The South Korean baseball league said Thursday it will have a new tiebreaker game for the final postseason spot in the case of a tie between two teams. The new play-in game is one of several changes announced by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) ahead of the 2022 regular season, which begins Saturday with all 10 teams in action. In the KBO, the fifth-best team in the regular season faces th...

Former major league stars will visit Seoul in September for a global home run derby competition. Major League Baseball (MLB) announced Wednesday (US time) that its new bracket-style competition, called "Home Run Derby X," will make a stop in the South Korean capital on Sept. 17. London will host the event on July 9, and Mexico City will also get its look at former big league sluggers on Oct. 15...

It would have been unimaginable just a few years ago, but professional baseball is fighting to regain relevance in the national sporting landscape. From declining television ratings to discouraging poll numbers, there is plenty of evidence that suggests the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) isn't what it used to be: the undisputed king of professional sports in the country. TV ratings dropped s...

The top professional baseball league in South Korea will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, with the league's youngest franchise chasing their second straight crown while pitchers and batters across the league try to adjust to the expanded strike zone. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) had its inaugural season in March 1982 and it will turn 40 on Saturday, with the defending Korean Se...

Back home after two seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), SSG Landers pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun just wants to have fun. Pitching pro ball for 15 years has apparently provided the 33-year-old with a fresh perspective on his career. Make no mistake: Kim still takes his craft seriously, with his signature, easy smile often masking his intensity and competitive streak just beneath the surface. It's j...

Toronto Blue Jays' South Korean starter Ryu Hyun-jin will make his first spring training appearance on his 35th birthday in Florida this week. The Blue Jays have announced Ryu as their starter against the Detroit Tigers at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, at 1:07 p.m. Friday (local time), or 2:07 a.m. Saturday (Seoul time). The left-hander will turn 35 that day. Ryu will be the last among five ...

INCHEON -- When the SSG Landers signed former major league infielder Kevin Cron in December, they probably didn't think he'd be hitting below the Mendoza Line about halfway through the preseason. With the start of the regular season less than two weeks away, Cron is batting 3-for-19 (.158) with a home run and three RBIs in seven games in his first spring in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO)....

Former major leaguer Kang Jung-ho, whose once promising career was derailed by a series of off-field problems, is returning to baseball. The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Friday that they have signed their former All-Star shortstop to a one-year pact, extending a lifeline to a player who had abandoned a comeback bid two years ago. The Heroes said Kang will make...

As one of the biggest names to sign with a South Korean baseball club, former National League All-Star Yasiel Puig is off to a slow start in his first preseason for the Kiwoom Heroes while also causing minor controversy off the field. Though he has gone 1-for-9 with three strikeouts in his first four games prior to Thursday, the Cuban slugger hasn't seemed fazed by his sluggish performance. Earl...

South Korea's provisional roster for the baseball competition at this fall's Asian Games will be unveiled in early April, the country's professional league office said Wednesday, with the final roster expected to follow in early May. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), which oversees professional competition, said it will work closely with the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA), the a...

Pittsburgh Pirates' South Korean player Park Hoy-jun is scheduled to leave for the United States on Tuesday for spring training, having cleared all medical and administrative hurdles, his agency here said. An official with A•Spec Corp. said Park, a 25-year-old utility man, had recently tested positive for COVID-19 but had completed his mandatory quarantine. The official said it was a delay in ge...

The South Korean baseball league announced Monday its 10 clubs will jointly organize a farewell tour for the retiring star Lee Dae-ho this season. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said it wanted to celebrate Lee's accomplishments over the past two decades in the top league and in international competitions for the national team. Lee, who will turn 40 in June, will become the second player ...

Heo Koo-youn, a commentator for MBC, was nominated Friday to serve as the next head of South Korean professional baseball. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced that its board of directors advanced Heo's nomination as the new league commissioner to the general assembly, comprised of owners of its 10 clubs. Heo, 71, will become the KBO chief if his nomination is passed by a three-quart...

Even with no light visible at the end of the tunnel that is the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Korean baseball league plans to forge ahead with a full slate of regular season games in 2022. The first step toward that objective will come in the form of a preseason, which starts Saturday for all 10 teams. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has scheduled 16 exhibition games per team through March...

Baseball is never played on paper, but it is difficult not to be impressed by the starting rotation that the SSG Landers have put together for the upcoming Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season. By reuniting with their former franchise star Kim Kwang-hyun, who is returning after two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Landers have put three former major league starters on their staff. ...