No panic yet for LG Twins after dropping crucial Korean Series opener

History shows that the team that drops the opening game of the Korean Series, the South Korean baseball championship round, loses the series nearly 75 percent of the time. But there's no panic in the clubhouse for the LG Twins even after their 3-2 loss to the KT Wiz in Game 1 of the best-of-the-seven series Tuesday night, according to manager Youm Kyoung-youb. In his media scrum prior to Game 2 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on Wednesday, Youm said he told his players to stick to what they&

SoccerNov. 8, 2023

Be it playoff beard or routine, Wiz ace Benjamin not changing anything

KT Wiz left-hander Wes Benjamin is about to pitch in the biggest game of his career in South Korea this week, but he says he won't change anything -- including his facial hair. Benjamin last shaved after the Wiz dropped their second straight game against the NC Dinos in the previous Korea Baseball Organization postseason series on Oct. 31. Then the Wiz won three games in a row to take the best-of-five series and reach the Korean Series. Benjamin is now in full playoff beard mode. "I do

BaseballNov. 8, 2023

LG Twins turn rare triple play in Korean Series

The LG Twins turned a rare triple play in the opening game of the Korean Series against the KT Wiz on Tuesday. With runners at first and second with nobody out in the top of the second inning, the Wiz's Moon Sang-chul put down a bunt trying to advance the runners. But the ball stopped right in front of the home plate in fair territory. Catcher Park Dong-won picked it up and threw out the lead runner Jang Sung-woo at third, where shortstop Oh Ji-hwan was covering the bag. Oh then threw to fi

BaseballNov. 7, 2023

LG Twins looking to end KBO title drought vs. surging KT Wiz

In 1994, the last time the LG Twins won the Korean Series title as the champions of the Korea Baseball Organization, the league only had eight teams. The KT Wiz didn't even exist then. The Wiz joined the league in 2015 as the 10th team. Just six years later, they won their first Korean Series championship. Starting Tuesday, the two clubs will square off in the best-of-seven Korean Series, with the Twins trying to end a drought that has gone on for nearly three decades, and the Wiz chasing t

BaseballNov. 6, 2023

Wiz face steep odds in bid to keep KBO title hopes alive

Having been pushed to the brink of elimination in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason, the KT Wiz must pull off a rare feat to stay alive against the NC Dinos. The Wiz dropped the first two games of the best-of-five second round in the postseason at home in Suwon, just south of Seoul. The series now moves to the Dinos' home in the southeastern city of Changwon, for Game 3 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and, if necessary, Game 4 at 6:30 p.m. Friday. If the Wiz bounce back to steal the next two

BaseballNov. 2, 2023

Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae named top Asian in foreign leagues

Bayern Munich's South Korean defender Kim Min-jae has captured an award for the top Asian player in foreign competitions. Kim was named the Asian Football Confederation Asian International Player of the Year at the AFC Annual Awards ceremony in Doha on Tuesday. Kim, who has split 2023 with Napoli in Italy and Bayern Munich in Germany, beat out Porto's Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi and Brighton & Hove Albion's Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma. Kim is the second South Korean to be so

SoccerNov. 1, 2023

South Korea play North Korea to draw in women's Olympic football qualifying match

South Korea played North Korea to a goalless draw in their women's Olympic football qualifying match Sunday, staying alive in their bid to qualify for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. South Korea couldn't capitalize on a couple of chances and dodged a few bullets in their own end in Group B action in the second round of the Asian Olympic qualifiers at Xiamen Egret Stadium in Xiamen, China. South Korea couldn't avenge their 4-1 loss to North Korea in the quarterfinals of the Asian

SoccerOct. 29, 2023

3 yrs removed from KBO title, Dinos make another push with new-look roster

The NC Dinos won their first and so far only Korean Series title three years ago, but three years can be like an eternity in baseball. From the Dinos' title-winning roster of 30 players in 2020, only seven have returned for this year's postseason in the Korea Baseball Organization. And one of those seven didn't even play any game in 2020 but has been a key contributor this year, as the Dinos sit a win away from reaching the next round. Change is the name of the game: players are c

BaseballOct. 25, 2023

Son Heung-min scores 7th goal of Premier League season, puts Spurs back on top

Son Heung-min has found the back of the net for the seventh time in the Premier League this season, pushing the undefeated Tottenham Hotspur back to the top of the tables. The South Korean talisman scored a goal and registered an assist in Tottenham's 2-0 win over Fulham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Monday. It stretched Spurs' undefeated streak to begin this season to nine matches, at seven wins and two draws. With 23 points, Spurs moved back to the top of the league table

SoccerOct. 24, 2023

Dinos beat Landers on road to open KBO postseason series

Riding strong starting pitching and timely hitting, the NC Dinos held off the SSG Landers 4-3 to begin their first-round series in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason Sunday. Kim Seong-uk delivered a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, west of Seoul, backing a scoreless start by Shin Min-hyeok. The Dinos added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth, and they all counted as the Landers made things interesting with a two-r

BaseballOct. 22, 2023

Australian LPGA star Minjee Lee eyes No. 1 ranking after winning in S. Korea

After reaching a mini career milestone in her LPGA Tour career Sunday in South Korea, Australian star Minjee Lee set her sights on an even bigger target. "I still haven't been able to reach world No. 1 yet. That's the goal for me. That's where I really want to reach," Lee said after beating Alison Lee of the United States in a playoff to win the BMW Ladies Championship in Paju, northwest of Seoul. It was Minjee's first win in South Korea, the country of her parents&

GolfOct. 22, 2023

Cuban veteran to duel homegrown pitcher to begin KBO postseason series

A veteran left-hander from Cuba will be up against a homegrown right-hander to begin a South Korean baseball postseason series on Sunday. The SSG Landers, defending Korean Series champions, announced Saturday that Roenis Elias will start Game 1 of their first round Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) playoff series against the NC Dinos. The Dinos will counter with right-hander Shin Min-hyeok. The first pitch is 2 p.m. Sunday at Incheon SSG Landers Field in the western city of Incheon. As the No. 3

BaseballOct. 21, 2023

S. Korea to begin 2026 World Cup qualification in Seoul on Nov. 16

South Korea will launch its 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in Seoul next month, the national football federation announced Friday. The Korea Football Association said South Korea will host Singapore at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Nov. 16 in their first Group C match in the second round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers. The kickoff is 8 p.m. Singapore beat Guam in the two-legged first round that wrapped up Tuesday, and joined South Korea, China and Thailand in Group C of the second round

SoccerOct. 20, 2023

Minjee Lee grabs 36-hole lead at LPGA stop in S. Korea

Australian star Minjee Lee seized a 36-hole lead at the lone LPGA tournament in South Korea on Friday. Lee, born in Perth to Korean parents, shot a three-under 69 to reach 11-under at the BMW Ladies Championship at Seowon Hills at Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, northwest of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province. Lee, who counts two majors among her nine LPGA titles, recorded four birdies against one bogey. She sits two strokes ahead of Alison Lee of the United States and Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa

More SportsOct. 20, 2023

League of Legends fans question impartiality of Swiss stage draw

A total of 16 League of Legends esports teams started competing for the grand prize of the Summoner’s Cup at the annual LoL World Championship on Thursday. But some esports fans are questioning the fairness of the tournament. Controversy erupted Thursday night when an online post surfaced with a screenshot image of the Swiss stage draw. The Swiss stage is a newly introduced nonelimination tournament that offers a fixed number of matches, allowing the players to qualify for the next round b

More SportsOct. 20, 2023

American ace captures Triple Crown, veteran earns 1st career batting title in KBO

A first-year American pitcher made history, and a veteran outfielder captured his first career batting title, as the 2023 South Korean baseball regular season drew to a conclusion Tuesday night. NC Dinos starter Erick Fedde became the first foreign pitcher, and only the fourth pitcher overall, to win the Triple Crown in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history, as the league leader in wins, ERA and strikeouts. Fedde finished with 20 wins, 209 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA. He is also the fifth pitc

BaseballOct. 17, 2023

KBO postseason brackets set on final day of regular season

The 2023 regular season in South Korean baseball wrapped up Tuesday, with the playoff brackets finally set after all 10 clubs completed their 144-game schedule. The final postseason spot up for grabs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) was the No. 3 seed, and the defending champions SSG Landers claimed it with a 5-0 victory over the Doosan Bears on Tuesday. The NC Dinos, who were holding down the No. 3 spot Sunday, dropped their final two regular season games to end up in fourth place. Th

BaseballOct. 17, 2023

Korean sports administrator Kim Jae-youl elected as IOC member

South Korean sports administrator Kim Jae-youl was elected as a new member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday, becoming the 12th person from the country to join the top Olympic body. Kim, 55, was one of eight new members whose candidacy was ratified during the IOC Session in Mumbai, about a month after the IOC's Executive Board first recommended their nomination. The vote by IOC members at the session was considered a formality. A successful candidate needed a majority

More SportsOct. 17, 2023

Klinsmann hoping to keep beloved Lee Kang-in grounded: 'Pop star doesn't score goals'

As South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in walked off the pitch at Seoul World Cup Stadium, having contributed two goals in an eventual 4-0 win over Tunisia in a friendly, he seemed to bask in a thunderous ovation from an adoring crowd of some 59,000. Lee's national team head coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, isn't so sure if such a show of adulation is a good thing for the 22-year-old, who is especially popular among female fans. Lee, midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain, is one of South Korea'

SoccerOct. 14, 2023

Golf icon Pak Se-ri announces namesake LPGA Tour event

Five-time major winner and LPGA Hall of Famer Pak Se-ri is launching an LPGA Tour event named after her, set to take place in March 2024 in Palm Springs, California. The announcement of the Se Ri Pak LPGA Tour came during a press conference following the 2023 Maum Pak Se-ri World Match Golf Tournament at Stonegate Country Club in Gijang, Busan. The two-day event, hosted by Pak’s Hope Foundation, featured prominent sports figures like fellow LPGA Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, five-time LP

GolfOct. 12, 2023