KBO postseason contestants alter pitching plans

Both the Samsung Lions and the LG Twins have altered their pitching plans for the ongoing Korea Baseball Organization postseason series -- with the latter team deciding to switch things up after Monday's game was postponed due to rain. The two teams were scheduled to play Game 2 of their best-of-five series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 235 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Monday, but rain pushed the contest to Tuesday, back at the same venue. Speaking to reporters before the postp

Oct. 14, 2024

Wiz walk off Twins to stay alive in KBO postseason

The KT Wiz walked off the LG Twins 6-5 in 11 innings Wednesday to stay alive in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason. No. 9 hitters Sim Woo-jun delivered an infield single with the bases loaded in the bottom 11th before a sellout crowd of 17,600 at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of Seoul. The Wiz scored three times in the bottom of the third inning to rally from a 3-1 deficit before a sellout crowd of 17,600 at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of Seoul. Cleanup Kang Baek-ho gave the home

Oct. 9, 2024

[Graphic News] Ohtani’s Dodgers jersey tops 2024 MLB merchandise sales

According to MLB.com, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new superstar Shohei Ohtani topped merchandise sales this season, with his No. 17 jersey being the most popular. Ohtani, in his debut season with the Dodgers, made history by becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. This year, he recorded a .310 batting average, 54 home runs, 130 RBIs, 134 runs scored and 59 stolen bases, positioning him as a frontrunner for his third MVP title. Trailing Ohtani in

Oct. 9, 2024

Twins outlast Wiz to reach verge of KBO postseason series win

Powered by a pair of homers and a dominant relief outing from a young hurler, the LG Twins outlasted the KT Wiz 6-5 on Tuesday to move within a win of reaching the next round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason. Austin Dean slugged a three-run homer off starter Wes Benjamin in the fifth to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of Seoul, after Park Dong-won had opened the scoring with a solo homer in the second. Starter-turned-reliever Son Ju-young twirl

Oct. 8, 2024

Twins beat Wiz to even KBO postseason series

The LG Twins erased an early deficit to defeat the KT Wiz 7-2 on Sunday to even up their Korea Baseball Organization postseason series at one game apiece. Light-hitting infielder Shin Min-jae drove in three runs for the Twins, while the bottom third of their lineup contributed four hits, five runs, two RBIs and two steals on this rainy afternoon at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Twins starter Im Chan-kyu went 5 1/3 solid innings for his second career postseason victory in front of a sellout c

Oct. 6, 2024

Sidearmer, slugger team up for another postseason win

It was deja vu all over again for the KT Wiz pitcher Ko Young-pyo and first baseman Moon Sang-chul on Saturday. The last time these two played in the same postseason game in the Korea Baseball Organization, the Wiz defeated the LG Twins 3-2 in Game 1 of the Korean Series last November. Moon hit an RBI double in the top of the ninth, after Ko threw six solid innings in a no-decision at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. On Saturday, Moon smoked a two-run home run in the top second, and Ko tossed f

Oct. 5, 2024

Wiz edge out Twins to open KBO postseason series

The KT Wiz scored early and hung on for dear life to defeat the LG Twins 3-2 on Saturday to begin their South Korean baseball postseason series. Moon Sang-chul smoked a two-run home run in the top of the second inning at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, and No. 9 hitter Sim Woo-jun delivered an RBI double in the fifth for the narrow Game 1 victory in the first round. Before a sellout crowd of 23,750 fans, Wiz starter Ko Young-pyo tossed four innings of one-run ball just two days after making a

Oct. 5, 2024

Reigning Korean Series MVP wants another taste of championship; opponent seeks revenge

After helping his LG Twins end a 29-year title drought in South Korean baseball last year, shortstop Oh Ji-hwan wants nothing more than another taste of the championship this year. With the Twins set to face the KT Wiz in the first round of the Korea Baseball Organization postseason Saturday afternoon, Oh said the pressure may be off the shoulders of the Twins players. But that doesn't mean there is any less drive or motivation. "I want to keep winning," Oh said at Jamsil Baseball

Oct. 5, 2024

Opposing managers taking contrasting pitching plans into KBO postseason series

With his bullpen considerably weaker than the team's title run from a year ago, LG Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb said Saturday he will need his starters to munch up innings. In ending a 29-year title drought in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in 2023, the Twins leaned heavily on their bullpen. But gone is the closer from that season, Go Woo-suk, who signed with the San Diego Padres in January. Setup man Jung Woo-young just had his worst regular season of his career, and not many reli

Oct. 5, 2024

SF Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo back home after injury-shortened rookie season

The San Francisco Giants' outfielder Lee Jung-hoo returned home Tuesday following a rookie season cut short by a shoulder injury in May. Lee signed a six-year, $113 million contract with the Giants in December but only played in 37 games in 2024, after suffering a left shoulder injury on May 12. He crashed into the outfield wall at Oracle Park in San Francisco while trying to make a leaping catch in a game against the Cincinnati Reds. He was initially diagnosed with a left shoulder dislocat

Oct. 1, 2024

Hanwha Eagles lose final home game at oldest KBO stadium

The Hanwha Eagles lost their final home game at the oldest stadium in the South Korean professional baseball league Sunday. The Eagles fell to the NC Dinos 7-2 at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul, to finish off their 2024 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season at 66-76-2 (wins-losses-ties). Opened in 1964, the stadium had been the oldest ballpark in the KBO and also the smallest in the league with a capacity of 12,000. The KBO had its first season in 1982,

Sept. 29, 2024

LG Twins breaks KBO single-season attendance record

The defending South Korean baseball champions LG Twins broke the single-season attendance record Thursday. The Twins drew 21,593 fans for their home game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Thursday. With that, the Twins reached 1,397,499 fans for the season, surpassing the previous record of 1,380,018 fans drawn by the Lotte Giants in 2009. The Twins lead the 10-team Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in attendance this season. They are one of six teams to have attra

Sept. 26, 2024

Bears defeat Dinos to move closer to KBO postseason spot

The Doosan Bears smacked three home runs, including a pair by No. 8 hitter Kang Seung-ho, as they defeated the NC Dinos 10-5 at home to step closer to a postseason berth in the Korea Baseball Organization on Tuesday. Kang slapped a go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the second inning at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in the capital city, before delivering a two-run shot that extended the Bears' lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning. Jared Young added a two-run homer of his own in the three-run f

Sept. 24, 2024

Tigers pitcher Stout out for season with hamstring injury

The Kia Tigers announced Friday their temporary foreign pitcher Eric Stout will miss the rest of the regular season with a hamstring injury. The Tigers, the 2024 regular-season champions in the Korea Baseball Organization, said Stout was diagnosed with a left hamstring injury that will keep him from pitching again this season. The Tigers, who clinched the best regular-season record on Tuesday, have six games remaining. Stout suffered the injury after delivering a pitch during Thursday's gam

Sept. 20, 2024

Ex-MLB All-Star Choo Shin-soo pushes retirement ceremony to next year

The retiring South Korean baseball star Choo Shin-soo has decided to postpone a celebration of his long professional career to next year. The SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Friday that Choo, who plans to hang up his spikes after this season, asked the club not to hold his retirement ceremony this year. According to the Landers, Choo said he didn't want to be a distraction during the club's fight for a postseason spot. With their game on Friday rained out

Sept. 20, 2024

KBO surpasses 10 mln in attendance

The top South Korean baseball league surpassed the 10-million mark in attendance Sunday, clearing yet another milestone in its record-breaking season. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said its 10 clubs have now combined for over 10 million fans after four games Sunday. Prior to Sunday, the league's attendance sat at 9,943,674. The KBO established a single-season attendance record Aug. 18 with 8,475,664 fans, eclipsing the previous mark of 8,400,688 from 2017. Fans have kept flocking to

Sept. 15, 2024

Lions slugger Park Byung-ho becomes 3rd KBO player to hit 400 home runs

Park Byung-ho of the Samsung Lions became the third player in South Korean baseball to hit 400 home runs Wednesday. Park belted his 400th homer to lead off the bottom of the second inning against the Doosan Bears in their Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, some 230 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Park drove a forkball from Bears starter Choi Seung-yong over the right-center field fence for the milestone. He has now homered in four consecutive games.

Sept. 4, 2024

Ex-baseball player ordered to pay W800m won to Padres' Kim Ha-seong in contract dispute case

A former baseball player has been ordered to pay a substantial penalty to San Diego Padres' shortstop Kim Ha-seong for violating an agreement between the two. The Seoul Central District Court ruled in Kim's favor on Friday in a lawsuit against Lim Hye-dong for breach of contract, mandating the defendant to pay 800 million won ($597,000). The dispute originated from a scuffle between the two at a Seoul bar in February 2021. Lim had demanded a settlement from Kim, who was then completi

Aug. 31, 2024

Korean-ethnic high school wins prestigious Japanese baseball tournament

TOKYO -- A Korean-ethnic high school in Japan won a prestigious national baseball championship for the first time on Friday. Kyoto International High School defeated Kanto Daiichi High School in the final of the National High School Baseball Championship, better known as "Summer Koshien," by the score of 2-1 in extra innings at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, just west of Osaka. Kyoto International was founded in 1963 as an ethnic institution for students of Korean descent. S

Aug. 23, 2024

KBO's new strikeout king proves nice guys can finish first

Kia Tigers left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong was crowned the new career strikeout king in South Korean baseball Wednesday, proving that nice guys can finish first in sports. Yang struck out Yoon Dong-hee of the Lotte Giants in the top of the third inning of the teams' Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul. It was Yang's 2,049th career strikeout, moving him past former Hanwha Eagles pitcher Song Jin-

Aug. 21, 2024