The Korea Herald

Alvarez lifts Pirates past Tribe

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Pedro Alvarez had one of his best games yet. Still, it was a win by the Pittsburgh Pirates that had him really excited.Alvarez drove in a career-high six runs with his second two-homer game in two days, powering Pittsburgh past the Cleveland Indians 9-5 Sunday.“I’m just glad to help us win the series,” Alvarez said as music blared in the clubhouse following the Pirates’ second victory in three games, giving them a sixth series win in their last seven matchups.Alvarez seemed unfa

June 18, 2012

Nexen still on SK’s tail

Korea’s own “Moneyball” team, the Nexen Heroes, were still going strong Sunday after skyrocketing to the top at the beginning of May.After sitting at the top of the league from May 23-25, a first for the club since April 2009, the team has danced between second and third.Despite having the lowest budget, four million won ($3.5 million), out of the eight clubs, the team currently sits at joint second with the LG Twins after the game week.And it’s the sluggers of the club, mainly 25-year-old Kang

June 18, 2012

Teixeira, Yankees top Nationals in 14

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Entering the 14th inning, the New York Yankees were 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position, and Washington Nationals teen sensation Bryce Harper was 0 for 6 at the plate.The Yankees got off their goose egg. Harper didn’t.Mark Teixeira’s two-run double to the right-field corner made the difference Saturday as the Yankees won their eighth straight game, beating the Nationals 5-3.New York outfielder Dewayne Wise, who cut down a runner at the plate in the eighth inning to keep t

June 17, 2012

Choo hits 2 HRs but Reds sweep Indians

CINCINNATI (AP) ― This Cleveland-versus-Cincinnati series will be remembered for an inside fastball and a wagging finger.Don’t overlook that sweep, though.Brandon Phillips hit one of Cincinnati’s three homers and drove in four more runs on Thursday afternoon, leading the ailing Reds to a 12-5 victory and their first three-game sweep of the Indians since 2008.Joey Votto and Ryan Ludwick also homered for the Reds, who had a season-high 17 hits.“What a series!” Ludwick said. “What a win!”No surpris

June 15, 2012

Veteran sluggers still going strong

Samsung Lions slugger Lee Seung-yeop is well on his way to putting another notch in his belt with 500 career home runs, after previously notching his 2,000th career hit last month.After hitting a homer against Hanwha on Wednesday, Lee has 497 career home runs, with 159 in the Japanese league and 338 for the Lions, the only team he has ever played for in Korea. Lee has played in 1,197 games in 10 seasons in Korea and 797 games during his eight seasons in Japan.This season, the 35-year-old has 14

June 15, 2012

Cain throws perfect game

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Matt Cain pitched the 22nd perfect game in major league history and first for the Giants, striking out a career-high 14 and getting help from two spectacular catches to beat the Houston Astros 10-0 on Wednesday night.Cain’s 125-pitch masterpiece for San Francisco featured a pair of great plays by his corner outfielders, and he got pinch-hitter Jason Castro on a grounder to third for his 27th and final out with the sellout crowd of 42,298 roaring.At a ballpark where Barry Bon

June 14, 2012

Cueto, Votto lead Reds past Indians

CINCINNATI (AP) ― Johnny Cueto allowed only one runner to reach second base during his second complete game of the season, and Joey Votto hit a two-run homer on Tuesday night, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians in the opener of their intrastate series.Votto’s shot in the seventh inning off left-hander Tony Sipp made it 57 straight games with at least one home run at Great American Ball Park, the longest active streak in the majors. Votto added an RBI single a

June 13, 2012

Yanks shut out Braves

ATLANTA (AP) ― Ivan Nova said he didn’t have his best stuff, yet he was a big hit ― even at the plate ― in leading the New York Yankees back into first place.Nova combined with four relievers on a five-hitter and the Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves 3-0 on Monday night to claim a share of first place in the AL East for the first time in seven weeks.“Who would have thought it?” Yankees manager Joe Girardi asked. “I think there’s a lot of parity in the American League this year and I think there ar

June 12, 2012

Kipnis’ HR lifts Indians past Cards

ST. LOUIS (AP) ― Chris Perez insisted it was no big deal that his 20th consecutive save came against his old team. The body language begged to differ.The Cleveland Indians closer finished off a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday while battling an upset stomach that left him spitting up fluid between pitches. After getting Adron Chambers on a pop-up with a man on first for the final out, Perez went down to one knee.“I drank some warm water and I ran out there and it just didn’t se

June 11, 2012

Nats spoil Dice-K’s debut

BOSTON (AP) ― The Washington Nationals have quite a one-two punch in their starting rotation.Gio Gonzalez followed Stephen Strasburg’s strong effort a night earlier by pitching 6 1/3 effective innings to carry the Nationals to a 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.Gonzalez held Boston to two hits and no runs before leaving with two runners on in the seventh.“We’re talking about two guys that are such talented guys, they have great stuff,” said Nationals catcher Jesus Flores, who caught b

June 10, 2012

Struggling Tigers lose again, 4-2 to Indians

DETROIT (AP) ― Ubaldo Jimenez had walked more hitters than anybody in baseball this year, and it’s fair to say he’d been a bit of a bust since coming over to Cleveland in a big trade last season.“He’s better than that,” manager Manny Acta said Tuesday night. “Today was a step in the right direction.”Jimenez walked only one hitter, pitching impressively into the seventh inning, and the Indians hit three run-scoring triples off rookie Drew Smyly in a 4-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers.Jimenez (6-

June 6, 2012

Struggling Tigers lose again, 4-2 to Indians

Surging Giants sweep away Cubs

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Ryan Vogelsong kept thinking how steady all the other San Francisco starters have been over the past week. It weighed on his mind Monday morning before his outing.His turn, time to keep up and do his part. He delivered, all right.Vogelsong won his fourth straight decision, Buster Posey scored the go-ahead run on a double-play groundball by Joaquin Arias in the seventh inning and the Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Monday for a four-game sweep.San Francisco’s starters hav

June 5, 2012

Korean baseball attendance continues to rise

Korean baseball fans are coming out in full force this year and breaking attendance records, according to the Korean Baseball Organization on Tuesday.Since the season opened on April 7, the nation’s seven stadiums have seen more than 3 million fans come to enjoy the sport as of Tuesday.The KBO hit the mark just 186 games into the season, breaking last year’s record of 3 million fans in 227 games.On April 29, attendance numbers hit the million mark just 65 games into the season, and on May 18, th

June 5, 2012

Lee Dae-ho bags MVP award for May

Korean veteran slugger Lee Dae-ho has pumped up his Japanese performance this month, earning him the league’s MVP award for May.The Orix Buffaloes’ “Big Boy” Lee was named the Pacific League MVP for his offensive performance last month, making him the third Korean ever to receive the honor.Lee topped the charts with 28 hits, a batting average of .322 and eight home runs during the month, his second month in the Japanese league. Lee’s performance put him far ahead of Iguchi Tadahito of the Lotte

June 5, 2012

Twins take 2 of 3 from Tribe

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Now that the Minnesota Twins are winning, they hope they haven’t lost Joe Mauer for long.The former AL MVP and three-time batting champion sprained his right thumb and left the Twins’ 5-3 win over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday, Minnesota’s fifth victory in six games following a five-game losing streak.“Hopefully I’ll be back in there soon,” said Mauer, who singled home Minnesota’s first run and later walked and scored. “They (trainers) assured me I’m day to day.” The four-tim

June 4, 2012

Mauer snaps out of slump as Twins roll

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Joe Mauer knows how to break out of a slump.Mauer, who entered Saturday night’s game in an 0 for 10 skid, had three hits and three RBIs, including a two-run homer, to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 7-4 win over the Cleveland Indians. “I was making good contact,” Mauer said. “I felt pretty good.” Mauer had an RBI single in Minnesota’s four-run first inning. He also singled in the second and hit a two-run homer in the seventh off Tony Sipp.Trevor Plouffe’s one-out homer in the sixt

June 3, 2012

Lee enjoys big month

May was a big month for the Orix Buffaloes’ slugger Lee Dae-ho after hitting eight homers.Lee ended his second month in the Pacific League with a batting average of .277 which is likely to only keep rising as he ended the month with a six-game hitting streak. Up from .233 at the beginning of the month, Lee could possibly add more to the board on Saturday against the Tohuku Golden Eagles after a day’s rest.And looking at the number of homers Lee has this early in the season, it seems as though he

June 1, 2012

Chen, timely hitting lead Royals past Indians 6-3

CLEVELAND (AP) ― The Kansas City Royals are headed home on a high note.Wednesday’s 6-3 win over the Cleveland Indians was significant on several fronts for the Royals. The victory gave Kansas City a 5-4 road trip in which it won four of its last six games. The Royals, who are off Thursday, finished May with a 15-13 record, their first winning mark in the month since 2000.Kansas City, which took two of three in both Baltimore and Cleveland after losing two of three in New York to open the trip, i

May 31, 2012

Lee Dae-ho bashes season’s 10th homer

The Orix Buffaloes’ “Big Boy” Lee Dae-ho hit his 10th home run of the season on Monday, putting him first in the Pacific League and second in Japan. What’s surprising is that the 29-year-old is not only smashing balls into the upper deck at a record pace but doing it after only 100 days in Japan. Lee’s last homer against the Yokohama Baystars on Monday put him one ahead of Wily Pena of the Softbank Hawks, also of the Pacific League, and two behind the Tokyo Swallows’ Wladimir Balentien of the Ce

May 29, 2012

Sale has 15 strikeouts as White Sox clip Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) ― Chris Sale nearly made White Sox history in a dominating victory.Sale struck out a career-high 15, Adam Dunn hit a two-run homer and Chicago extended its winning streak to six games with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.“A special day ... it was awesome,” said Sale, who is from nearby Lakeland. “It’s nice, especially growing up and being kind of a Tampa Bay Rays fan. My uncle brought me here to the first game. It was the day after my birthday.” Sale

May 29, 2012

Sale has 15 strikeouts as White Sox clip Rays