Hitting big league fastballs, defensive flexibility keys for San Diego-bound Kim Ha-seong

Once the South Korean star infielder Kim Ha-seong completes his reported move to the San Diego Padres, he will have to prove his considerable offensive talent and athleticism on defense will translate against hard-throwing big league arms. MLB.com and other US media reported Monday (local time) that Kim has agreed to a deal with the Padres. Financial terms of the contract, which is pending a physical, weren't immediately available.  Kim was posted for Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs on

Dec. 29, 2020

Posted KBO star Kim Ha-seong on way to US ahead of signing deadline

With at least one major league offer in tow, the posted South Korean All-Star shortstop Kim Ha-seong departed for the United States on Monday with his deadline to land a big league deal fast approaching. A-Spec Corporation, the Seoul-based agency for the Kiwoom Heroes‘ slugger, confirmed an earlier report that Kim left for the US on Monday. Kim, a 25-year-old coming off his first 30-homer season, was posted on Dec. 2. Under the terms of the posting agreement between the Korea Baseball O

Dec. 28, 2020

Ex-MLB hitter Jose Pirela signs with KBO's Lions

The Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Wednesday they have signed former major league hitter Jose Pirela. The team said the Venezuela-born Pirela signed a one-year deal worth up to $800,000, including a guaranteed salary of $500,000 and a signing bonus of $100,000. He can make up to $200,000 in incentives. Making his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2014, the 31-year old went .257 with 17 homeruns and 82 RBIs in 302 big league games for the Yankees, San Diego Pad

Dec. 16, 2020

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin named to All-MLB 2nd Team for 2nd straight year

South Korean major league pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has been picked for an All-MLB Team for the second straight season. The Toronto Blue Jays' left-hander was one of five starting pitchers for the All-MLB Second Team, unveiled by Major League Baseball (MLB) on Wednesday (US time). On the strength of a third-place finish in the American League (AL) Cy Young Award voting, Ryu made the Second Team again, after doing so as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019. He was the National League (NL) Cy

Dec. 10, 2020

KBO's MVP poised for another year-end trophy

The 2020 regular season MVP in South Korean baseball is poised to pick up another piece of hardware this month. Mel Rojas Jr. of the KT Wiz has been nominated for the Golden Glove in the outfield category, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Wednesday. The slugging right fielder captured the MVP award on Monday in a landslide after leading the KBO in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and runs scored. He became the sixth foreign player to take KBO's top individual award. Rojas J

Dec. 2, 2020

KBO asks MLB to post NC Dinos slugger Na Sung-bum

One of South Korea's premier sluggers will be knocking on the big league doors this winter. The Korea Baseball Organization announced Monday it has asked Major League Baseball to post NC Dinos outfielder Na Sung-bum for MLB's 30 clubs. The decision came after the Dinos requested the Korean league take that administrative step and give Na a chance to reach the big leagues. Under the posting system, any interested big league team will be able to negotiate with Na during a 30-day period. It will

Nov. 30, 2020

Dinos on verge of Korean Series title after shutting out Bears 5-0

The NC Dinos are one win away from capturing their first South Korean baseball championship. Starter Koo Chang-mo fired seven shutout innings, and cleanup Yang Eui-ji blasted a two-run home run in the bottom sixth, lifting the Dinos to a 5-0 victory in Game 5 of the Korean Series at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Monday. Yang's shot followed Aaron Altherr's tiebreaking RBI single in the fifth. The Dinos added two insurance runs in the seventh. After their second straight shutout, the Dinos lea

Nov. 23, 2020

KBO champions to be crowned before reduced crowd under tighter distancing rules

When the 2020 South Korean baseball championship is awarded this week, it will be done before a reduced crowd due to tighter social distancing rules in the capital region. The government decided on Sunday to enforce Level 2 distancing regulations for the greater Seoul area, the third-highest in South Korea's five-tier coronavirus alert system, effective Tuesday. The move was in response to the continued surge in COVID-19 cases in Seoul and surrounding regions, even after the distancing level wa

Nov. 22, 2020

KBO to allow clubs to cut salary in case of extraordinary events

Starting next year, South Korean baseball clubs will be allowed to reduce player salaries if the season is interrupted by extraordinary events. The Korea Baseball Organization announced Thursday that, following their board meeting, general managers from its 10 clubs agreed to add the "force majeure" clause into player contracts. Under that clause, teams will be able to cut wages without liability, if events beyond their control disrupt the season. Those events include an outbreak of

Nov. 19, 2020

Dinos' Altherr apologizes for refusing to wear mask during Korean Series

An American baseball player competing in the South Korean baseball championship series apologized on Wednesday for refusing to wear a mask during official pregame and postgame functions. Aaron Altherr of the NC Dinos skipped the award ceremony and his postgame press conference on Tuesday, after being named the Player of the Game in the Dinos' 5-3 victory over the Doosan Bears in Game 1 of the Korean Series. Altherr hit a three-run home run at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, but told the club and th

Nov. 18, 2020

Ties, more ties, walk-off blasts: a look at history of Korean Series

This is the 39th season of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) but starting Tuesday, the NC Dinos and the Doosan Bears will only be playing in the 38th Korean Series. So what happened in that one missing season? The very first Korean Series game, back in 1982, ended in a tie. Yes, even in games that matter the most, there are ties in the KBO. The answer to the above question and other factoids like tie games have helped shape the history of championship baseball in the country. The Korean S

Nov. 17, 2020

Rival right-handers to face each other to open S. Korean baseball championship series

Two right-handers will renew their regular season rivalry to open the South Korean baseball championship series on Tuesday. The NC Dinos and the Doosan Bears, two contestants of the Korean Series, each announced their Game 1 starters at Monday's media day. Right-hander Drew Rucinski will take the mound for the Dinos, the regular season champions who earned a bye to the Korean Series. The Bears will counter with right-hander Raul Alcantara. They finished third in the regular season and had to

Nov. 16, 2020

Wiz beat Bears to stay alive in KBO postseason

The KT Wiz will live to see at least another day in the South Korean baseball postseason. The Wiz defeated the Doosan Bears 5-2 to stave off elimination in the best-of-five penultimate round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason on Thursday. Starter William Cuevas fired eight strong innings, and the Wiz broke out for five runs with two outs in the top of the eighth inning for the victory at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. This was the Wiz's first postseason win in franchise history, w

Nov. 12, 2020

Proud second baseman has no regrets about retiring after 16 years in KBO

To hear Jeong Keun-woo tell it, his 16-year career in South Korean baseball has exceeded even his own expectations -- the way he performed, how much love his fans showed him and all the honors that he won. Now at 38, Jeong, considered one of the greatest second basemen in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history, has no second thoughts over hanging up his cleats. "It feels like yesterday I was crying tears of joy after getting drafted by a pro team," Jeong said Wednesday during his

Nov. 11, 2020

Defending KBO champions run into postseason debutants in penultimate round

In their march toward a second straight South Korean baseball championship, the Doosan Bears will be running into the Cinderella team of the season in the penultimate stage of the postseason. The KT Wiz, first-time participants in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason after joining the league in 2015, earned a bye into the best-of-five second round. They put up the second-best record in the regular season. The Bears, as No. 3 seed, had to play an extra round, and knocked off the LG T

Nov. 6, 2020

Two starters for Bears shortlisted for KBO's top player award for Oct.

The top two starting pitchers for the Doosan Bears have been shortlisted for the top player award for October in South Korean baseball. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced five candidates for the Player of the Month award for October, the final month of the regular season. Right-handers Chris Flexen and Raul Alcantara, the one-two punch at the top of the Bears' rotation, headline the list. Flexen, who'd missed time earlier in the year with injury, capped off his first KBO season w

Nov. 2, 2020

Interim manager for KBO club Wyverns resigns over team's poor performance

The interim manager for the South Korean baseball club SK Wyverns has resigned, leaving a leadership vacuum for a team coming off its worst season in 20 years. The Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Saturday bench coach Park Kyung-oan, who served as interim skipper in the absence of ailing Youm Kyoung-youb, expressed his intent to resign following their season finale from the previous night. The club accepted his resignation Saturday. Youm fell ill and briefly lost con

Oct. 31, 2020

KBO's SK Wyverns re-sign infielder, acquire 2 new pitchers

The SK Wyverns wasted no time filling up their foreign player quota for next season, as they retained a veteran Canadian infielder and newly acquired two pitchers less than 24 hours after finishing up a disappointing 2020 campaign. The Wyverns announced Saturday, one day after their final Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season game, that they have re-signed first baseman Jamie Romak for his fifth season. Then they added right-handers Wilmer Font and Artie Lewicki to their staff. The

Oct. 31, 2020

KT Wiz slugger Rojas Jr. comes up one category shy of KBO Triple Crown

He gave it a good run, but Mel Rojas Jr. of the KT Wiz has ultimately come up short of winning a South Korean baseball batting Triple Crown. The 30-year-old outfielder led the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in the regular season with 47 home runs and 135 RBIs. He built such substantial leads in those two categories down the stretch that the only suspense was whether he would also win the batting title and take home the Triple Crown. The best Rojas Jr. can hope for now is to finish second i

Oct. 31, 2020

Bears defeat Heroes in final KBO regular season game

Starter Raul Alcantara tossed eight shutout innings for his league-leading 20th win, as the Doosan Bears blanked the Kiwoom Heroes 2-0 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul to close out their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season on Friday. Alcantara lost his perfect game bid with two outs in the sixth inning, while allowing just two hits and striking out five to finish the season at 20-2 with a 2.54 ERA. The Bears scored a run in each of the first two innings, and Alcantara made tha

Oct. 30, 2020