Doosan/SK was washed out in Seoul.
Nexen 8, LG 6
W - Adrian Burnside (10-9), L - Phil Dumatrait (4-6), S - Son Seung-rak (18)
Nexen HR - Kim Min-woo (8), Jang Yeong-seok (3) LG HR - Park Kyeong-su (3), Cho In-seong 2(23), Oh Ji-hwan (12), Lee Byeong-gyu (9)
Nexen jumped out to an early lead thanks to a five-run, two-homer first inning and extended their lead in the fourth inning on a two-run single from catcher Kang Gui-tae. Then, LG played home run derby to make the final look good in the paper. LG hit five solo homers. Nexen starter Adrian Burnside actually pitched pretty well. Burnside threw five innings(109 pitches, 66 strikes) of two-run baseball. Burnside gave up six hits, two walks and one hit batsman while striking out four.
Samsung 8, Hanhwa 2
W - Jang Won-sam (11-4), L - Yoon Gyu-jin (1-1), S - Ahn Ji-man (7)
Samsung HR - Park Seok-min (13), Cho Dong-chan (9) Hanhwa HR - Son Ji-hwan (1)
Samsung starter has been as advertised since the all-star break. Jang threw 7 1/3 innings(81 pitches, 54 strikes) of two-run baseball. Jang allowed only seven hits while striking out three. The Samsung offense battered the Hanhwa bullpen after starter Choi Yeong-pil exited the game after five innings of two-run ball. Samsung third baseman/lead off hitter Cho Dong-chan was Mr. Everything. Cho went 2-4 with with a walk, a homer, three RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. DH Park Seok-min continued to swing a hot bat with another homer. Park finished 1-2 with a walk, a sacrifice, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Lotte 10, KIA 2
W - Jang Won-joon (10-6), L - Yang Hyeon-jong (14-4)
Lotte HR - Lee Dae-ho (38), Kim Ju-chan (8) KIA HR - Kim Sang-hyeon (15)
Lotte MVP candidate, Lee Dae-ho, broke his own record again with a homer in his ninth consecutive game. Lee finished the day 3-5 with a homer, four RBIs and a run scored. Left fielder Kim Ju-chan chipped in with a 2-4, one homer, two RBI, two run scored, one stolen base effort. Lotte starter Jang Won-joon enjoyed a lot of early run support and cruised to a W. Jang tossed 6 2/3 innings(92 pitches, 58 strikes) of two-run baseball. Jang gave up four hits and two walks while striking out three. KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong was awful. Yang was chased during the second inning and was charged with five runs on four hits and five(!) walks. KIA third baseman Kim Sang-hyeon was one of the few bright spots for the Tigers. Kim went 2-3 with a walk, a double and a solo homer.
Showing posts with label records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label records. Show all posts
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
8/13 Roundup and News
Lotte Giants corner infielder Lee Dae-ho broke his own record by homering in his eighth consecutive game on Friday. Dude is locked in.
Doosan 7, SK 4
W - Kelvin Jimenez (13-4), L - Ken Kadokura (12-6), S - Lee Yong-chan (24)
Doosan HR - Kim Hyeon-su (17), Son Si-hyeon (7) SK HR - None
LG 3, Nexen 1
W - Park Hyeon-joon (1-2), L - CJ Nitkowski (0-3), S - Lee Dong-hyeon (4)
LG HR - None Nexen HR - None
Samsung 11, Hanhwa 5
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook (7-1), L - Yang Hoon (3-4)
Samsung HR - Kang Bong-gyu (4), Shin Myeong-cheol (6) Hanhwa HR - Jeon Hyeon-tae (5)
KIA 7, Lotte 2
W - Yoon Seok-min (5-3), L - Kim Sa-yul (1-4)
KIA HR - Kim Sang-hyeon (14) Lotte HR - Lee Dae-ho (37)
Doosan 7, SK 4
W - Kelvin Jimenez (13-4), L - Ken Kadokura (12-6), S - Lee Yong-chan (24)
Doosan HR - Kim Hyeon-su (17), Son Si-hyeon (7) SK HR - None
LG 3, Nexen 1
W - Park Hyeon-joon (1-2), L - CJ Nitkowski (0-3), S - Lee Dong-hyeon (4)
LG HR - None Nexen HR - None
Samsung 11, Hanhwa 5
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook (7-1), L - Yang Hoon (3-4)
Samsung HR - Kang Bong-gyu (4), Shin Myeong-cheol (6) Hanhwa HR - Jeon Hyeon-tae (5)
KIA 7, Lotte 2
W - Yoon Seok-min (5-3), L - Kim Sa-yul (1-4)
KIA HR - Kim Sang-hyeon (14) Lotte HR - Lee Dae-ho (37)
Friday, August 13, 2010
8/12 Roundup and News
Doosan/Nexen and SK/LG were both rained out last night.
KIA 5, Hanhwa 3
W - Roman Colon (7-5), L - Ahn Seung-min (2-2), S - Yoo Dong-hoon (13)
KIA HR - Ahn Chi-hong (6), Na Ji-wan (11) Hanhwa HR - None
KIA rode a quality start from Roman Colon and a couple early homers to victory. Colon tossed six innings(89 pitches, 54 strikes) of three-run baseball. Colon gave up four hits and two walks while striking out three. He isn't the flashiest guy in the KBO, but Colon has brought a stabilizing presence to the KIA rotation. The same presence that they lost when Rick Guttormson decided not to re-sign. KIA second baseman Ahn Chi-hong gave the Tigers an early lead with a solo homer in the second inning. Hanhwa picked up a couple runs in the third and fourth innings and actually lead 3-1 until the fifth. KIA put runners on first and second with one out and left fielder Na Ji-wan stepped to the plate. Na homered to give KIA a 4-3 advantage. Na finished the game 2-4 with four RBIs and one run scored. KIA reliever Yoo Dong-hoon recorded the final five outs in order to record the save.
Samsung 10, Lotte 7
W - Kwon Hyeok (6-1), L - Lee Jeong-hoon (2-7)
Samsung HR - Park Seok-min (12) Lotte HR - Cho Seong-hwan (6), Lee Dae-ho (36), Kang Min-ho (19)
With a homer in last night's game against Samsung, Lee Dae-ho has now homered in seven consecutive games. Lee's seven-game streak is a KBO record.
Lee's seventh inning blast cut the Samsung lead to 7-6. Lotte scored again in the seventh when Kang Min-ho connected for a solo homer to tie the game at seven. The game remained knotted at seven until Samsung rallied in the top of the ninth inning. Samsung loaded the bases with two outs. Second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol doubled down the right field line to score a pair and give Samsung a 9-7 lead. Shin finished the evening 3-5 with three RBIs. Samsung added another run on a single from catcher Jin Kab-yong to push the lead to 10-7. Samsung DH Park Seok-min continued his recent hot streak. Park went 3-4 with a double, a homer, three RBIs and three runs scored.
KIA 5, Hanhwa 3
W - Roman Colon (7-5), L - Ahn Seung-min (2-2), S - Yoo Dong-hoon (13)
KIA HR - Ahn Chi-hong (6), Na Ji-wan (11) Hanhwa HR - None
KIA rode a quality start from Roman Colon and a couple early homers to victory. Colon tossed six innings(89 pitches, 54 strikes) of three-run baseball. Colon gave up four hits and two walks while striking out three. He isn't the flashiest guy in the KBO, but Colon has brought a stabilizing presence to the KIA rotation. The same presence that they lost when Rick Guttormson decided not to re-sign. KIA second baseman Ahn Chi-hong gave the Tigers an early lead with a solo homer in the second inning. Hanhwa picked up a couple runs in the third and fourth innings and actually lead 3-1 until the fifth. KIA put runners on first and second with one out and left fielder Na Ji-wan stepped to the plate. Na homered to give KIA a 4-3 advantage. Na finished the game 2-4 with four RBIs and one run scored. KIA reliever Yoo Dong-hoon recorded the final five outs in order to record the save.
Samsung 10, Lotte 7
W - Kwon Hyeok (6-1), L - Lee Jeong-hoon (2-7)
Samsung HR - Park Seok-min (12) Lotte HR - Cho Seong-hwan (6), Lee Dae-ho (36), Kang Min-ho (19)
With a homer in last night's game against Samsung, Lee Dae-ho has now homered in seven consecutive games. Lee's seven-game streak is a KBO record.
Lee's seventh inning blast cut the Samsung lead to 7-6. Lotte scored again in the seventh when Kang Min-ho connected for a solo homer to tie the game at seven. The game remained knotted at seven until Samsung rallied in the top of the ninth inning. Samsung loaded the bases with two outs. Second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol doubled down the right field line to score a pair and give Samsung a 9-7 lead. Shin finished the evening 3-5 with three RBIs. Samsung added another run on a single from catcher Jin Kab-yong to push the lead to 10-7. Samsung DH Park Seok-min continued his recent hot streak. Park went 3-4 with a double, a homer, three RBIs and three runs scored.
Friday, September 4, 2009
9/3 Roundup and News
Yoon Chul of the Korea Times takes a look at LG Twins speedster Lee Dae-hyeong. This is the first time in the history of the KBO that a player has 3 consecutive 50 steal seasons. In case you were wondering the league record for steals was set in 1994 by KIA Tigers Lee Jong-beom.
The Joongang Daily's Jason Kim offers his take on the Jung Soo-keun saga. I'm still surprised that no one else smells conspiracy here. Look for the white envelope. It has to be there somewhere. The money quote...
"As most of our readers may know by now, Jung was falsely accused by a server at a pub in Haeundae district, Busan of causing a scene and shouting profanity."
As most of our readers may know by now? Falsely accused? I've seen plenty of pics of Jung, but none of the bar or the supposed server. I smell a rat.
On to the roundup...
SK 11, Doosan 5
W - Yoon Gil-hyeon (5-0), L - Hong Sang-sam (9-5), S - Jeong Byeong-doo (9)
This game felt like a Red Sox/Yankees game. It took over 4 hours to finish and I felt every minute of it. For some reason, these two solid ball clubs reduced the pace of the game to a snail's crawl. The two teams combined to use 11 pitchers. Yeah, it was one of THOSE games. This game was closer than the score would indicate. SK rallied for 5 runs in the 9th inning to make the final look lopsided. Doosan controlled the early innings. Starting pitcher Keum Min-cheol threw 5 innings(89 pitches, 50 strikes) of 1-run ball and the Doosan offense gave Keum enough support to win. Then the Doosan bullpen did a Charlie Brown impression and flew apart at the seams. 5 Doosan relievers combined to surrender 10 runs during the final 4 innings. Trouble started when SK 1st baseman Ahn Kyeong-hyeon hit a 2-run homer in the 6th inning to tie the game and start the rally. SK took the lead on an RBI single from left fielder Park Jae-sang with the bases loaded. SK would score a pair of runs when a Jeong Geun-woo grounded took a funny bounce, hit Doosan shortstop Son Si-hyeon in the face and rolled into left field. Doosan battled back and drew within a run of SK, but the Doosan bullpen crapped the bed again in the 9th.
A personal hightlight of this game was when the camera found what could only be a group of kids from an English hagwon with a few very annoyed foreign teachers. I think I'd hang myself before I took a group of 30+ kids to a ballgame and gave them thunderstix. Bonus points for making the NSETs wear pink t-shirts.
Hanhwa 7, Seoul Heroes 6
W - Brad Thomas (1-5), L - Song Shin-yeong (2-2)
No night is complete in the KBO without a "Where-are-my-golf-clubs" Game. I'm surprised both of these teams showed up. Hanhwa starter Eric Junge looked competent last night. Junge tossed 5 1/3 innings(94 pitches, 53 strikes) of 2-run baseball, but didn't get much help from the bullpen and he was stuck with an ND. Junge allowed 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. Hanhwa held a 5-2 lead, but the bullpen let the Heroes get back into the game and eventually take a 6-5 lead in the top of the 8th inning. In the bottom of the 8th, Hanhwa mounted a rally. With the bases loaded and 2 outs, Hanhwa DH Lee Yeong-woo ripped a double off the center field wall to score a pair of runs and give Hanhwa a 7-6 advantage. Hanhwa closer Brad Thomas recorded the final out of the 8th inning, stayed in for a scoreless 9th and recorded the W.
Samsung 3, KIA 2 (10)
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook (7-4), L - Kwak Jeong-cheol (5-3)
KIA held an early lead thanks to a 1st inning sac fly from 1st baseman Choi Hee-seop and a 4th inning solo homer from 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon. Samsung clawed their way back into the game with a 2-run rally in the 6th inning. Samsung 2nd baseman Shin Myeong-cheol was able to score from third on an error by KIA 2nd baseman Kim Seon-bin. With 1 out and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Samsung tied the game on a sac fly from 3rd baseman Park Seok-min. The game would stay tied at 2 until the 10th inning. Samsung center fielder Lee Yong-wook reached on an infield single and stole 2nd base to get into scoring position. With two outs, DH Choi Hyeong-woo poked a base hit through the right side. Lee simply put his head down and ran as hard as he could. He came in just barely under the tag for the winning run. Choi earned an ice water and pocari shower from his teammates. Lost in this game were the performances from the starting pitchers. KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong tossed 8 innings(110 pitches, 73 strikes) of 2-run ball. He allowed only 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4. Samsung starting pitcher Yoon Seong-hwan worked 6 innings(99 pitches, 57 strikes) and gave up both KIA runs. Yoon allowed 4 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman while striking out 3.
The Joongang Daily's Jason Kim offers his take on the Jung Soo-keun saga. I'm still surprised that no one else smells conspiracy here. Look for the white envelope. It has to be there somewhere. The money quote...
"As most of our readers may know by now, Jung was falsely accused by a server at a pub in Haeundae district, Busan of causing a scene and shouting profanity."
As most of our readers may know by now? Falsely accused? I've seen plenty of pics of Jung, but none of the bar or the supposed server. I smell a rat.
On to the roundup...
SK 11, Doosan 5
W - Yoon Gil-hyeon (5-0), L - Hong Sang-sam (9-5), S - Jeong Byeong-doo (9)
This game felt like a Red Sox/Yankees game. It took over 4 hours to finish and I felt every minute of it. For some reason, these two solid ball clubs reduced the pace of the game to a snail's crawl. The two teams combined to use 11 pitchers. Yeah, it was one of THOSE games. This game was closer than the score would indicate. SK rallied for 5 runs in the 9th inning to make the final look lopsided. Doosan controlled the early innings. Starting pitcher Keum Min-cheol threw 5 innings(89 pitches, 50 strikes) of 1-run ball and the Doosan offense gave Keum enough support to win. Then the Doosan bullpen did a Charlie Brown impression and flew apart at the seams. 5 Doosan relievers combined to surrender 10 runs during the final 4 innings. Trouble started when SK 1st baseman Ahn Kyeong-hyeon hit a 2-run homer in the 6th inning to tie the game and start the rally. SK took the lead on an RBI single from left fielder Park Jae-sang with the bases loaded. SK would score a pair of runs when a Jeong Geun-woo grounded took a funny bounce, hit Doosan shortstop Son Si-hyeon in the face and rolled into left field. Doosan battled back and drew within a run of SK, but the Doosan bullpen crapped the bed again in the 9th.
A personal hightlight of this game was when the camera found what could only be a group of kids from an English hagwon with a few very annoyed foreign teachers. I think I'd hang myself before I took a group of 30+ kids to a ballgame and gave them thunderstix. Bonus points for making the NSETs wear pink t-shirts.
Hanhwa 7, Seoul Heroes 6
W - Brad Thomas (1-5), L - Song Shin-yeong (2-2)
No night is complete in the KBO without a "Where-are-my-golf-clubs" Game. I'm surprised both of these teams showed up. Hanhwa starter Eric Junge looked competent last night. Junge tossed 5 1/3 innings(94 pitches, 53 strikes) of 2-run baseball, but didn't get much help from the bullpen and he was stuck with an ND. Junge allowed 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. Hanhwa held a 5-2 lead, but the bullpen let the Heroes get back into the game and eventually take a 6-5 lead in the top of the 8th inning. In the bottom of the 8th, Hanhwa mounted a rally. With the bases loaded and 2 outs, Hanhwa DH Lee Yeong-woo ripped a double off the center field wall to score a pair of runs and give Hanhwa a 7-6 advantage. Hanhwa closer Brad Thomas recorded the final out of the 8th inning, stayed in for a scoreless 9th and recorded the W.
Samsung 3, KIA 2 (10)
W - Jeong Hyeon-wook (7-4), L - Kwak Jeong-cheol (5-3)
KIA held an early lead thanks to a 1st inning sac fly from 1st baseman Choi Hee-seop and a 4th inning solo homer from 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon. Samsung clawed their way back into the game with a 2-run rally in the 6th inning. Samsung 2nd baseman Shin Myeong-cheol was able to score from third on an error by KIA 2nd baseman Kim Seon-bin. With 1 out and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Samsung tied the game on a sac fly from 3rd baseman Park Seok-min. The game would stay tied at 2 until the 10th inning. Samsung center fielder Lee Yong-wook reached on an infield single and stole 2nd base to get into scoring position. With two outs, DH Choi Hyeong-woo poked a base hit through the right side. Lee simply put his head down and ran as hard as he could. He came in just barely under the tag for the winning run. Choi earned an ice water and pocari shower from his teammates. Lost in this game were the performances from the starting pitchers. KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong tossed 8 innings(110 pitches, 73 strikes) of 2-run ball. He allowed only 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4. Samsung starting pitcher Yoon Seong-hwan worked 6 innings(99 pitches, 57 strikes) and gave up both KIA runs. Yoon allowed 4 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman while striking out 3.
Monday, June 8, 2009
6/5 - 6/7 Weekend Roundup
I had no idea suspended Lotte outfielder Jung Soo-keun was so colorful. Unless he's developed a curveball, I don't think he's going to help Lotte this year, but he'll probably be back in the field sooner rather than later. I get the impression that the career .281 hitter is one of those guys that probably should have had a better career than he did.
Also, KIA Tigers outfielder Lee Jeong-beom stole his 500th career base over the weekend. Lee holds the KBO single season record of 84 stolen bases in 1994. He's only been caught stealing 108 times during his 14 year KBO career. The money quote is here,
"He had a chance to break the record but said he wouldn’t do so during the mourning period for the late President Roh Moo-hyun."
I sure hope he didn't tell his opponents about this. This post gets the "idiots" tag for Jung's continued stupidity. Not for Lee's political preferences, but it is a little silly. If he takes it that seriously, why not make the record a tribute to the former president?
On to the weekend that was...
Doosan vs. Lotte
6/5 - Doosan 8, Lotte 7
6/6 - Lotte 8, Doosan 0
6/7 - Lotte 1, Doosan 0
The Friday night game was a wild scene. Lotte actually held a 5-0 lead into the 7th inning, but Doosan rallied for 6 in the bottom of the 7th. Lotte starting pitcher Cho Jeong-hoon appeared to run out of gas and started walking guys with the bases loaded. Not a good sign. With the bases loaded and 2 outs, Doosan left fielder Kim Hyeon-su gave Doosan the lead with a 2-run single. 1st baseman Lee Seong-yeol singled to left. Doosan infielder Lee Won-seok tried to score from second. The play at the plate was close, but Lotte catcher Kang Min-ho got in front of Lee and put the tag on him before he touched the plate. After the play at the plate, Lee laid on the field for a solid 8 minutes. Replays showed that the side of his head struck bounced off of Kang's knee protector. Ouch. I'm guessing Lee is concussed and out for a week or two. In the top of the 8th inning, Lotte's Kang Min-ho tied the game with a solo homer. The game remained tied at 6 after 9 innings. The two teams traded runs in the 10th thanks to Lotte's Kim Min-sang scoring on a wild pitch and Doosan's Yoo Jae-wong hitting an RBI single. Doosan broke the 7-7 tie in the bottom of the 11th on an RBI infield single from 3rd baseman Kim Dong-joo with no outs and the bases loaded. Doosan reliever Oh Hyeon-taek deserves a lot of credit for his 5 innings of relief work after starter Kim Sang-hyeon didn't make it out of the 2nd inning. Oh allowed 1 run on 4 hits and struck out 5. He also kept the score from getting ridiculous.
Lotte starter Jang Won-joon tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings and reliever Bae Jang-ho tossed 3 1/3 shutout innings on Saturday. Jang needed 121 pitches to record 17 outs, but he didn't allow a run. He surrendered 4 hits, 4 walks and 1 hit batsmen, but also managed to strikeout 5. The Lotte offense also woke up for this one. Left fielder Jeong Bo-myeong went 2-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs. Doosan starter Juan Cedeno doesn't look like he's going to be on the roster much longer. In Cedeno's 5 innings of work, he allowed 6 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks.
Lotte welcomed starting pitcher Son Min-han back to the team on Sunday. Son has been out since spring training with a shoulder injury. The veteran righty threw 6 shutout innings(87 pitches, 58 strikes). Son allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. Reliever Lee Jeong-hoon tossed the final 3 innings and earned the save. Lee allowed 2 hits and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5. Lotte's only run came in the first inning. 1st baseman Kim Joo-chan lead off the game with a double and scored on 2nd baseman Cho Seong-hwan's RBI single. Doosan starting pitcher Kim Sun-woo was the tough luck loser. Kim allowed only 1 run during his 6 innings(82 pitches, 52 strikes) of work. He gave up 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5.
Seoul Heroes vs. LG
6/5 - LG 8, Heroes 7
6/6 - Heroes 11, LG 4
6/7 - Heroes 7, LG 1
The Heroes held a 7-6 lead in the top of the 9th inning, but Roberto Petagine hit a 2-run homer to give LG a 8-7 advantage. I still can't believe they pitched to him. It was Petagine's 2nd homerun of the night. He hit a solo blast in the 2nd for LG's first run. Bad Bobby finished the night 3-5 with 2 homers, 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored. He's a machine. LG 3rd baseman and #3 hitter Jeong Seong-hoon also turned in a solid night. Jeong went 2-4 with a walk and 3 RBIs batting in front of Petagine.
Strong starting pitching did not figure in Saturday night's game. Both starters were chased from the game in the 3rd inning. The Heroes bullpen actually threw 6 2/3 shutout innings, while the LG bullpen...didn't fair as well. The Heroes banged out 4 homers against LG pitching, 3 of them off the relief corps. Center fielder Doug Clark lead the charge by going 3-5 with 2 walks, a double, a homer, 5 RBIs and 2 runs scored while batting first. Doug's 3-run bomb in the 3rd inning tied the game at 4. Yikes. He did misplay a ball in centerfield and gifted a pair of runs to LG, but when your team scores 11 runs, who's going to remember that? We did have another Rick Bauer sighting. Rick walked two batters and gave up the homer to Clark. How did you enjoy your stay in Korea, Rick?
Sunday's game actually featured a quality start from a starting pitcher. Heroes starter Lee Hyeon-seung threw 8 innings(101 pitches, 65 strikes) of 1-run baseball. Lee allowed only 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. The one LG run came on a homerun by Jeong Seong-hoon in the 4th inning. Heroes 1st baseman Lee Sung-yong finished the game 1-3 with 1 walk, 1 run scored and 4 RBI. Lee clubbed a 3-run bomb in the 6th inning to ice the game. It's nice to write about an LG game that doesn't require a blow-by-blow of ANOTHER dramatic comeback. Good job, Heroes.
Hanhwa vs. SK
6/5 - Hanhwa 4, SK 3
6/6 - SK 14, Hanhwa 5
6/7 - SK 5, Hanhwa 4
Friday's game is closer than it sounds. Hanhwa was up 4-0 in the 9th when SK fake rallied for 3 runs. All of Hanhwa's runs came via the homer. Right fielder Kang Dong-woo hit a solo bomb in the 6th inning to put Hanhwa on the scoreboard. Later in the 6th, DH Kim Tae-wan added a 2-run homer. 1st baseman Victor Diaz clubbed another solo shot in the 8th to make the score 4-0. Hanhwa starter Yoon Won-sang deserved the W that he got. Yoon threw 6 innings(98 pitches 57 strikes) of shutout baseball. He allowed 3 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 2. Hanhwa closer Brad Thomas recorded the save, but didn't really deserve it. 3 of the 4 batters he faced reached base and he allowed 1 earned run.
SK absolutely hung one on Hanhwa starter Jeong Min-cheol...and the Hanhwa bullpen. The SK offense was lead by 1st baseman Lee Ho-joon. Lee went 3-3 with a solo homer in the 4th inning, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Center fielder Kim Kang-min was a double away from a cycle. Kim went 3-5 with a triple, a homer, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. SK starter Song Eun-beom was the lucky beneficiary of the SK offense. Song didn't really pitch all that well. He allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks during his 5 2/3 innings of work(94 pitches, 59 strikes). He did manage to strike out 5.
I made a special effort to watch the game on Sunday. I actually told someone, "I can't go out this afternoon. I want to watch the SK/Hanhwa game." I really wanted to see SK ace Kim Kwang-hyeon vs. Hanhwa, erm, jack(He's not an ace, but he's definitely a face card) Ahn Yeong-myeong. I was a little disappointed in the result. Kim looked human on Sunday. He labored through 5 2/3 innings(88 pitches, 53 strikes). Kim allowed 4 runs on 7 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman. He did manage to strikeout 6, but he also surrendered solo homers to 2nd baseman Lee Yeo-sang and shortstop Song Kwang-min. Ahn was easily the better of the two pitchers. Ahn tossed 5 2/3 innings(101 pitches, 59 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. Hanhwa held a 4-2 lead in the top of the 9th inning, but a 3-run SK rally left them behind in the bottom of the inning. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and no outs, Hanhwa turned to Brad Thomas to get them out of the jam. Hanhwa catcher Lee Hui-geun allowed a passed ball(it bounced off his glove on the fly, but it was a really awful throw), but SK's Jeong Geun-woo was late to the plate and was tagged out. SK left fielder Park Jae-sang hit an RBI single to make the score 4-3 and put the tying run on base. Sang was forced out on a ground ball hit by DH Kim Jae-hyeon for the 2nd out. Lee Jae-won singled to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. Another passed ball allowed both runners to move into scoring position. 1st baseman Lee Ho-joon took the next pitch off the wall for a 2-RBI double. 3 SK relievers were needed to throw a scoreless 9th. Yoon Gil-hyeon recorded the final out for the vulture save.
KIA vs. Samsung
6/5 - KIA 3, Samsung 1
6/6 - KIA 2, Samsung 1
6/7 - KIA 4, Samsung 3 (12)
Samsung starter Ahn Ji-man was cruising in the early innings on Friday when he was lifted from the game. I'm guessing an arm injury of some sort, but I can't find any updates. Ahn threw 3 2/3 innings before the Walking Dead, Bae Yong-su, made an appearance in relief. Bae only allowed 2 runs, but they were all the Tigers would need. KIA starter Kwak Jeong-cheol threw 7 innings(100 pitches, 60 strikes) of shutout baseball. Kwak allowed only 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. Samsung's lone run came in the 8th inning on a solo homer from right fielder Kang Bong-gyu. KIA closer Yoo Dong-hoon threw a scoreless 9th to earn the save.
Saturday's game was almost a repeat of Friday's. Samsung was shut down completely until Yang Joon-hyeok drove in a run in the 8th inning. KIA starter Rick Guttormson threw 6 innings(101 pitches, 59 strikes) of shutout baseball. Rick allowed 2 hits and 5 walks while striking out only 1. Runelvys Hernandez was the tough luck loser. The Big Man tossed 6 innings(89 pitches 51 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He gave up 5 hits, 4 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 2. KIA closer Yoo Dong-hoon recorded the final 4 outs for another save.
Samsung actually held a lead for the first time in this series on Sunday. It was the 12th inning and Oh Seung-hwan was walked off in the bottom of the 12th, but, hey, the Lions were actually on top for a whole commercial break. WE CAN BUILD ON THIS! Samsung broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 12th with an RBI sac fly from left fielder Choi Hyeong-woo. Closer Oh Seung-hwan had already thrown 2 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball, but that just proves he's effective. Why not have your closer, who usually throws 15 pitches, stay on for 52? Oh came out for the 12th and was throroughly pantsed. Walk, base hit, base hit, base hit, vomit. KIA 2nd baseman Kim Jong-kuk hit a base hit to the gap in left/center for the walk off winner.
Also, KIA Tigers outfielder Lee Jeong-beom stole his 500th career base over the weekend. Lee holds the KBO single season record of 84 stolen bases in 1994. He's only been caught stealing 108 times during his 14 year KBO career. The money quote is here,
"He had a chance to break the record but said he wouldn’t do so during the mourning period for the late President Roh Moo-hyun."
I sure hope he didn't tell his opponents about this. This post gets the "idiots" tag for Jung's continued stupidity. Not for Lee's political preferences, but it is a little silly. If he takes it that seriously, why not make the record a tribute to the former president?
On to the weekend that was...
Doosan vs. Lotte
6/5 - Doosan 8, Lotte 7
6/6 - Lotte 8, Doosan 0
6/7 - Lotte 1, Doosan 0
The Friday night game was a wild scene. Lotte actually held a 5-0 lead into the 7th inning, but Doosan rallied for 6 in the bottom of the 7th. Lotte starting pitcher Cho Jeong-hoon appeared to run out of gas and started walking guys with the bases loaded. Not a good sign. With the bases loaded and 2 outs, Doosan left fielder Kim Hyeon-su gave Doosan the lead with a 2-run single. 1st baseman Lee Seong-yeol singled to left. Doosan infielder Lee Won-seok tried to score from second. The play at the plate was close, but Lotte catcher Kang Min-ho got in front of Lee and put the tag on him before he touched the plate. After the play at the plate, Lee laid on the field for a solid 8 minutes. Replays showed that the side of his head struck bounced off of Kang's knee protector. Ouch. I'm guessing Lee is concussed and out for a week or two. In the top of the 8th inning, Lotte's Kang Min-ho tied the game with a solo homer. The game remained tied at 6 after 9 innings. The two teams traded runs in the 10th thanks to Lotte's Kim Min-sang scoring on a wild pitch and Doosan's Yoo Jae-wong hitting an RBI single. Doosan broke the 7-7 tie in the bottom of the 11th on an RBI infield single from 3rd baseman Kim Dong-joo with no outs and the bases loaded. Doosan reliever Oh Hyeon-taek deserves a lot of credit for his 5 innings of relief work after starter Kim Sang-hyeon didn't make it out of the 2nd inning. Oh allowed 1 run on 4 hits and struck out 5. He also kept the score from getting ridiculous.
Lotte starter Jang Won-joon tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings and reliever Bae Jang-ho tossed 3 1/3 shutout innings on Saturday. Jang needed 121 pitches to record 17 outs, but he didn't allow a run. He surrendered 4 hits, 4 walks and 1 hit batsmen, but also managed to strikeout 5. The Lotte offense also woke up for this one. Left fielder Jeong Bo-myeong went 2-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs. Doosan starter Juan Cedeno doesn't look like he's going to be on the roster much longer. In Cedeno's 5 innings of work, he allowed 6 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks.
Lotte welcomed starting pitcher Son Min-han back to the team on Sunday. Son has been out since spring training with a shoulder injury. The veteran righty threw 6 shutout innings(87 pitches, 58 strikes). Son allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. Reliever Lee Jeong-hoon tossed the final 3 innings and earned the save. Lee allowed 2 hits and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5. Lotte's only run came in the first inning. 1st baseman Kim Joo-chan lead off the game with a double and scored on 2nd baseman Cho Seong-hwan's RBI single. Doosan starting pitcher Kim Sun-woo was the tough luck loser. Kim allowed only 1 run during his 6 innings(82 pitches, 52 strikes) of work. He gave up 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5.
Seoul Heroes vs. LG
6/5 - LG 8, Heroes 7
6/6 - Heroes 11, LG 4
6/7 - Heroes 7, LG 1
The Heroes held a 7-6 lead in the top of the 9th inning, but Roberto Petagine hit a 2-run homer to give LG a 8-7 advantage. I still can't believe they pitched to him. It was Petagine's 2nd homerun of the night. He hit a solo blast in the 2nd for LG's first run. Bad Bobby finished the night 3-5 with 2 homers, 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored. He's a machine. LG 3rd baseman and #3 hitter Jeong Seong-hoon also turned in a solid night. Jeong went 2-4 with a walk and 3 RBIs batting in front of Petagine.
Strong starting pitching did not figure in Saturday night's game. Both starters were chased from the game in the 3rd inning. The Heroes bullpen actually threw 6 2/3 shutout innings, while the LG bullpen...didn't fair as well. The Heroes banged out 4 homers against LG pitching, 3 of them off the relief corps. Center fielder Doug Clark lead the charge by going 3-5 with 2 walks, a double, a homer, 5 RBIs and 2 runs scored while batting first. Doug's 3-run bomb in the 3rd inning tied the game at 4. Yikes. He did misplay a ball in centerfield and gifted a pair of runs to LG, but when your team scores 11 runs, who's going to remember that? We did have another Rick Bauer sighting. Rick walked two batters and gave up the homer to Clark. How did you enjoy your stay in Korea, Rick?
Sunday's game actually featured a quality start from a starting pitcher. Heroes starter Lee Hyeon-seung threw 8 innings(101 pitches, 65 strikes) of 1-run baseball. Lee allowed only 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. The one LG run came on a homerun by Jeong Seong-hoon in the 4th inning. Heroes 1st baseman Lee Sung-yong finished the game 1-3 with 1 walk, 1 run scored and 4 RBI. Lee clubbed a 3-run bomb in the 6th inning to ice the game. It's nice to write about an LG game that doesn't require a blow-by-blow of ANOTHER dramatic comeback. Good job, Heroes.
Hanhwa vs. SK
6/5 - Hanhwa 4, SK 3
6/6 - SK 14, Hanhwa 5
6/7 - SK 5, Hanhwa 4
Friday's game is closer than it sounds. Hanhwa was up 4-0 in the 9th when SK fake rallied for 3 runs. All of Hanhwa's runs came via the homer. Right fielder Kang Dong-woo hit a solo bomb in the 6th inning to put Hanhwa on the scoreboard. Later in the 6th, DH Kim Tae-wan added a 2-run homer. 1st baseman Victor Diaz clubbed another solo shot in the 8th to make the score 4-0. Hanhwa starter Yoon Won-sang deserved the W that he got. Yoon threw 6 innings(98 pitches 57 strikes) of shutout baseball. He allowed 3 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 2. Hanhwa closer Brad Thomas recorded the save, but didn't really deserve it. 3 of the 4 batters he faced reached base and he allowed 1 earned run.
SK absolutely hung one on Hanhwa starter Jeong Min-cheol...and the Hanhwa bullpen. The SK offense was lead by 1st baseman Lee Ho-joon. Lee went 3-3 with a solo homer in the 4th inning, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Center fielder Kim Kang-min was a double away from a cycle. Kim went 3-5 with a triple, a homer, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. SK starter Song Eun-beom was the lucky beneficiary of the SK offense. Song didn't really pitch all that well. He allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks during his 5 2/3 innings of work(94 pitches, 59 strikes). He did manage to strike out 5.
I made a special effort to watch the game on Sunday. I actually told someone, "I can't go out this afternoon. I want to watch the SK/Hanhwa game." I really wanted to see SK ace Kim Kwang-hyeon vs. Hanhwa, erm, jack(He's not an ace, but he's definitely a face card) Ahn Yeong-myeong. I was a little disappointed in the result. Kim looked human on Sunday. He labored through 5 2/3 innings(88 pitches, 53 strikes). Kim allowed 4 runs on 7 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman. He did manage to strikeout 6, but he also surrendered solo homers to 2nd baseman Lee Yeo-sang and shortstop Song Kwang-min. Ahn was easily the better of the two pitchers. Ahn tossed 5 2/3 innings(101 pitches, 59 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. Hanhwa held a 4-2 lead in the top of the 9th inning, but a 3-run SK rally left them behind in the bottom of the inning. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and no outs, Hanhwa turned to Brad Thomas to get them out of the jam. Hanhwa catcher Lee Hui-geun allowed a passed ball(it bounced off his glove on the fly, but it was a really awful throw), but SK's Jeong Geun-woo was late to the plate and was tagged out. SK left fielder Park Jae-sang hit an RBI single to make the score 4-3 and put the tying run on base. Sang was forced out on a ground ball hit by DH Kim Jae-hyeon for the 2nd out. Lee Jae-won singled to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. Another passed ball allowed both runners to move into scoring position. 1st baseman Lee Ho-joon took the next pitch off the wall for a 2-RBI double. 3 SK relievers were needed to throw a scoreless 9th. Yoon Gil-hyeon recorded the final out for the vulture save.
KIA vs. Samsung
6/5 - KIA 3, Samsung 1
6/6 - KIA 2, Samsung 1
6/7 - KIA 4, Samsung 3 (12)
Samsung starter Ahn Ji-man was cruising in the early innings on Friday when he was lifted from the game. I'm guessing an arm injury of some sort, but I can't find any updates. Ahn threw 3 2/3 innings before the Walking Dead, Bae Yong-su, made an appearance in relief. Bae only allowed 2 runs, but they were all the Tigers would need. KIA starter Kwak Jeong-cheol threw 7 innings(100 pitches, 60 strikes) of shutout baseball. Kwak allowed only 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. Samsung's lone run came in the 8th inning on a solo homer from right fielder Kang Bong-gyu. KIA closer Yoo Dong-hoon threw a scoreless 9th to earn the save.
Saturday's game was almost a repeat of Friday's. Samsung was shut down completely until Yang Joon-hyeok drove in a run in the 8th inning. KIA starter Rick Guttormson threw 6 innings(101 pitches, 59 strikes) of shutout baseball. Rick allowed 2 hits and 5 walks while striking out only 1. Runelvys Hernandez was the tough luck loser. The Big Man tossed 6 innings(89 pitches 51 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He gave up 5 hits, 4 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 2. KIA closer Yoo Dong-hoon recorded the final 4 outs for another save.
Samsung actually held a lead for the first time in this series on Sunday. It was the 12th inning and Oh Seung-hwan was walked off in the bottom of the 12th, but, hey, the Lions were actually on top for a whole commercial break. WE CAN BUILD ON THIS! Samsung broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 12th with an RBI sac fly from left fielder Choi Hyeong-woo. Closer Oh Seung-hwan had already thrown 2 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball, but that just proves he's effective. Why not have your closer, who usually throws 15 pitches, stay on for 52? Oh came out for the 12th and was throroughly pantsed. Walk, base hit, base hit, base hit, vomit. KIA 2nd baseman Kim Jong-kuk hit a base hit to the gap in left/center for the walk off winner.
Monday, May 18, 2009
5/15 - 5/17 Roundup and News
The KBO played a league wide double-header on Sunday thanks to a nation wide rain storm on Saturday.
The 39 runs scored by the Twins and Heroes were a KBO record. This account of the events is essentially unreadable. This one, by Aaron at the EWC, is slightly more coherent. Which one of these guys is paid to do this again?
Doosan vs Samsung
5/15 - Doosan 5, Samsung 3
5/17 - Samsung 8, Doosan 6
5/17 - Doosan 8, Samsung 7
On Friday the mediocre Samsung offense couldn't overcome an above average pitching performance, while Samsung starter Bae Yong-su was Bae Yong-su. Bae ate up some innings, gave up some runs and threw like he was a decade older than his listed age. Bae is actually a year younger than I am. I suddenly feel ancient. Doosan starter Kim Sang-hyeon was solid, but not spectacular. It occurred to me that Samsung really does not have a middle of the order prescence of any kind. A washed up Yang Joon-hyeok and Park Seok-min(when he's not in the trainer's room) is supposed to scare teams? Really? Samsung has the least scary lineup in the KBO and it's not close. Kim tossed 6 2/3 innings(84 pitches, 53 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. To be fair, Yang did hit his 343rd career homer off of Doosan reliever Lee Jae-woo in the 8th inning, but Samsung never really threatened after the 2nd inning.
In the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, both starting pitchers were pummelled. Samsung starter Francisco Cruceta was chased from the game in the 3rd inning and Doosan starter Jeong Jae-hoon stuck around for 5 innings, but only because his pitch count wasn't ridiculous. Both allowed 6 runs. Somehow, Samsung reliever Kim Sang-su threw 3 scoreless innings. Consecutively. In the same game. Scoreless. Kim has been an arsonist all season. Samsung didn't homer during the game, but 7 of their 14 hits were doubles. Samsung 1st baseman Chae Tae-in hit 2 of them and drove in 2 runs. Doosan superstar Kim Hyeon-su posted an interesting stat line. 0-1 with 4 walks and 1 run scored. I was surprised Doosan didn't put him in motion more often. I guess they wanted to save his legs for the 2nd game.
Samsung actually held a lead in the 2nd game of the double header. The Lions lead 7-6 in the 6th inning. Samsung first baseman Chae Tae-in hit another double in the 5th inning to score 2 runs and give Samsung a 7-6 advantage. In addition to the 2-RBI double, Choi finished the game 3-4 with a walk and a run scored. Doosan tied the game in the bottom of the 6th thanks to a sac fly from outfielder Jeong Su-bin. Doosan would later take a 1-run lead in the 8th inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Jeong Su-bin drew a walk to score the go-ahead run. Lee Yong-chan struck out 2 during a scoreless 9th inning and recorded the save.
LG vs Seoul Heroes
5/15 - LG 22, Heroes 17
5/17 - LG 11, Heroes 5
5/17 - Heroes 6, LG 5 (11)
Is it just me or is LG in a lot of these games with ridiculous scores? The 39 runs, 40 hits, 84 total bases, 11 homers and 17 runs by the Heroes in a loss were all KBO records. Roberto Petagine, Lee Jin-yeong and Kwon Yong-kwan drove in 5 runs apiece for the Twins. Heroes right fielder Song Ji-man drove in 7 for the Heroes. I'm legitimately surprised that neither Brumbaugh nor Clark went deep in this game.
The first game of the double header was slighty more normal than Friday night's contest. Twins leadoff man Park Yong-taek had a fine night at the plate. His 2-run homer in the 5th inning gave LG a 4-3 lead over the Heroes. The Twins allowed the Heroes to tie the game on a Lee Taek-geun solo homer in the 5th. Park's RBI single in the top of the 6th gave LG a 6-4 lead and proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. Park finished the game 4-4 with 4 RBI, 2 runs scored, a walk and a stolen base.
After being lit up for 33 runs over the previous 18 innings of baseball, the Heroes managed to escape with some dignity in the 2nd game of the Sunday doubleheader. With the Heroes losing 5-4 in the bottom of the 9th, Heroes right fielder Song Ji-man doubled off the wall to lead off the inning. Song advanced to third on Kim Gui-tae's sacrifice bunt. The next batter, Kwon Do-yeong, hit an old school Baltimore Chop to the LG shortstop. Kwon was out at first, but Song was able to score and tie the game at 5. Then in the bottom of the 11th with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Kang Jang-ho hit a bouncer to the left side of the LG infield. 3rd baseman Jeong Sang-hoon pulled an "ole" and shortstop Kim Tae-won allowed the ball to bounce off his glove. The winning run was able to score while the LG infielders flopped all over themselves. Not exactly Scott Podsednik in the Game Two, but I'm sure the Heroes will take it.
KIA vs SK
5/15 - KIA 5, SK 2 (12)
5/17 - SK 4, KIA 3
5/17 - KIA 4, SK 1
In the battle of the foreign starters on Friday, Lopez and Kadokura have to call it a draw. Senor Smoke threw 7 innings(107 pitches, 77 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 9 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8. Ken Kadokura also tossed 7 innings(100 pitches, 60 strikes), but he allowed only 1 run. Kadokura surrendered 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6. KIA was losing 2-1 in the 8th, but center fielder Kim Won-seop hit a solo homer to tie the game at 2. In the top of the 12th, KIA rallied for three runs thanks to solo homers from Choi Hee-seop and infielder Kim Sang-hyeon and an RBI single from short stop Lee Hyeon-gon. Yim Joon-hyeok threw a 1-2-3 12th inning to record the save.
In the first game of Sunday's double header, SK gave ace Kim Kwang-hyeon an early lead and he cruised to a complete game victory. In the 1st inning, DH Lee Ho-joon delivered an RBI double and 3rd baseman Choi Jeong hit a 2-run bomb to give SK a 3-0 lead. Lee would also add an RBI single in the 3rd inning to give SK a 4-1 advantage. Kim Kwang-hyeon needed 125 pitches(80 strikes) to finish the game. He allowed 3 runs on 11 hits and 0 walks. He recorded 5 strikeouts in the game. Not exactly vintage Kim, but a solid effort.
KIA sent Rick Guttormson to the mound in the 2nd game of the double header and he didn't disappoint. Guttormson threw 8 innings(98 pitches, 61 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. KIA infielder Ahn Chi-hong hit a 3-run bomb in the 5th inning that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. KIA closer Yoon Seok-min threw a scoreless 9th to earn the save.
Hanwha vs Lotte
5/15 - Lotte 7, Hanwha 1
5/17 - Hanwha 12, Lotte 8
5/17 - Hanhwa 3, Lotte 1
Song Seung-joon gave Lotte a quality start and the Lotte offense provided enough scoring to earn the W. Song tossed 6 1/3 solid innings(105 pitches, 63 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. The majority of the Lotte offense came from the 3-4-5 hitters. Left fielder Park Jeong-joon and Karim Garcia hit a solo homers, while #4 hitter Lee Dae-ho hit a 2-run bomb.
Hanwha ace Ryu Hyeon-jin started the first game of Sunday's doubleheader and enjoyed a solid outing. Ryu threw 7 1/3 innings(124 pitches, 79 strikes) of 3-run ball before the Hanwha bullpen allowed the Giants to get back into the game. Ryu allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and one hit batsman while striking out 5. Lotte mounted a fake rally in the 8th and 9th innings, but the Hanwha offense had already exploded for 12 runs and 5 homers. Hanwha infielder Song Kwang-min hit a pair of homers while going 3-4 with 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Kim Tae-gyun, Lee Do-hyeong and pinch hitter Lee Yeong-woo all went deep against Lotte.
The 2nd game of the double header featured a pair of quality starts from both Lotte and Hanwha. Lotte's Cho Jeong-hoon was the tough luck loser. Cho tossed 8 1/3 innings(108 pitches, 78 strikes) of 3-run baseball. Cho allowed 9 hits and 0 walks while striking out 5. Hanwha's Kim Hyeok-min was slightly better on Sunday night. Kim allowed only 1 run during his 7 innings(98 pitches, 61 strikes) of work. He surrendered only 3 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman during his start. He recorded 5 outs via the strikeout. With the score tied at 1 in the top of the 7th inning with a runner on 1st and o outs, Lee Beom-ho hit a double to center field that scored the run and untied the game. Hanwha added an insurance run on an RBI double by Yoon Jae-kuk in the top of the 9th. Brad Thomas recorded the final 5 outs in order to earn the save.
The 39 runs scored by the Twins and Heroes were a KBO record. This account of the events is essentially unreadable. This one, by Aaron at the EWC, is slightly more coherent. Which one of these guys is paid to do this again?
Doosan vs Samsung
5/15 - Doosan 5, Samsung 3
5/17 - Samsung 8, Doosan 6
5/17 - Doosan 8, Samsung 7
On Friday the mediocre Samsung offense couldn't overcome an above average pitching performance, while Samsung starter Bae Yong-su was Bae Yong-su. Bae ate up some innings, gave up some runs and threw like he was a decade older than his listed age. Bae is actually a year younger than I am. I suddenly feel ancient. Doosan starter Kim Sang-hyeon was solid, but not spectacular. It occurred to me that Samsung really does not have a middle of the order prescence of any kind. A washed up Yang Joon-hyeok and Park Seok-min(when he's not in the trainer's room) is supposed to scare teams? Really? Samsung has the least scary lineup in the KBO and it's not close. Kim tossed 6 2/3 innings(84 pitches, 53 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. To be fair, Yang did hit his 343rd career homer off of Doosan reliever Lee Jae-woo in the 8th inning, but Samsung never really threatened after the 2nd inning.
In the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, both starting pitchers were pummelled. Samsung starter Francisco Cruceta was chased from the game in the 3rd inning and Doosan starter Jeong Jae-hoon stuck around for 5 innings, but only because his pitch count wasn't ridiculous. Both allowed 6 runs. Somehow, Samsung reliever Kim Sang-su threw 3 scoreless innings. Consecutively. In the same game. Scoreless. Kim has been an arsonist all season. Samsung didn't homer during the game, but 7 of their 14 hits were doubles. Samsung 1st baseman Chae Tae-in hit 2 of them and drove in 2 runs. Doosan superstar Kim Hyeon-su posted an interesting stat line. 0-1 with 4 walks and 1 run scored. I was surprised Doosan didn't put him in motion more often. I guess they wanted to save his legs for the 2nd game.
Samsung actually held a lead in the 2nd game of the double header. The Lions lead 7-6 in the 6th inning. Samsung first baseman Chae Tae-in hit another double in the 5th inning to score 2 runs and give Samsung a 7-6 advantage. In addition to the 2-RBI double, Choi finished the game 3-4 with a walk and a run scored. Doosan tied the game in the bottom of the 6th thanks to a sac fly from outfielder Jeong Su-bin. Doosan would later take a 1-run lead in the 8th inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Jeong Su-bin drew a walk to score the go-ahead run. Lee Yong-chan struck out 2 during a scoreless 9th inning and recorded the save.
LG vs Seoul Heroes
5/15 - LG 22, Heroes 17
5/17 - LG 11, Heroes 5
5/17 - Heroes 6, LG 5 (11)
Is it just me or is LG in a lot of these games with ridiculous scores? The 39 runs, 40 hits, 84 total bases, 11 homers and 17 runs by the Heroes in a loss were all KBO records. Roberto Petagine, Lee Jin-yeong and Kwon Yong-kwan drove in 5 runs apiece for the Twins. Heroes right fielder Song Ji-man drove in 7 for the Heroes. I'm legitimately surprised that neither Brumbaugh nor Clark went deep in this game.
The first game of the double header was slighty more normal than Friday night's contest. Twins leadoff man Park Yong-taek had a fine night at the plate. His 2-run homer in the 5th inning gave LG a 4-3 lead over the Heroes. The Twins allowed the Heroes to tie the game on a Lee Taek-geun solo homer in the 5th. Park's RBI single in the top of the 6th gave LG a 6-4 lead and proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. Park finished the game 4-4 with 4 RBI, 2 runs scored, a walk and a stolen base.
After being lit up for 33 runs over the previous 18 innings of baseball, the Heroes managed to escape with some dignity in the 2nd game of the Sunday doubleheader. With the Heroes losing 5-4 in the bottom of the 9th, Heroes right fielder Song Ji-man doubled off the wall to lead off the inning. Song advanced to third on Kim Gui-tae's sacrifice bunt. The next batter, Kwon Do-yeong, hit an old school Baltimore Chop to the LG shortstop. Kwon was out at first, but Song was able to score and tie the game at 5. Then in the bottom of the 11th with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Kang Jang-ho hit a bouncer to the left side of the LG infield. 3rd baseman Jeong Sang-hoon pulled an "ole" and shortstop Kim Tae-won allowed the ball to bounce off his glove. The winning run was able to score while the LG infielders flopped all over themselves. Not exactly Scott Podsednik in the Game Two, but I'm sure the Heroes will take it.
KIA vs SK
5/15 - KIA 5, SK 2 (12)
5/17 - SK 4, KIA 3
5/17 - KIA 4, SK 1
In the battle of the foreign starters on Friday, Lopez and Kadokura have to call it a draw. Senor Smoke threw 7 innings(107 pitches, 77 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 9 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8. Ken Kadokura also tossed 7 innings(100 pitches, 60 strikes), but he allowed only 1 run. Kadokura surrendered 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6. KIA was losing 2-1 in the 8th, but center fielder Kim Won-seop hit a solo homer to tie the game at 2. In the top of the 12th, KIA rallied for three runs thanks to solo homers from Choi Hee-seop and infielder Kim Sang-hyeon and an RBI single from short stop Lee Hyeon-gon. Yim Joon-hyeok threw a 1-2-3 12th inning to record the save.
In the first game of Sunday's double header, SK gave ace Kim Kwang-hyeon an early lead and he cruised to a complete game victory. In the 1st inning, DH Lee Ho-joon delivered an RBI double and 3rd baseman Choi Jeong hit a 2-run bomb to give SK a 3-0 lead. Lee would also add an RBI single in the 3rd inning to give SK a 4-1 advantage. Kim Kwang-hyeon needed 125 pitches(80 strikes) to finish the game. He allowed 3 runs on 11 hits and 0 walks. He recorded 5 strikeouts in the game. Not exactly vintage Kim, but a solid effort.
KIA sent Rick Guttormson to the mound in the 2nd game of the double header and he didn't disappoint. Guttormson threw 8 innings(98 pitches, 61 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3. KIA infielder Ahn Chi-hong hit a 3-run bomb in the 5th inning that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. KIA closer Yoon Seok-min threw a scoreless 9th to earn the save.
Hanwha vs Lotte
5/15 - Lotte 7, Hanwha 1
5/17 - Hanwha 12, Lotte 8
5/17 - Hanhwa 3, Lotte 1
Song Seung-joon gave Lotte a quality start and the Lotte offense provided enough scoring to earn the W. Song tossed 6 1/3 solid innings(105 pitches, 63 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. The majority of the Lotte offense came from the 3-4-5 hitters. Left fielder Park Jeong-joon and Karim Garcia hit a solo homers, while #4 hitter Lee Dae-ho hit a 2-run bomb.
Hanwha ace Ryu Hyeon-jin started the first game of Sunday's doubleheader and enjoyed a solid outing. Ryu threw 7 1/3 innings(124 pitches, 79 strikes) of 3-run ball before the Hanwha bullpen allowed the Giants to get back into the game. Ryu allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and one hit batsman while striking out 5. Lotte mounted a fake rally in the 8th and 9th innings, but the Hanwha offense had already exploded for 12 runs and 5 homers. Hanwha infielder Song Kwang-min hit a pair of homers while going 3-4 with 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Kim Tae-gyun, Lee Do-hyeong and pinch hitter Lee Yeong-woo all went deep against Lotte.
The 2nd game of the double header featured a pair of quality starts from both Lotte and Hanwha. Lotte's Cho Jeong-hoon was the tough luck loser. Cho tossed 8 1/3 innings(108 pitches, 78 strikes) of 3-run baseball. Cho allowed 9 hits and 0 walks while striking out 5. Hanwha's Kim Hyeok-min was slightly better on Sunday night. Kim allowed only 1 run during his 7 innings(98 pitches, 61 strikes) of work. He surrendered only 3 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman during his start. He recorded 5 outs via the strikeout. With the score tied at 1 in the top of the 7th inning with a runner on 1st and o outs, Lee Beom-ho hit a double to center field that scored the run and untied the game. Hanwha added an insurance run on an RBI double by Yoon Jae-kuk in the top of the 9th. Brad Thomas recorded the final 5 outs in order to earn the save.
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