5/7 Roundup and News

It was ladies night last night in Seoul. The Doosan Bears chose to wear these uni's. Somehow, I don't think these are going to sell quite as well as these.

LG 7, Doosan 1
W - Bong Jung-geun (3-3), L - Kim Sun-woo (4-3)

This matchup of Korean guys that once took up space on an MLB roster was clearly won by Bong. The LG ace threw 8 innings(97 pitches, 66 strikes) of 1-run baseball. His only mistake came when he allowed Doosan 3rd baseman Kim Dong-joo to hit a fastball into the seats in the 7th inning. Bong allowed only 2 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 9. Kim Sun-woo had a little more trouble with the LG lineup. Kim lasted 5 2/3 innings(77 pitches, 47 strikes), but he allowed 7 runs on 7 hits and 2 hit batsmen. Somehow, he struck out 3 batters. Most of the damage on Kim came during LG's 4-run rally in the 6th inning. Kim surrendered an RBI single to Roberto Petagine and loaded the bases with 2 outs. He was quickly yanked for reliever Park Jeong-bae. Park allowed a wild pitch to give LG a 5-0 lead. Then, LG catcher Kim Jeong-min shot a ball under the legs of Doosan 1st baseman Lee Won-seok. 2 runs scored to give LG a 7-0 advantage. Doosan's Kim Dong-joo would pad his stats with a solo homer, but Doosan never threatened. Actually Kim was the Doosan offense, in addition to his solo homer, he also added a single. He accounted for both Doosan hits.

KIA 10, Seoul Heroes 3
W - Kwak Jeong-cheol (2-0), L - Lee Dong-hak (1-2)

With the score tied at 1 in the 5th inning, KIA loaded the bases for Kim Sang-hyeon. Kim put a 1-0 pitch from Cho Yong-hoon over the left field fence for a grand slam. The slam gave KIA a 5-1 lead. KIA slugger Choi Hee-seop added a solo homer in 7th to give KIA a 6-2 lead and pad his stats. KIA mounted a 4-run "Eff you!" rally in the 9th inning. I guess they wanted to make sure the Heroes knew they were beaten. Heroes reliever Jang Hyo-hoon stayed in for the 9th inning and essentially threw batting practice. It was an ugly end to an ugly night for Heroes pitching. Doug Clark hit a "Why Not?" solo homer in the bottom of the 9th. If they're going to force him to play while losing 10-2, he might as well try.

Samsung 6, Hanwha 5
W - Ahn Ji-man (2-2), L - Yoo Won-sang (0-2), S - Oh Seung-hwan (9)

Samsung took a 4-0 lead after a 3-run rally in the 2nd inning. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out, infielder Shin Myeong-cheol hit a deep fly ball to left/center that would bounce over the fence for a ground rule double. Both runners were allowed to score on the play. The next batter, Samsung outfielder Kang Bong-gyu, doubled off the wall in right to score Shin. Hanwha started Yoo Won-sang was chased from the game after only 3 innings pitched. With the early cushion, Samsung starter Ahn Ji-man was allowed to cruise for 5 2/3 innings(95 pitches, 61 strikes). Ahn allowed only 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks with 4 K's. While trying to hold a 6-2 lead in the 9th inning, the Samsung bullpen put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Oh Seung-hwan was called upon to record the last two outs. Hanwha 3rd baseman Lee Yeo-sang crushed a 2-2 offering over the fence in centerfield for a 3-run homer. Oh would get the next two outs, but does he really deserve a save for giving up a 3-run bomb?

Lotte 4, SK 3
W - Jang Won-joon (2-4), L - Goh Hyo-joon (2-2), S - Jon Adkins (6)

Jang Won-joon gave Lotte a quality start and the Lotte offense gave him just enough offense to win. Jang threw 8 innings(114 pitches, 68 strikes) of 3-run baseball. He allowed 9 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. All of the damage inflicted by SK came in the early innings. SK 3rd baseman Choi Jeong and catcher Park Kyeong-wan both hit solo homers in the first inning to give SK a 2-0 lead. SK starting pitcher Eom Jeong-wook lasted only 8 pitches. Lotte's Kim Joo-chan hit a leadoff single. Then Lee Seung-hwa hit another single to put runners on the corners with 0 outs. Lee In-gu hit a sac fly to score Kim from 3rd and that was it for Eom. Lotte would score again in the 2nd to tie the game, but Park Kyeong-won hit an RBI single that scored Choi Jeong from 3rd. Park's RBI gave SK a 3-2 lead. Lotte would rally for 2 runs in the bottom of the 5th. 1st baseman Kim Joo-chan would double off the wall in center to score catcher Choi Ki-moon from 3rd and tie the game at 3. Then, Lee Seung-hwa ripped a single to center to score Kim and give Lotte a 4-3 advantage. In the 9th inning, Lotte closer Jon Adkins would surrender a hit, but he struck out 2 while finishing off the Wyverns and recording the save.

A Style Guide to Korean Baseball

Jerry Seinfeld once said when it comes to baseball "we're rooting for laundry." I, for one, have always been a big fan of the laundry. I grew up in Chicago. I've been a White Sox fan since I reached the age of reason(roughly 12) and I freely admit that at least some small part in my decision was due to the change in uniform. A bigger part of it was the guy who wore that jersey for the majority of his career, but that's another story for another blog.

Now, I'm living and working in Korea. Watching the KBO as much as possible. I miss MLB and I have no problem supporting the local product. I've also found myself drawn away from and to some of the laundry that runs around on the field.

Without further ado, Matt's completely unofficial uni rankings for the 2008 season.

8. Woori Heroes - Other than shady business practices, the only thing these guys will lead the league in is ugly uniforms. I hate the color scheme and I have no idea what the logo is supposed to be. At least the Hyundai Unicorns go to walk around in these.

7. Kia Tigers - If ever there was a look that needed updating, it's this one. Just not much going on. The only thing keeping them from #8 is Woori's ugly uni's and KIA's strong design on the hats. The hat is the only thing remotely intruiging about this design. The home uni's just scream "Boring!" It's nothing I haven't seen a thousand times before, but hey, at least they having a little red piping to shake things up. The bloodclot road uni's are also nothing terrific. Between the chest patch, the numbers, the numbers on the pants and the two sleeve patches, this just looks a little too busy.

6. Samsung Lions - If this were last year, I would have put my beloved Samsung Lions dead last. Last year, they were sporting a dull, antiquated design that matched the sluggish effort I watched all year. We've got last years' home uni here and road uni here. Blech. I hate pullovers. There has been a redesign this year, but the design has only marginally improved the overall look. They've gone to a button down design and a new hat. I'll take a new SL design over the old S design any day of the week. Also, bonus points for the city patch they'd usually wear.

5. LG Twins - Not an awful look, but they're not terribly exciting. Bonus points for a nice looking hat design and numbers on the hip.

4. Doosan Bears - I really dig the home uni's. The balance between the patch on the right and the numbers on the left makes for a nice design. The reason they're ranked number 4 is for the funky colors on the road uni. If only someone could talk them into matching purple pants. If they ever did that, they'd go to the top of the list.

3. Hanwha Eagles - Doosan and Hanwha probably shouldn't be this high, but I like the fact that they're willing to go with some different colors. Both teams have managed to stay away from the cookie cutter red, blue or black pattern that some teams follow. The home whites are a fairly clean design. Last year, the team was rocking patches on both shoulders! It didn't look that awful. The road oranges are definitely different. The piping(panels?) on the shoulder are a little much, but without them, I think the uni would look quite boring.

2. Lotte Giants - Their home and road uni's are a classic design, but they're fairly similar that one team that plays in Tokyo. I think they could use a sleeve patch, but I like the overall look of the uni. The numbers on the front are a nice touch. They give the uni a more complete look.

The main reason they're this high is for this alternate that they wear. It's a color scheme that isn't often seen on the diamond in Korea. It's a razor sharp look.

1. SK Wyverns - Just a simple, classic look. The piping really makes this jersey come together. Also, they've always gone with the buttoned down look instead of the loathsome 70's and 80's pullover. It's just a clean professional look. A case could be made for adding a number to the front, but I think that might make it look cluttered. Bonus points for these. I love the fact that they have a city alternate.