I don't mean a case of the sniffles. I mean, Matt was unable to move or talk at an audible volume for a few days. Either way, I'm healthy now and this blog is back on track. I'm not really going to bother with updates on the last week of games. The only game that mattered got a great writeup by Aaron at the EWC.
Speaking of wheels falling off, The Heroes GM has quit. He feels stress? How about the players whose salaries he cut or the front office people he laid off or the coaches he fired? Although he did bring Shingo to Korea, nah, screw him. He sounds like a jerk.
Without further ado, the awards.
2008 MVP - Kim Hyeon-su, LF, Doosan Bears. The 2008 batting champion is the most deserving for this year's MVP. Personally, I don't give MVP's to pitchers. I refuse to believe that a player that only participates in 20% of the games is as valuable as an everyday player. I can't be convinced otherwise. Kim only hit 9 homers this year, but he lead the league in BA(.357) and OBA(.454!) while playing in all 126 games for the Bears. He finished 5th in RBI(89) and 4th in runs scored(83). He lead the league in doubles(34) and managed 13 steals. Kim hit 3rd for Doosan, so whenever slugger Kim Dong-ju came up after him, Kim Hyeon-su was sitting on 1st or 2nd.
2008 LVP - Shin Myeong-cheol, IF, Samsung Lions. There is nothing worse than watching Samsung start a rally, only to see this zombie kill it. In 244 AB's, Shin posted an OPS of .473. An. OPS. Of. .473. OPS. On base + slugging. .473. 8 of his 45 hits were for extra bases and they were all doubles. When Shin falls out of bed, he's always fine. He can't even hit the floor. When he leaps of a diving board, he never makes it in the pool. He can't even hit water. When Shin.....Shin just sucks.
2008 사이용(Cy Young) Award - Kim Kwang-hyun, SK Wyverns. Kim juuuuust missed the Triple Crown. He finished .06 behind KIA's Yoon Seok-min for the ERA title. He lead the league in wins(16), K's(150) and posted a 2.39 ERA in 162 innings. He also posted a 1.17 WHIP. He's also started doing ads for Anycall. In the commercial he throws 3 darts and they all hit the bull's eye on the dart board at the same time. I don't know what a dartboard has to do with cellphones or baseball, but his star is rising in Korea.
2008 Cy Yuck - KIA's Moon Hyun-jeong. Mr. Moon only threw 11 1/3 innings this year, but he appeared in 26 games! Moon posted a 8.74 ERA with a 2.12 WHIP. Somehow, he struck out 10 men. Of the 21 hits he allowed this year, 18 stayed in the park. He should be arrested for attempted arson.
2008 Comeback Player of the Year - Jo Seong-min, OF, Lotte Giants. Jo had missed the '05, '06 and '07 seasons, but came back this year to bat 3rd and roam the outfield for the Lotte Giants. In 462 AB's, Jo delivered a line of .327/.382/.463. He scored 79 runs and drove in 81. He clubbed 10 homers, 27 doubles and 3 triples. He thieved 31 bases. He was Mr. Everything for the Giants this year.
2008 Manager of the Year - Jerry Royster, Lotte Giants. The energy and change of attitude he brought to Busan was amazing, especially considering he's faced pressures that no other KBO manager has had to deal with.
Speaking of wheels falling off, The Heroes GM has quit. He feels stress? How about the players whose salaries he cut or the front office people he laid off or the coaches he fired? Although he did bring Shingo to Korea, nah, screw him. He sounds like a jerk.
Without further ado, the awards.
2008 MVP - Kim Hyeon-su, LF, Doosan Bears. The 2008 batting champion is the most deserving for this year's MVP. Personally, I don't give MVP's to pitchers. I refuse to believe that a player that only participates in 20% of the games is as valuable as an everyday player. I can't be convinced otherwise. Kim only hit 9 homers this year, but he lead the league in BA(.357) and OBA(.454!) while playing in all 126 games for the Bears. He finished 5th in RBI(89) and 4th in runs scored(83). He lead the league in doubles(34) and managed 13 steals. Kim hit 3rd for Doosan, so whenever slugger Kim Dong-ju came up after him, Kim Hyeon-su was sitting on 1st or 2nd.
2008 LVP - Shin Myeong-cheol, IF, Samsung Lions. There is nothing worse than watching Samsung start a rally, only to see this zombie kill it. In 244 AB's, Shin posted an OPS of .473. An. OPS. Of. .473. OPS. On base + slugging. .473. 8 of his 45 hits were for extra bases and they were all doubles. When Shin falls out of bed, he's always fine. He can't even hit the floor. When he leaps of a diving board, he never makes it in the pool. He can't even hit water. When Shin.....Shin just sucks.
2008 사이용(Cy Young) Award - Kim Kwang-hyun, SK Wyverns. Kim juuuuust missed the Triple Crown. He finished .06 behind KIA's Yoon Seok-min for the ERA title. He lead the league in wins(16), K's(150) and posted a 2.39 ERA in 162 innings. He also posted a 1.17 WHIP. He's also started doing ads for Anycall. In the commercial he throws 3 darts and they all hit the bull's eye on the dart board at the same time. I don't know what a dartboard has to do with cellphones or baseball, but his star is rising in Korea.
2008 Cy Yuck - KIA's Moon Hyun-jeong. Mr. Moon only threw 11 1/3 innings this year, but he appeared in 26 games! Moon posted a 8.74 ERA with a 2.12 WHIP. Somehow, he struck out 10 men. Of the 21 hits he allowed this year, 18 stayed in the park. He should be arrested for attempted arson.
2008 Comeback Player of the Year - Jo Seong-min, OF, Lotte Giants. Jo had missed the '05, '06 and '07 seasons, but came back this year to bat 3rd and roam the outfield for the Lotte Giants. In 462 AB's, Jo delivered a line of .327/.382/.463. He scored 79 runs and drove in 81. He clubbed 10 homers, 27 doubles and 3 triples. He thieved 31 bases. He was Mr. Everything for the Giants this year.
2008 Manager of the Year - Jerry Royster, Lotte Giants. The energy and change of attitude he brought to Busan was amazing, especially considering he's faced pressures that no other KBO manager has had to deal with.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
8/27 Roundup and News
All quiet on the Korean baseball news front...
On to the roundup...
LG 3, KIA 0
W - Shim Soo-chang (4-4), L - Felix Diaz (0-2), S - Jeong Jae-bok (9)
Shim Soo-chang was able to keep the sleepy Tigers off balance most of the night. Shim worked 7 innings(86 pitches, 54 strikes) of shutout baseball. Shim allowed only 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1. KIA's Lee Yong-gyu tripled in the 3rd, but was unable to score thanks to some great defense from the LG infield. Lee finished the night 3-3 with a walk. LG was able to scrape across just enough runs to give Shim some support. In the 4th inning, both Jo In-seong and Kwon Yeong-kwan were able to pickup RBI singles during a 2-run rally. In the 8th inning, LG's Park Yong-geun was able to score from 2nd on a wild pitch to give LG a 3-0 advantage.
Samsung 4, Woori 2
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (8-9), L - Hwang Doo-seong (6-7), S - Oh Seung-hwan (28)
I get the impression that Woori has given up their sponsorship. The KBO website now refers to this team only as "Heroes" and the team was wearing its BP jerseys last night. The BP jerseys don't have the Woori logo, just an "h" for Heroes on the chest.
Samsung broke a 0-0 tie with a 3-run rally in the 4th inning. Kim Chang-hee delivered a 2-run double and Chae Tae-in drove Kim in with an RBI single. Chae struck again in the 7th with a solo homer to give Samsung a 4-0 advantave. Samsung starter, Yoon Seong-hwan, was excellent, until he ran out of gas in the 9th inning. Yoon worked 8 strong innings(96 pitches, 65 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 3 hits with 4 K's. It took Oh Seung-hwan only 7 pitches to record 3 outs and give up two hits in the 9th inning.
Doosan 12, SK 3
W - Kim Sun-woo (4-5), L - Kenny Rayborn (4-3)
Doosan staked Kim Sun-woo to an early lead and didn't let up. Doosan leadoff man, Lee Jong-wook finished the night 5-6 with 4 runs scored. Doosan 3rd baseman, Kim Dong-ju was 3-5 with a double, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Every Doosan starter recorded a base hit last night during their 12-run, 22-hit barrage. Kim Sun-woo stuck around for 6 2/3 innings(96 pitches, 69 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 7 hits with 4 K's.
Lotte 7, Hanhwa 3
W - Jang Won-joon (10-7), L - Song Jin-woo (4-6)
A 5-run, 5th inning rally was all Lotte would need last night. The amazing part? After hitting 4 homers last night, Lotte didn't record a single extra base hit in this game. This time Hanhwa played long ball. Hanhwa's Kim Tae-won clubbed a 2-run bomb in the 4th and Kim Tae-gyun hit a solo shot in the 8th. Both homers accounted for all the runs Hanhwa was able to muster last night. Both Lee Dae-ho and Karim Garcia drove in 2 runs last night.
On to the roundup...
LG 3, KIA 0
W - Shim Soo-chang (4-4), L - Felix Diaz (0-2), S - Jeong Jae-bok (9)
Shim Soo-chang was able to keep the sleepy Tigers off balance most of the night. Shim worked 7 innings(86 pitches, 54 strikes) of shutout baseball. Shim allowed only 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1. KIA's Lee Yong-gyu tripled in the 3rd, but was unable to score thanks to some great defense from the LG infield. Lee finished the night 3-3 with a walk. LG was able to scrape across just enough runs to give Shim some support. In the 4th inning, both Jo In-seong and Kwon Yeong-kwan were able to pickup RBI singles during a 2-run rally. In the 8th inning, LG's Park Yong-geun was able to score from 2nd on a wild pitch to give LG a 3-0 advantage.
Samsung 4, Woori 2
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (8-9), L - Hwang Doo-seong (6-7), S - Oh Seung-hwan (28)
I get the impression that Woori has given up their sponsorship. The KBO website now refers to this team only as "Heroes" and the team was wearing its BP jerseys last night. The BP jerseys don't have the Woori logo, just an "h" for Heroes on the chest.
Samsung broke a 0-0 tie with a 3-run rally in the 4th inning. Kim Chang-hee delivered a 2-run double and Chae Tae-in drove Kim in with an RBI single. Chae struck again in the 7th with a solo homer to give Samsung a 4-0 advantave. Samsung starter, Yoon Seong-hwan, was excellent, until he ran out of gas in the 9th inning. Yoon worked 8 strong innings(96 pitches, 65 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 3 hits with 4 K's. It took Oh Seung-hwan only 7 pitches to record 3 outs and give up two hits in the 9th inning.
Doosan 12, SK 3
W - Kim Sun-woo (4-5), L - Kenny Rayborn (4-3)
Doosan staked Kim Sun-woo to an early lead and didn't let up. Doosan leadoff man, Lee Jong-wook finished the night 5-6 with 4 runs scored. Doosan 3rd baseman, Kim Dong-ju was 3-5 with a double, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Every Doosan starter recorded a base hit last night during their 12-run, 22-hit barrage. Kim Sun-woo stuck around for 6 2/3 innings(96 pitches, 69 strikes) allowing 2 runs on 7 hits with 4 K's.
Lotte 7, Hanhwa 3
W - Jang Won-joon (10-7), L - Song Jin-woo (4-6)
A 5-run, 5th inning rally was all Lotte would need last night. The amazing part? After hitting 4 homers last night, Lotte didn't record a single extra base hit in this game. This time Hanhwa played long ball. Hanhwa's Kim Tae-won clubbed a 2-run bomb in the 4th and Kim Tae-gyun hit a solo shot in the 8th. Both homers accounted for all the runs Hanhwa was able to muster last night. Both Lee Dae-ho and Karim Garcia drove in 2 runs last night.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Newest Addition to the KBO Announces the Official Name, Uni's
I can't decide if I like these or not. They're not quite as exciting as I had hoped and are more than a little similar to these guys, but they're not awful. I'm not a big fan of the grey alternate. I just don't care for the grey jersey with the red hat. I really like the numbers on the shoulder. If the numbers were lower, I think the jersey would look crowded with the massive logo across the chest.
I'm not sure what the logo is supposed to be. I see a "W" humping a rock. Seriously, is this one of those 3-D pictures and if I stare at it long enough, I'll see a massive cartoon baseball player smoking a cigarette? I don't get it.
It also sounds like that massive payroll slashing that I had heard about and dismissed, well it's really happening. What's even shadier is that the league passed a rule to allow this to happen.
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