JUPITER -- South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun switched teams this offseason, from the SK Wyverns in his native country to the St. Louis Cardinals in the majors. But both teams use red and white as their main colors of their uniforms. And when Kim donned his Cardinals uniform for the first time in spring training Wednesday, it brought back memories in more ways than one. "I was in full uniform, all the way down to the cleats, for the team meeting before practice," Kim recounted his o

INCHEON -- Toronto Blue Jays' South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin left the country Sunday for his first spring training with his new club in a new state, confident in his ability to deliver the goods with a clean bill of health. After spending seven years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ryu signed a four-year, $80 million free agent deal with the Blue Jays in December. In 2019, Ryu, who led all of baseball with a 2.32 ERA, finished runner-up in the National League (NL) Cy Young Award voting. As a

South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun left for the United States on Friday for his first spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals, determined to win a spot in the starting rotation as a major league rookie. Kim signed a two-year deal worth $8 million with the Cardinals in December. He'd spent the previous 12 seasons with the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization, putting together an All-Star career that included a regular season MVP award as a 20-year-old in 2008. Last year, Kim wen

South Korea stayed at No. 3 in the latest baseball's world rankings released Friday.The World Baseball Softball Confederation said South Korea will head into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as world No. 3 with 4,622 points, behind Japan (6,127) and the United States (4,676). Chinese Taipei is in fourth with 4,352 points.The WBSC rankings measure national team performance -- from under-12 to professional -- in WBSC-sanctioned international competitions over a four-year period.At the most recent WBSC tou

South Korean baseball club KT Wiz announced Tuesday they'll bring back outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. for his fourth straight year with the team.The Korea Baseball Organization team said Rojas, 29, has agreed to a new one-year deal worth up to $1.5 million. He'll make $800,000 in guaranteed salary, $500,000 in signing bonus and up to $200,000 in incentives.Rojas batted .322 with 24 home runs and 104 RBIs in 2019, and earned his first Golden Glove, awarded to the best overall player at each position. T

South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin, who recently signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, plans to participate in this week's Bosingak bell-ringing ceremony, a Seoul city official said Sunday.The annual ceremony is held at the Bosingak belfry in Jonggak, central Seoul, as a New Year's Eve celebration to greet the new year.Ryu plans to ring the bell, along with 11 other civilian representatives, including Pengsoo, a popular penguin character, at the start of New Year's Day. Ryu initially had a sched

In Canadian sports, 99 is a sacred number, for it was worn by one of the country's greatest athletes, the hockey legend Wayne Gretzky.Though in a different sport, South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin will now don No. 99 for the Toronto Blue Jays, which signed him to a four-year, US$80 million contract. Ryu has had that number throughout his pro career, which began in South Korea in 2006 and shifted to the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013. While No. 99 is retired across the National Hocke

South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin is scheduled to depart for Toronto on Christmas Day to finalize his contract with the Blue Jays, his Seoul-based agency said Tuesday.A•Spec Corp. said the 32-year-old left-hander will fly to Toronto on a 10:20 a.m. flight out of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Wednesday. The agency added Ryu will not speak with the press at the airport and will instead have his media availability here after he returns home from Toronto.The agency said Ryu w

South Korean free agent left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin has signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, a US report said.Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Sunday (US Eastern Time) that Ryu has agreed to a four-year deal worth $80 million, citing multiple sources. Other reports said the deal has a full no-trade clause and no opt outs.The Blue Jays have not yet confirmed the deal. If the deal is finalized, Ryu will be the second South Korean player to play for the Jays, after reliever Oh Seung-hwan, who spent half

South Korean free agent shortstop Oh Ji-hwan will be returning to his original club after all, following criticism of unreasonable demands at the negotiating table.The LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization announced on Friday that Oh has agreed to a four-year deal worth 4 billion won ($3.4 million). The deal includes a signing bonus of 1.6 billion won, and the 29-year-old will be making 600 million won in annual salary.Oh was drafted by the Twins out of high school in 2009 and has spent hi

South Korean left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, fulfilling his dream of pitching in the majors in his second crack.The Cardinals announced on Tuesday (local time) their signing of the 31-year-old pitcher and introduced him right away at a press conference at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The deal is reportedly worth $8 million for two years.In 2019, his 12th season with the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization, Kim went 17-6 with a 2.51 ERA and 180 strikeo

The top South Korean baseball league announced its 2020 regular season schedule on Monday.The Korea Baseball Organization said the new season will begin on March 28, making it the third straight regular season to open on a Saturday. The 10 clubs will each play 144 games.Defending champions the Doosan Bears will host the Lotte Giants at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul for a two-game opening series. Other opening weekend matchups are: the Kiwoom Heroes hosting the LG Twins at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seou

Yoon Suk-min, former MVP-winning pitcher in South Korean baseball, announced his retirement Friday at age 33.The Kia Tigers in the Korea Baseball Organization said Yoon has decided to call it a career, with his long rehab from a shoulder injury stalled."I've been trying to return to the mound, but I am in a situation where I can no longer pitch," Yoon said in a statement released by the Tigers. "Rather than taking up a spot on the team during my rehab, I wanted to give younger pla

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole has agreed to a record-setting nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees, US media reported Tuesday.Yahoo Sports, USA Today and MLB.com cited sources at the Major League Baseball owners' meetings in San Diego in reporting the deal, which was not immediately confirmed. Cole, 29, was widely considered the top free agent pitcher available this season after becoming a star with the Houston Astros.His reported deal comes just a da

South Korean free agent pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has been selected to the inaugural All-MLB Team.Major League Baseball announced its first-ever official star squad Tuesday (US Eastern Time) to recognize a season's worth of accomplishments, in line with other major professional sports leagues in North America.Ryu, who led all of baseball with a 2.32 ERA while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was one of five starting pitchers on the All-MLB Second Team. He was joined by Zack Greinke (Arizona Diam