KBO's career saves leader eligible to return from gambling suspension Tuesday

Oh Seung-hwan, the all-time saves leader in South Korean baseball, made his long-awaited return to home soil on Tuesday with one inning of relief work. Oh pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Samsung Lions in their 5-3 loss to the Kiwoom Heroes at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. It was Oh's first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) appearance since Oct. 2, 2013, a span of 2,442 days. The 37-year-old right-hander pitched for the Lions from 2005 to 2013,

June 9, 2020

Last-place KBO club demotes 10 players to minors

Mired in last place in South Korean baseball during a 14-game losing streak, the Hanwha Eagles have demoted 10 players to the minor league. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club made the drastic move Monday evening, a few hours after naming their minor league manager Choi Won-ho as the interim skipper. Former manager Han Yong-duk resigned Sunday night after the Eagles fell to the NC Dinos 8-2 for their 14th consecutive loss. Choi had earlier reshuffled his coaching staff. "I felt l

June 9, 2020

Grounded Eagles: How KBO's worst team has lost 14 straight

These Eagles clearly aren't flying free. The Hanwha Eagles have lost their past 14 straight games in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), and their manager Han Yong-duk resigned following the most recent defeat Sunday. Before Saturday's game, the Eagles relieved five coaches on Han's staff of their duties and replaced them with minor league instructors. Then after Han's departure, they reshuffled the staff while naming their minor league skipper Choi Won-ho as the interim manager Monday. L

June 8, 2020

NC Dinos' ace Koo Chang-mo named KBO's top player for May

NC Dinos' starter Koo Chang-mo has been named South Korean baseball's top player for May. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Monday that Koo earned the first Player of the Month award for the 2020 season, after going 4-0 with a 0.51 ERA and 38 strikeouts in five starts during May. Koo tied Eric Jokisch of the Kiwoom Heroes for wins in May and led the league in ERA and strikeouts. This was Koo's first monthly player award in his five-year career. Koo earned 27 out of 30 votes cas

June 8, 2020

KBO's Hanwha Eagles name interim manager during 14-game slide

Mired in a 14-game losing streak, South Korean baseball club Hanwha Eagles on Monday promoted their minor league skipper to their interim manager. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team said Choi Won-ho will take over from Han Yong-duk, who resigned Sunday following the Eagles' 14th straight loss. The Eagles are now 7-23, dead last in the 10-team league. This will be Choi's first managerial stint in the KBO. The former pitcher had served as a minor league pitching coach for the LG Twins a

June 8, 2020

KBO club manager resigns after 14th straight loss

Hanwha Eagles' manager Han Yong-duk resigned from his post Sunday, moments after his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team lost its 14th consecutive game. The Eagles fell to the NC Dinos 8-2 at home in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, to tie their franchise mark for the longest losing slide. The worst losing skid in KBO history belongs to the now-defunct Sammi Superstars, which lost 18 in a row in 1985. The Eagles said Han told the team he would step down following Sunday's loss. T

June 7, 2020

After 2 wins, rookie KBO starter returns to minors to continue learning

After going 2-0 in his first two career starts in South Korea's top baseball league, Samsung Lions' left-hander Heo Yun-dong is headed back to the minors. And the 18-year-old Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) rookie is far from upset at the demotion, which, at first glance, may seem counterintuitive. Heo won both of his first two starts, including Wednesday against the LG Twins in Seoul. Why mess with success? "Whether it's my breaking ball command or fastball velocity, I still have so m

June 4, 2020

KBO slugger wishes fans were around to watch his 1st-place club

CHANGWON -- Having played more than 20 regular games before thousands of empty seats during the coronavirus pandemic, NC Dinos' designated hitter Na Sung-bum has grown accustomed to playing without fans. That does not mean Na does not miss them. With the Dinos having jumped out to the best record in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 19-6, Na feels fans in Changwon, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, are missing out. "It'd be great if fans were here to watch us win games," Na

June 4, 2020

S. Korean baseball's minor league to adopt 'robot umpires' in Aug.

South Korean baseball's minor league will start using "robot umpires" in August, a league official said Thursday. The official with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said about 20 games in the Futures League will have the automated ball-strike system in place this season, and it will be used for the entire 2021 season. The KBO's top league may follow suit as early as 2022. Though the system is colloquially called the robot umpire, it doesn't involve any robots standing behind t

June 4, 2020

Secret to success for KBO ace: empty mind

CHANGWON -- At the tender age of 23, NC Dinos' starter Koo Chang-mo may already have become the ultimate Zen master in South Korean baseball. He has figured out how to pitch with an empty mind, a state where he is clear of unnecessary thoughts and his focus is solely on his target. "When I am on the mound, I am not thinking of anything else but trying to hit the catcher's mitt," Koo told reporters Wednesday prior to a Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season game versus the

June 4, 2020

KBO ace by the numbers: statistical breakdown of Dinos starter Koo Chang-mo's memorable May

For baseball pitchers, throwing strikes is much easier said than done. If they could all do it at will, baseball would be a much simpler game for them. It's only the elite few that can do it at a rate that makes them successful. In the 2020 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season, the NC Dinos' Koo Chang-mo, the best starter after the first month by many measures, also leads the league in first pitch strike percentage. Koo tops all qualified pitchers with a first pitch strike rate of 76.4 pe

June 2, 2020

2 starting pitchers, 2 hitters nominated for KBO's top player award for May

Two aces and two hitters will contend for South Korean baseball's top player honor for the month of May. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) unveiled four candidates for the Player of the Month award Tuesday. They are NC Dinos' starter Koo Chang-mo, Kiwoom Heroes' starter Eric Jokisch, LG Twins' first baseman Roberto Ramos and Doosan Bears' designated hitter Jose Miguel Fernandez. Koo and Jokisch are tied for the league lead at four wins apiece. Koo is the sole leader in other Triple Crown

June 2, 2020

KBO's Doosan Bears happy for traded catcher's early success

Rare is a South Korean baseball team that feels genuinely happy for a player it has just traded away. But the Doosan Bears may prove to be an exception, after dealing their third-string catcher Lee Heung-ryun to the SK Wyverns last Friday. Trades aren't that common in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), with teams reluctant to make deals out of fears that players would often come back to haunt them in the small, 10-team league. Even the deals that are made don't move the needle much. The

June 1, 2020

KBO rookie pitcher eyes championship, long career

The Samsung Lions' rookie left-hander Heo Yun-dong readily admits he got lucky in his first professional start last week. Still just 18, the first-year hurler out of high school faced the Lotte Giants in his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) debut Thursday, filling in for injured starter Ben Lively. Heo promptly hit the first batter he faced, and two batters later, issued a walk to put two aboard for the dangerous slugger Lee Dae-ho. Lee turned on a 0-1 pitch and sent it soaring over the left

June 1, 2020

One month in, NC Dinos lead KBO behind young pitcher's breakout campaign

There are many different ways to measure the excellence of a baseball team. And sitting atop the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) standings after the first month of the season, the NC Dinos check off many boxes. Offense? They lead the league with 152 runs scored, a .370 on-base percentage and a .482 slugging percentage. Long balls? They have gone deep 35 times, more than any other club. Pitching? Their staff has the league-low 3.73 ERA, and they have given up fewer runs than anyone with 92. W

June 1, 2020

KBO manager wary of opposing lineup's explosive potential

The Lotte Giants have scored a grand total of five runs in their past four games in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) heading into their weekend series against the Doosan Bears starting Friday. But when the Bears' manager Kim Tae-hyoung looks across the diamond and into the opposing dugout, he sees a lineup that can go off at any moment. "Every team has its ups and downs, and the Giants' lineup can be really explosive," Kim said in his pregame media availability at Jamsil Stadiu

May 29, 2020

Struggling slugger shows signs of life in victory

SK Wyverns' slugger Choi Jeong had hit that proverbial rock bottom. He had the worst batting average among 61 qualified batters in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with .153 before Thursday's game against the Doosan Bears. The only way for him to go was up. Choi went 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs Thursday, helping the Wyverns to a 6-1 victory at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. Well, Choi is still the worst qualified hitter in the league, but at least his batting average went up to .17

May 29, 2020

Wyverns beat Bears to avoid KBO series sweep

The SK Wyverns defeated the Doosan Bears 6-1 to avoid getting swept in their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season series on Thursday. In his first career start, SK right-hander Lee Geun-wook tossed 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball, while slumping slugger Choi Jeong broke through with two doubles and three RBIs. The Wyverns remain in last place in the 10-team KBO with a 4-16 mark. The Bears fell to 12-8.   SK's No. 8 hitter Lee Hong-ku put his team on the board first with

May 28, 2020

Ex-MLB player Kang Jung-ho expresses desire to rejoin KBO's Heroes

Former major league player Kang Jung-ho told his ex-Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club Kiwoom Heroes on Thursday that he'd like to rejoin the team once his one-year suspension, stemming from past drunk driving cases, ends in 2021. The Heroes said Kang reached out to their general manager Kim Chi-hyun earlier Thursday and expressed his desire to be reunited with the club. Kang is currently staying in the United States. Kang, who left the Heroes via posting to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirat

May 28, 2020

Defensive outfielder brimming with confidence in batter's box

SUWON -- KT Wiz's outfielder Bae Jung-dae has been regarded as a glove-first player in his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) career. But this year, his fifth as a pro, Bae is making some noise with his bat. After extending his hitting streak to 12 games in Wednesday's game against the Kia Tigers, Bae said he's stepping up to the plate with much more confidence than before. "I tell myself, 'I am the best,' as I step into the batter's box," Bae said after going 3-for-4 with two double

May 28, 2020