HT to Naver Sports.
It turns out former KIA pitcher Ricardo Rodriguez was not let go due to injury. He was let go because he was caught doping. The article doesn't state what he was caught with, but it probably wasn't Flintstones chewable vitamins. The article claims he was given a 10-game suspension, but I'm fairly certain he's been released.
This is the first time a player(non-Korean or Korean) has been caught using PEDs. The KBO started mandatory testing of non-Korean ballplayers last year and has random testing for Korrean players. I still can't believe no one looked in Danny Rios' locker during his, erm, improbable run in 2007. He was caught and given a 1-year suspension from the NPB for PEDs in 2008.
Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts
Friday, April 2, 2010
Thursday, May 21, 2009
5/20 Roundup and News
I'm starting to think Ma Hae-yeong didn't actually see anyone take steroids. He's gone from "more than ten" to "single digits" in the matter of days. We know Danny Rios was on them, but is there really anyone else from the past few years that really needs to be looked at? How about a look at the Doosan clubhouse where Rios pitched? Wild speculation here, but how about former Samsung/Hyundai slugger Shim Chang-soo? He showed a ton of power early, only to break down from injuries when he was only 33. Doesn't he fit the "steroid profile" more than some of the foreign sluggers?
If you're a foreigner living in Korea and want to get really pissed off, read this article. The money quote...“Whenever a foreign player who is performing well is seen taking something, players get curious,” the former trainer said. “Foreign players offered banned substances to their teammates whenever approached without hesitation.” Really? Where, exactly, would one get banned substances from in Korea? A trainer perhaps? Scumbag. You know, just on a percentage basis, wouldn't Korean guys be more likely to take PEDs in the KBO? The league is, what, 98% Korean? Come on. I hope Ma sells a lot of books to make this all worth it.
I'm all worked up on a Thursday afternoon. On to the effing roundup...
Lotte 11, Doosan 6
W - Jang Won-joon (3-4), L - Kim Sang-hyeon (2-2)
How did Lotte score 11 runs without a single homer? The bottom third of the order came up big. The Lotte #7, #8 and #9 hitters combined to go 5-10 with 3 walks, 7 RBIs and 2 runs scored. #8 hitter Kim Min-seong drove in 4 runs. Jeong Won-joon ate up more than a few innings and didn't allow Doosan to get deep into Lotte's mediocre bullpen. Jang tossed 7 innings(102 pitches, 68 strikes) while allowing 4 runs. Jang gave up 10 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3.
Seoul Heroes 7, Hanhwa 6
W - Shin Cheol-in (2-1), L -Brad Thomas (0-2), S - Hwang Doo-seong (7)
Hanhwa 3rd baseman Lee Beom-ho powered the Eagles to an early lead with an RBI singles in the 1st and 3rd innings and a solo homer in the 5th. Hanhwa took a 6-5 lead into the 9th inning. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs and Brad Thomas on the mound for Hanhwa, Heroes center fielder Lee Taek-geun hit a single through the left side. Lee's base hit scored both runners and gave the Heroes a 7-6 lead. I guess Brad Thomas wasn't using the good steroids today. Heroes closer Hwang Doo-seong tossed a scoreless 9th to earn the save. Doug Clark hit leadoff for the Heroes today. That's new. Clark finished the day 2-5 with a homer, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. PEDS!!!!!!
SK 10, Samsung 0
W - Song Eun-beom (6-0), L - Cha Woo-chan (1-3)
You know, 10-0 is really lopsided and that makes this sound close. Samsung never had a prayer in this one. The Wyverns took batting practice off whichever zombie was brought in and Song Eun-beom pitched 7 innings(99 pitches, 65 strikes) of shutout baseball without breaking a sweat. Song allowed 6 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong hit a baseball that landed in Incheon sometime this afternoon. His 2-run homer in the 3rd inning cleared the left field fence by about 25 feet. SK Center fielder Kim Sang-min had a solid day against some rotten pitching. He finished 3-6 with 2 homers, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Moving on...
KIA 4, LG 2
W - Yang Hyeon-jong (5-1), L - Choi Won-ho (3-2), S - Yoon Seok-min (7)
KIA got just enough pitching and just enough offense to beat LG. The key to LG is homers, if they hit them in bunches, the tend to win. KIA pitching only surrendered a solo homer to 1st baseman Choi Dong-su in the 2nd inning. KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong wasn't spectacular, but he did enough to win. Yang tossed 5 2/3 innings(89 pitches, 62 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. KIA closer Yoon Seok-min worked both the 8th and 9th innings to earn the save. He only struck out 2 batters this time. In the month of May, Yoon has allowed only 9 baserunners in 17 innings while maintaining a 1.59 ERA.
If you're a foreigner living in Korea and want to get really pissed off, read this article. The money quote...“Whenever a foreign player who is performing well is seen taking something, players get curious,” the former trainer said. “Foreign players offered banned substances to their teammates whenever approached without hesitation.” Really? Where, exactly, would one get banned substances from in Korea? A trainer perhaps? Scumbag. You know, just on a percentage basis, wouldn't Korean guys be more likely to take PEDs in the KBO? The league is, what, 98% Korean? Come on. I hope Ma sells a lot of books to make this all worth it.
I'm all worked up on a Thursday afternoon. On to the effing roundup...
Lotte 11, Doosan 6
W - Jang Won-joon (3-4), L - Kim Sang-hyeon (2-2)
How did Lotte score 11 runs without a single homer? The bottom third of the order came up big. The Lotte #7, #8 and #9 hitters combined to go 5-10 with 3 walks, 7 RBIs and 2 runs scored. #8 hitter Kim Min-seong drove in 4 runs. Jeong Won-joon ate up more than a few innings and didn't allow Doosan to get deep into Lotte's mediocre bullpen. Jang tossed 7 innings(102 pitches, 68 strikes) while allowing 4 runs. Jang gave up 10 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3.
Seoul Heroes 7, Hanhwa 6
W - Shin Cheol-in (2-1), L -Brad Thomas (0-2), S - Hwang Doo-seong (7)
Hanhwa 3rd baseman Lee Beom-ho powered the Eagles to an early lead with an RBI singles in the 1st and 3rd innings and a solo homer in the 5th. Hanhwa took a 6-5 lead into the 9th inning. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs and Brad Thomas on the mound for Hanhwa, Heroes center fielder Lee Taek-geun hit a single through the left side. Lee's base hit scored both runners and gave the Heroes a 7-6 lead. I guess Brad Thomas wasn't using the good steroids today. Heroes closer Hwang Doo-seong tossed a scoreless 9th to earn the save. Doug Clark hit leadoff for the Heroes today. That's new. Clark finished the day 2-5 with a homer, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. PEDS!!!!!!
SK 10, Samsung 0
W - Song Eun-beom (6-0), L - Cha Woo-chan (1-3)
You know, 10-0 is really lopsided and that makes this sound close. Samsung never had a prayer in this one. The Wyverns took batting practice off whichever zombie was brought in and Song Eun-beom pitched 7 innings(99 pitches, 65 strikes) of shutout baseball without breaking a sweat. Song allowed 6 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong hit a baseball that landed in Incheon sometime this afternoon. His 2-run homer in the 3rd inning cleared the left field fence by about 25 feet. SK Center fielder Kim Sang-min had a solid day against some rotten pitching. He finished 3-6 with 2 homers, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Moving on...
KIA 4, LG 2
W - Yang Hyeon-jong (5-1), L - Choi Won-ho (3-2), S - Yoon Seok-min (7)
KIA got just enough pitching and just enough offense to beat LG. The key to LG is homers, if they hit them in bunches, the tend to win. KIA pitching only surrendered a solo homer to 1st baseman Choi Dong-su in the 2nd inning. KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong wasn't spectacular, but he did enough to win. Yang tossed 5 2/3 innings(89 pitches, 62 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. KIA closer Yoon Seok-min worked both the 8th and 9th innings to earn the save. He only struck out 2 batters this time. In the month of May, Yoon has allowed only 9 baserunners in 17 innings while maintaining a 1.59 ERA.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
5/19 Roundup and News
From Brian in Jeollanam-do we get this story about steroids in the KBO. Again, anyone who needs to cheat to play in the KBO needs to find a new line of work. Personally, I think this is just an attempt by Ma Hae-yeong to sell a few books. Honestly, I'll probably buy it, take two months to muddle my way through it and post a review long after the Korean press has had their say.
Aaron at the EWC gives last night's events in Busan a solid write-up with pictures. Jerry Royster was tossed, well, for not much of a reason at all.
We get a reasonably competent article from the Korea Times today on .400 hitters and homerun hitters in the KBO. The money quote comes from Choi's trainer, ``In addition, since he lost more than 10 kilograms, his body condition is excellent. He has also avoided injury. That part is very inspired,'' added Park. I realize this is translated and that's not why I'm making fun of it. It was fairly well known that Choi had a problem with snack foods. I'm guessing not eating 10 cups of ramyon a day probably helped with his weight loss. I'm inspired to do the same.
On to the roundup...
Doosan 11, Lotte 3
W - Goh Chang-seong (2-1), L - Lee Sang-hwa (0-1)
Lotte is a mess right now. They don't have any pitching, except for Jon Adkins in the 9th, but they don't really have a reliable way of getting to him. They also miss Son Min-han more than they thought they would. Gee, really, a guy that gives you 180+ innings each year was important? Adkins should've been used as a starter once the Giants realized Son was going to miss the first half of the year. This game fell apart right after Lee Sang-hwa had to exit due to elbow troubles in the 6th inning. The Lotte bullpen was pummelled for 7 runs in the 4 innings of work. Doosan stars Kim Hyeon-su and Kim Dong-joo are absolutely locked in right now. It's like they're feeding on each other's at bats. Kim Hyeon-su finished the game 2-3 with a homer, 1 RBI and one run scored. Kim Dong-joo went 3-5 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Doosan starter Hong Sang-nam gave the Bears a quality start. Hong tossed 5 2/3 innings(95 pitches, 59 strikes). For any other team that wouldn't be impressive, but Doosan is notorious for giving its starters an early hook. Hong allowed 3 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman. He also struck out 6 and surrendered a 2-run bomb to Lotte slugger Lee Dae-ho.
Hanhwa 4, Seoul Heroes 2
W - Yang Hoon (1-3), L - Ma Il-yeong (2-5), S - Brad Thomas (5)
Heroes ace Ma Il-yeong has had a tough year and his latest start is just another chapter in that story. Ma tossed 6 1/3 innings(87 pitches, 56 strikes), but surrendered 4 runs, all earned. He allowed 9 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. With the score tied 2-2 in the 7th inning, Hanhwa put runners on the corners with no one out. Hanhwa center fielder Kang Dong-woo hit a chopper back to the pitcher. The ball hit the top of Ma Il-yeong's glove and bounced away from him. The runner from 3rd scored and everyone else was safe. The next batter, 2nd baseman Lee Yeo-sang hit a chopper past Heroes 3rd baseman Hwang Jae-gyun to load the bases for Kim Tae-won. Kim hit a grounder back to the pitcher. Ma threw home to record the force out at the plate. Heroes catcher Kim Dong-su fired the ball to first for the double play, but the throw was offline. Kang Dong-woo never broke stride rounding 3rd and headed for the plate. The Heroes 1st baseman fired the ball home, but Kang came in under the tag to give Hanhwa a 4-2 advantage. Hanhwa closer Brad Thomas threw a scoreless 9th inning to earn the save.
SK 3, Samsung 2
W - Goh Hyo-joon (4-2), L - Ahn Ji-man (2-3), S - Jeong Woo-ram (1)
This one stung a little, but between the Lions and my beloved White Sox, I'm starting to become numb to the losing. This game did feature some of the worst relay throws I have ever seen in professional baseball. SK held a slim 2-1 lead in the 5th inning. With a runner on 3rd and 1 out, catcher Park Kyeong-wan hit a flyball to shallow center. The run would not have scored, but Samsung centerfielder Park Han-yi chose to fire the ball into the catcher anyway. The ball bounced off of catcher Jin Kab-yong's shin guard and ricocheted to the screen behind home plate. The run was able to score on this bonehead play and SK got a much needed insurance run. Then with the bases loaded in the 8th, Samsung pinch hitter Yang Joon-hyeok hits a fly ball to shallow right. The run might've scored, but the throw from SK right fielder Park Jae-sang was about 10 feet over the head of the catcher and twenty feet to his right. The run scored easily to make it a 3-2 ballgame. It was nice to see Ahn Ji-man have a quality start. There's something about that kid, I tells ya. Ahn tossed 6 1/3 innings(83 pitches, 48 strikes) of 3-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2.
KIA 6, LG 0
W - Kwak Jeong-cheol (3-0), L - Bong Jung-geun (3-5)
If KIA can get consistent pitching from a rotation without Yoon Seok-min, they'll make the playoffs. KIA starter Kwak Jeong-cheol threw 5 shutout innings(88 pitches, 47 strikes). He allowed only 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 2. KIA infielder Kim Sang-hyeon hit a 2-run double in the 1st inning to give KIA a 2-0 advantage. The amazing part? Choi Hee-seop scored from first and he DIDN'T need an oxygen mask and no one fell down. KIA also stole 5 bases in this one while hitting 0 homers. What would the odds of that have been before the game? 200-1? 300-1? LG ace Bong Jung-geun was fairly mediocre. Bong needed 80 pitches to record 9 outs. He allowed 5 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4.
Aaron at the EWC gives last night's events in Busan a solid write-up with pictures. Jerry Royster was tossed, well, for not much of a reason at all.
We get a reasonably competent article from the Korea Times today on .400 hitters and homerun hitters in the KBO. The money quote comes from Choi's trainer, ``In addition, since he lost more than 10 kilograms, his body condition is excellent. He has also avoided injury. That part is very inspired,'' added Park. I realize this is translated and that's not why I'm making fun of it. It was fairly well known that Choi had a problem with snack foods. I'm guessing not eating 10 cups of ramyon a day probably helped with his weight loss. I'm inspired to do the same.
On to the roundup...
Doosan 11, Lotte 3
W - Goh Chang-seong (2-1), L - Lee Sang-hwa (0-1)
Lotte is a mess right now. They don't have any pitching, except for Jon Adkins in the 9th, but they don't really have a reliable way of getting to him. They also miss Son Min-han more than they thought they would. Gee, really, a guy that gives you 180+ innings each year was important? Adkins should've been used as a starter once the Giants realized Son was going to miss the first half of the year. This game fell apart right after Lee Sang-hwa had to exit due to elbow troubles in the 6th inning. The Lotte bullpen was pummelled for 7 runs in the 4 innings of work. Doosan stars Kim Hyeon-su and Kim Dong-joo are absolutely locked in right now. It's like they're feeding on each other's at bats. Kim Hyeon-su finished the game 2-3 with a homer, 1 RBI and one run scored. Kim Dong-joo went 3-5 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Doosan starter Hong Sang-nam gave the Bears a quality start. Hong tossed 5 2/3 innings(95 pitches, 59 strikes). For any other team that wouldn't be impressive, but Doosan is notorious for giving its starters an early hook. Hong allowed 3 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman. He also struck out 6 and surrendered a 2-run bomb to Lotte slugger Lee Dae-ho.
Hanhwa 4, Seoul Heroes 2
W - Yang Hoon (1-3), L - Ma Il-yeong (2-5), S - Brad Thomas (5)
Heroes ace Ma Il-yeong has had a tough year and his latest start is just another chapter in that story. Ma tossed 6 1/3 innings(87 pitches, 56 strikes), but surrendered 4 runs, all earned. He allowed 9 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. With the score tied 2-2 in the 7th inning, Hanhwa put runners on the corners with no one out. Hanhwa center fielder Kang Dong-woo hit a chopper back to the pitcher. The ball hit the top of Ma Il-yeong's glove and bounced away from him. The runner from 3rd scored and everyone else was safe. The next batter, 2nd baseman Lee Yeo-sang hit a chopper past Heroes 3rd baseman Hwang Jae-gyun to load the bases for Kim Tae-won. Kim hit a grounder back to the pitcher. Ma threw home to record the force out at the plate. Heroes catcher Kim Dong-su fired the ball to first for the double play, but the throw was offline. Kang Dong-woo never broke stride rounding 3rd and headed for the plate. The Heroes 1st baseman fired the ball home, but Kang came in under the tag to give Hanhwa a 4-2 advantage. Hanhwa closer Brad Thomas threw a scoreless 9th inning to earn the save.
SK 3, Samsung 2
W - Goh Hyo-joon (4-2), L - Ahn Ji-man (2-3), S - Jeong Woo-ram (1)
This one stung a little, but between the Lions and my beloved White Sox, I'm starting to become numb to the losing. This game did feature some of the worst relay throws I have ever seen in professional baseball. SK held a slim 2-1 lead in the 5th inning. With a runner on 3rd and 1 out, catcher Park Kyeong-wan hit a flyball to shallow center. The run would not have scored, but Samsung centerfielder Park Han-yi chose to fire the ball into the catcher anyway. The ball bounced off of catcher Jin Kab-yong's shin guard and ricocheted to the screen behind home plate. The run was able to score on this bonehead play and SK got a much needed insurance run. Then with the bases loaded in the 8th, Samsung pinch hitter Yang Joon-hyeok hits a fly ball to shallow right. The run might've scored, but the throw from SK right fielder Park Jae-sang was about 10 feet over the head of the catcher and twenty feet to his right. The run scored easily to make it a 3-2 ballgame. It was nice to see Ahn Ji-man have a quality start. There's something about that kid, I tells ya. Ahn tossed 6 1/3 innings(83 pitches, 48 strikes) of 3-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2.
KIA 6, LG 0
W - Kwak Jeong-cheol (3-0), L - Bong Jung-geun (3-5)
If KIA can get consistent pitching from a rotation without Yoon Seok-min, they'll make the playoffs. KIA starter Kwak Jeong-cheol threw 5 shutout innings(88 pitches, 47 strikes). He allowed only 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 2. KIA infielder Kim Sang-hyeon hit a 2-run double in the 1st inning to give KIA a 2-0 advantage. The amazing part? Choi Hee-seop scored from first and he DIDN'T need an oxygen mask and no one fell down. KIA also stole 5 bases in this one while hitting 0 homers. What would the odds of that have been before the game? 200-1? 300-1? LG ace Bong Jung-geun was fairly mediocre. Bong needed 80 pitches to record 9 outs. He allowed 5 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4.
Friday, May 15, 2009
5/14 Roundup and News
Between computer problems, Teacher's Day and going to Seoul to watch Doosan and Samsung get rained out, I've got some catching up to do. Here is an extremely late Thursday roundup...
Needing PEDs to succeed in the KBO is the saddest thing I have ever heard. If you honestly can't compete without juicing here, it's probably time to find a new line of work.
Rick Bauer has officially landed in Korea and the K-press was there to greet him. I may not remember much about the Rick Bauer era in Korea, but I will remember this goofy photo of him in the airport.
SK 8, LG 4
W - Song Eun-beom (5-0), L - Choi Won-ho (3-1)
I get the impression that Song was told he was going 9 innings before the game started. SK's bullpen has been used an awful lot over the last few days and it appears that they needed a day off before the weekend series with KIA. Song completed the game, but it took him 144 pitches to do so. 88 went for strikes. Song allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7. The Wyverns gave Song a 1st inning lead on a solo homer from Park Jeong-kwan, but LG rallied in the bottom half of the inning to take a 3-1 lead. Outfielder Lee Jin-yeong delivered a key 2-run homer to help LG take the advantage. SK came storming back thanks to a pair of 2-run homers from Choi Jeong and Park Jae-sang and a solo shot from Jeong Sang-ho.
Doosan 11, Heroes 4
W - Lim Tae-hoon (3-1), L - Lee Bo-geun (0-1)
The Heroes kept this game close for a while, but the middle of Doosan's lineup really clobbered the Heroes bullpen. In the 8th inning, Doosan 3rd baseman Kim Dong-joo hit a grand slam to give Doosan an 11-4 lead and put the ballgame out of reach. While Kim's homer was impressive, the game ball would have to go to Doosan left fielder Kim Hyeon-su. Hyeon-su finished the game 3-5 with 3 walks, 2 homers, 5 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Kim hit a solo homer in the first and a 3-run homer in the 5th inning. The 5th inning homer was an absolute bomb to straightaway center.
KIA 14, Hanwha 3
W - Yang Hyeon-jong (4-1), L - Hwang Jae-gyu (0-2)
If it weren't for Song Kwang-min's 2-run homer in the 9th, the final would have been 14-1. Yeah, 14-3 sounds a lot better. KIA blasted 6 homeruns off of Hanwha pitching while KIA was able to cruise to an easy W. KIA starter Yang Hyeon-joon tossed 5 innings of 1-run baseball. He allowed only 5 hits an 2 walks while striking out 10. The high strikeout total took its toll on Yang, he needed 114 pitches(77 strikes) to record 15 outs. I'd go over the individual homers, but it would be easier to tell you which players DIDN'T hit homers.
Lotte 8, Samsung 6
W - Kang Yeong-sik (1-1), L - Kim Sang-su (1-2), S - Jon Adkins (8)
All you need to know about this game is that the Samsung bullpen was awful. With a 6-5 lead in the 8th inning, Samsung called on Kwon Hyeok and Oh Seung-hwan to get them out of a jam. Kwon recorded an strikeout, but gave up a walk to load the bases. Oh Seung-hwan came on to try to get out of the jam and he promptly surrendered a bases clearing double to Lotte infielder Kim Min-seong. Lotte DH Hong Seong-heun was thrown out trying to score from first. I think he needed an oxygen mask. Kim's double gave Lotte a 7-6 lead. They tacked on an insurance run when shortstop Park Ki-hyuk singled to score Kim from 2nd. Jon Adkins threw a scoreless 9th to record the save. Other than Samsung's bullpen being bad, Lotte's Kim Min-seong had an excellent game. He finished 3-4 with a double, a homer, 6 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Yang Joon-hyeok also clubbed his 342nd career homerun.
Needing PEDs to succeed in the KBO is the saddest thing I have ever heard. If you honestly can't compete without juicing here, it's probably time to find a new line of work.
Rick Bauer has officially landed in Korea and the K-press was there to greet him. I may not remember much about the Rick Bauer era in Korea, but I will remember this goofy photo of him in the airport.
SK 8, LG 4
W - Song Eun-beom (5-0), L - Choi Won-ho (3-1)
I get the impression that Song was told he was going 9 innings before the game started. SK's bullpen has been used an awful lot over the last few days and it appears that they needed a day off before the weekend series with KIA. Song completed the game, but it took him 144 pitches to do so. 88 went for strikes. Song allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7. The Wyverns gave Song a 1st inning lead on a solo homer from Park Jeong-kwan, but LG rallied in the bottom half of the inning to take a 3-1 lead. Outfielder Lee Jin-yeong delivered a key 2-run homer to help LG take the advantage. SK came storming back thanks to a pair of 2-run homers from Choi Jeong and Park Jae-sang and a solo shot from Jeong Sang-ho.
Doosan 11, Heroes 4
W - Lim Tae-hoon (3-1), L - Lee Bo-geun (0-1)
The Heroes kept this game close for a while, but the middle of Doosan's lineup really clobbered the Heroes bullpen. In the 8th inning, Doosan 3rd baseman Kim Dong-joo hit a grand slam to give Doosan an 11-4 lead and put the ballgame out of reach. While Kim's homer was impressive, the game ball would have to go to Doosan left fielder Kim Hyeon-su. Hyeon-su finished the game 3-5 with 3 walks, 2 homers, 5 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Kim hit a solo homer in the first and a 3-run homer in the 5th inning. The 5th inning homer was an absolute bomb to straightaway center.
KIA 14, Hanwha 3
W - Yang Hyeon-jong (4-1), L - Hwang Jae-gyu (0-2)
If it weren't for Song Kwang-min's 2-run homer in the 9th, the final would have been 14-1. Yeah, 14-3 sounds a lot better. KIA blasted 6 homeruns off of Hanwha pitching while KIA was able to cruise to an easy W. KIA starter Yang Hyeon-joon tossed 5 innings of 1-run baseball. He allowed only 5 hits an 2 walks while striking out 10. The high strikeout total took its toll on Yang, he needed 114 pitches(77 strikes) to record 15 outs. I'd go over the individual homers, but it would be easier to tell you which players DIDN'T hit homers.
Lotte 8, Samsung 6
W - Kang Yeong-sik (1-1), L - Kim Sang-su (1-2), S - Jon Adkins (8)
All you need to know about this game is that the Samsung bullpen was awful. With a 6-5 lead in the 8th inning, Samsung called on Kwon Hyeok and Oh Seung-hwan to get them out of a jam. Kwon recorded an strikeout, but gave up a walk to load the bases. Oh Seung-hwan came on to try to get out of the jam and he promptly surrendered a bases clearing double to Lotte infielder Kim Min-seong. Lotte DH Hong Seong-heun was thrown out trying to score from first. I think he needed an oxygen mask. Kim's double gave Lotte a 7-6 lead. They tacked on an insurance run when shortstop Park Ki-hyuk singled to score Kim from 2nd. Jon Adkins threw a scoreless 9th to record the save. Other than Samsung's bullpen being bad, Lotte's Kim Min-seong had an excellent game. He finished 3-4 with a double, a homer, 6 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Yang Joon-hyeok also clubbed his 342nd career homerun.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
5/13 Roundup and News
LG has dumped Chris Oxspring and signed Rick Bauer. I'm guessing we'll see Rick used to shore up the back end of the LG bullpen.
It sounds like the KBO is going to step up drug testing for foreign ballplayers. What's not mentioned in the article is testing for domestic players. If you're going to test the foreign guys, you might as well test the locals as well. The money quote is from Hanwha manager Kim In-sik, "There is an obligation to test foreigners for drugs." I hope he talked to Brad Thomas and Victor Diaz before making this announcement. Most of this drug paranoia comes from the fact that Danny Rios was caught using in Japan after he had a historic season with the Doosan Bears. I thought it was pretty obvious he was on something all along, but no one seemed to care when he was rattling off W after W and posting an a sub-3.00 ERA.
On to the roundup...
SK 2, LG 1
W - Goh Hyo-joon (3-2), L - Bong Jung-geun (3-4), S - Chae Byeong-yeong (2)
This was a far cry from last night's effort. Both teams recieved quality starts from their starting pitchers, but SK's Goh was a little better than LG's Bong. Goh tossed 7 innings(108 pitches, 65 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 7. LG's only run came on a SAC fly by outfielder Lee Jin-yeong in the 6th inning. LG ace Bong Jung-geun pitched well enough to win, but just didn't get any help from the LG offense. I guess the bats were tired from that 8 run rally yesterday. Bong threw 8 solid innings(124 pitches, 82 strikes) in his start. He allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7. SK broke a 1-1 tie in the 7th inning thanks to a solo homer from infielder Mo Chang-min. SK reliever Chae Byeong-yeong struck out the final batter of the game to record the vulture save. I was surprised to see none of the bad blood from Tuesday night spill over into last night's game. No one was spiked or drilled.
Doosan 11, Seoul Heroes 4
W - Lee Jae-woo (2-1), L - Kim Seong-hyeon (1-2)
This game was actually tied at 3 in the 7th inning, but Doosan mounted an 8-run rally to take an 11-3 lead. The Heroes bullpen essentially threw batting practice. 4 pitchers were needed to record 3 outs and 2 of them didn't record any. Lee Sang-yeol and Shin Cheol-in both faced 2 batters and allowed both of them to reach base. 3rd baseman Kim Dong-joo and 2nd baseman Kim Jae-ho both hit key RBI doubles to bust the inning open. Doosan catcher Choi Seung-hwan chose to get a combo meal last night. He homered and stole a base. I can't remember the last time a KBO catcher did that in the same game. Choi finished 2-2 with 2 walks, 1 RBI and 3 runs scored. Heroes starting pitcher Ma Il-yeong posted his first adequate start in weeks. Ma tossed 5 2/3 innings(90 pitches, 54 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. He only managed 1 strikeout. That's troubling.
KIA 10, Hanwha 8
W - Yoo Dong-hoon (2-2), L - Yoon Gyu-jin (0-3), S- Yoon Seok-min (5)
This was your typical KBO meatgrinder game. I can't believe the two teams only combined to use 9 pitchers. This should have been a minimum 12 pitcher game by KBO standards. This game was all about offense. Both starting pitchers posted numbers to ugly to write about. KIA shortstop Lee Jong-beom and 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon both posted 3 RBI games. KIA leapt out to an early 9-3 lead, but allowed Hanwha to get back into it with a 4-run rally in the 5th inning. The inning started with two consecutive fielding errors. That's a great sign that you're team is about to give up 4 runs. 1st baseman Hong Se-hwan let a throw bounce off his glove and 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon allowed a ball to roll between his legs. The look on Kim's face was absolutely priceless. Immeadiately after the errors, Kim Tae-wan clubbed a double to score both runs. The next batter, catcher Lee Do-hyeong, hit a two-run bomb to left just to make sure that KIA paid for the errors. Yoon Seok-min recorded another save, but he allowed a solo homer to Lee Beom-ho in the 9th. Lee is uncanny, if Hanwha has a lead or a deficit in the late innings, he's guaranteed to hit a meaningless homerun.
Lotte 6, Samsung 5
W - Lee Jeong-hoon (1-1), L - Jeong Hyeon-wook (1-2)
Park Jin-man gets the award for strange line of the night. 0-2 with 3 RBI's. He drove in 3 runs all on sacrifices. Way to be a team player. My favorite crummy pitcher, Ahn Ji-man, got the start for Samsung and was pummelled. Ahn lasted 3 innings(69 pitches, 42 strikes), but allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. He did manage 3 K's and 1 crooked cap. Samsung infielder Park Seok-min returned to the lineup and had a solid evening. He hit and RBI double in the 3rd and a solo homer in the 5th. They even walked him in the 9th with a runner in scoring position. I'd really like to see Park get going. He's a fun guy to watch...when he's healthy. With the score tied at 5 in the bottom of the 9th, Samsung turned to Jeong Hyeon-wook to get them to extra innings. He failed. With one out and the bases empty, Lotte left fielder Park Jeong-joon reached on an infield single. The next batter, pinch hitter Lee In-koo singled through the left side to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Then, 1st baseman Kim Joo-chan ripped a double off the wall in left to score Park from 2nd and get Kim beaten up by his teammates.
It sounds like the KBO is going to step up drug testing for foreign ballplayers. What's not mentioned in the article is testing for domestic players. If you're going to test the foreign guys, you might as well test the locals as well. The money quote is from Hanwha manager Kim In-sik, "There is an obligation to test foreigners for drugs." I hope he talked to Brad Thomas and Victor Diaz before making this announcement. Most of this drug paranoia comes from the fact that Danny Rios was caught using in Japan after he had a historic season with the Doosan Bears. I thought it was pretty obvious he was on something all along, but no one seemed to care when he was rattling off W after W and posting an a sub-3.00 ERA.
On to the roundup...
SK 2, LG 1
W - Goh Hyo-joon (3-2), L - Bong Jung-geun (3-4), S - Chae Byeong-yeong (2)
This was a far cry from last night's effort. Both teams recieved quality starts from their starting pitchers, but SK's Goh was a little better than LG's Bong. Goh tossed 7 innings(108 pitches, 65 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 7. LG's only run came on a SAC fly by outfielder Lee Jin-yeong in the 6th inning. LG ace Bong Jung-geun pitched well enough to win, but just didn't get any help from the LG offense. I guess the bats were tired from that 8 run rally yesterday. Bong threw 8 solid innings(124 pitches, 82 strikes) in his start. He allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7. SK broke a 1-1 tie in the 7th inning thanks to a solo homer from infielder Mo Chang-min. SK reliever Chae Byeong-yeong struck out the final batter of the game to record the vulture save. I was surprised to see none of the bad blood from Tuesday night spill over into last night's game. No one was spiked or drilled.
Doosan 11, Seoul Heroes 4
W - Lee Jae-woo (2-1), L - Kim Seong-hyeon (1-2)
This game was actually tied at 3 in the 7th inning, but Doosan mounted an 8-run rally to take an 11-3 lead. The Heroes bullpen essentially threw batting practice. 4 pitchers were needed to record 3 outs and 2 of them didn't record any. Lee Sang-yeol and Shin Cheol-in both faced 2 batters and allowed both of them to reach base. 3rd baseman Kim Dong-joo and 2nd baseman Kim Jae-ho both hit key RBI doubles to bust the inning open. Doosan catcher Choi Seung-hwan chose to get a combo meal last night. He homered and stole a base. I can't remember the last time a KBO catcher did that in the same game. Choi finished 2-2 with 2 walks, 1 RBI and 3 runs scored. Heroes starting pitcher Ma Il-yeong posted his first adequate start in weeks. Ma tossed 5 2/3 innings(90 pitches, 54 strikes) allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. He only managed 1 strikeout. That's troubling.
KIA 10, Hanwha 8
W - Yoo Dong-hoon (2-2), L - Yoon Gyu-jin (0-3), S- Yoon Seok-min (5)
This was your typical KBO meatgrinder game. I can't believe the two teams only combined to use 9 pitchers. This should have been a minimum 12 pitcher game by KBO standards. This game was all about offense. Both starting pitchers posted numbers to ugly to write about. KIA shortstop Lee Jong-beom and 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon both posted 3 RBI games. KIA leapt out to an early 9-3 lead, but allowed Hanwha to get back into it with a 4-run rally in the 5th inning. The inning started with two consecutive fielding errors. That's a great sign that you're team is about to give up 4 runs. 1st baseman Hong Se-hwan let a throw bounce off his glove and 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon allowed a ball to roll between his legs. The look on Kim's face was absolutely priceless. Immeadiately after the errors, Kim Tae-wan clubbed a double to score both runs. The next batter, catcher Lee Do-hyeong, hit a two-run bomb to left just to make sure that KIA paid for the errors. Yoon Seok-min recorded another save, but he allowed a solo homer to Lee Beom-ho in the 9th. Lee is uncanny, if Hanwha has a lead or a deficit in the late innings, he's guaranteed to hit a meaningless homerun.
Lotte 6, Samsung 5
W - Lee Jeong-hoon (1-1), L - Jeong Hyeon-wook (1-2)
Park Jin-man gets the award for strange line of the night. 0-2 with 3 RBI's. He drove in 3 runs all on sacrifices. Way to be a team player. My favorite crummy pitcher, Ahn Ji-man, got the start for Samsung and was pummelled. Ahn lasted 3 innings(69 pitches, 42 strikes), but allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. He did manage 3 K's and 1 crooked cap. Samsung infielder Park Seok-min returned to the lineup and had a solid evening. He hit and RBI double in the 3rd and a solo homer in the 5th. They even walked him in the 9th with a runner in scoring position. I'd really like to see Park get going. He's a fun guy to watch...when he's healthy. With the score tied at 5 in the bottom of the 9th, Samsung turned to Jeong Hyeon-wook to get them to extra innings. He failed. With one out and the bases empty, Lotte left fielder Park Jeong-joon reached on an infield single. The next batter, pinch hitter Lee In-koo singled through the left side to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Then, 1st baseman Kim Joo-chan ripped a double off the wall in left to score Park from 2nd and get Kim beaten up by his teammates.
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