Lions suffer 10th straight loss with veteran closer's latest collapse

Every defeat stings for baseball teams during a long losing streak, but for the Samsung Lions, their 10th straight "L" from Tuesday night probably hurt more than others. They were three outs away from ending their skid at nine games, with veteran closer Oh Seung-hwan taking the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning against the KT Wiz to protect a 3-2 lead. Just minutes later, the Wiz walked off with a 4-3 victory, courtesy of back-to-back solo home runs by Bae Jung-dae and Anthony Al

July 13, 2022

KBO-leading Landers acquire new pitcher Morimando, replace Nova

The SSG Landers announced Tuesday they have newly acquired left-hander Shawn Morimando, replacing him with injured former big leaguer Ivan Nova in their rotation. The Landers, currently leading the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 55-26-3 (wins-losses-ties), signed Morimando at up to US$230,000 for the rest of the season -- with $180,000 in guaranteed salary and a maximum $50,000 up for grabs in incentives. Morimando had been pitching in for the CTBC Brothers in the Chinese Professional Base

July 12, 2022

Heroes outfielder Lee Jung-hoo voted KBO's top player for June

Lee Jung-hoo, the hitting machine of an outfielder for the Kiwoom Heroes, was named South Korean baseball's top player for June on Monday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Lee won the voting for the Player of the Month award over four other candidates. Lee collected 23 out of 31 votes from the media, and 195,776 out of 364,694 votes from fans. He scored 63.94 in converted voting points, easily beating Park Byung-ho of the KT Wiz (17.12 points). For June, Lee led the KBO with

July 11, 2022

Pirates' Park Hoy-jun sent back to minors for 3rd time in 2022

The Pittsburgh Pirates' South Korean utility player Park Hoy-jun is going back to the minors, barely a month after getting called up for the second time this year. The Pirates optioned Park to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday (US local time), while reinstating a couple of players from the 10-day injured list. Park made the Opening Day roster in April but was demoted to the minors on April 22. He was called up on May 29 but was sent back down the very next day. The Pirates brought him back u

July 6, 2022

Key player's injury adds intrigue to battle for KBO postseason spots

An unfortunate injury to one of the best hitters in South Korean baseball is expected to turn an already compelling battle for postseason berths into an even more intriguing affair. The Kia Tigers have lost outfielder Socrates Brito for up to a month to a broken nose. The Dominican slugger took a fastball by SSG Landers starter Kim Kwang-hyun to the face during Saturday's game in Incheon, some 30 kilometers west of Seoul. Brito went down in immediate pain and was taken to a local hospital.

July 4, 2022

Rays' Choi Ji-man, Padres' Kim Ha-seong homer in victories

For the first time in Major League Baseball this season, two South Korean players have homered on the same day. Choi Ji-man of the Tampa Bay Rays smacked a solo home run in a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Sunday (local time). Hours later, Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres belted a two-run shot to help the club to a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in LA. Choi hadn't homered since June 18. Kim's drought had been even longer, as his last din

July 4, 2022

Bears ready to cut bait on reigning KBO MVP

Nearing the halfway point in the 2022 South Korean baseball season, the Doosan Bears still find themselves out of the postseason picture. They snapped a three-game slide on Sunday but remained in seventh place in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 32-37-1 (wins-losses-ties), 1.5 games out of the fifth and final playoff spot. The Bears have played in each of the past seven Korean Series, and that record-setting streak will end this year without the Bears even reaching the postseason unless

June 27, 2022

Star-crossed outfielder, downtrodden club stuck in long futility streak

Records are made to be broken in sports, even some dubious ones. In the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) this season, a particularly hard-luck hitter is closing in on a futility record, while a perennial punching bag of a team has already made some history, albeit for the wrong reasons. Kim Hun-gon of the Samsung Lions is looking for his first hit since May 27, 20 games ago. By going 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Kiwoom Heroes, Kim is now hitless in his past 43 plate appearances.

June 23, 2022

Pirates' Park Hoy-jun hits 1st home run of season in win

The Pittsburgh Pirates' South Korean infielder Park Hoy-jun has gone deep for the first time this season. Park smacked a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the third inning of a 4-3 victory at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Sunday (local time). Park jumped on a 2-2 sinker from Giants starter Alex Cobb and cut Pittsburgh's deficit to 2-1. The ball left Park's bat at 102.6 mph and traveled 393 feet over the right center field wall. Park started at second base

June 20, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin undergoes season-ending elbow operation

Toronto Blue Jays starter Ryu Hyun-jin has undergone season-ending elbow surgery, a procedure that will keep him out for at least a year. The Blue Jays announced Saturday in Toronto, before hosting the New York Yankees, that Ryu received "revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction with a flexor tendon repair." In simple terms, Ryu had Tommy John surgery. The club had been hoping that the South Korean pitcher would only need a partial, more minor repair, but it was decided during

June 19, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin to undergo season-ending elbow surgery

The Toronto Blue Jays' South Korean starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin will miss the rest of this season with ligament damage in his left elbow, an injury that also puts the rest of the 35-year-old's big league career in jeopardy. The team announced, prior to hosting the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto on Tuesday (local time), that Ryu will soon undergo a season-ending left elbow operation. The exact nature of the surgery has not been determined. Ryu will either have a full reconstruction on h

June 15, 2022

Pirates' Park Hoy-jun recalled from minors for 2nd time

The Pittsburgh Pirates have recalled their South Korean utility player Park Hoy-jun from the minors for the second time this season. The Pirates brought Park up from Triple-A Indianapolis before taking on the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Monday (local time). Park was not in the starting lineup. Park made the Opening Day roster and played five games in April before being optioned to the minors on April 22. The 26-year-old was called up on May 29 but was sent back down the

June 14, 2022

Injured Blue Jays' pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin 'a ways away' from returning: manager

The Toronto Blue Jays lost their South Korean starter Ryu Hyun-jin to arm problems following his outing on June 1. Nearly two weeks later, they still have no idea when he will be back. Following the Blue Jays' 6-0 win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday (local time), manager Charlie Montoyo said, "I don't even know how Ryu is right now." "He's a ways away," Montoyo told reporters. "I'm not saying he's done (for the seaso

June 13, 2022

Backup infielder making most of rare opportunity in KBO

After taking a circuitous route to the top South Korean professional baseball league, LG Twins' infielder Son Ho-young is trying to stake his claim as an everyday second baseman, not with his signature glove or speed, but with his bat. An opportunity has opened up for Son this month after veteran second baseman Seo Geon-chang was sidelined with an injury to his right side. Seo's initial backup, Song Chan-eui, enjoyed a good stretch in late May while spelling Seo, but has been quiet in

June 13, 2022

Rays' Choi Ji-man smacks 5th homer, takes team RBI lead

With his fifth home run of the season powering a nine-game hitting streak, Choi Ji-man of the Tampa Bay Rays has also taken the club lead in RBIs. Choi belted a two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Thursday (local time). Choi's blast proved to be the difference in the Rays' 2-1 victory, their third in a row. Batting third, the South Korean first baseman took starter Miles Mikolas over the right field fence with a line drive

June 10, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin to get 2nd opinion on elbow

The Toronto Blue Jays' South Korean starter Ryu Hyun-jin, out with a left forearm injury, will get a second opinion on his ailing arm this week in California, the club announced. General manager Ross Atkins told reporters on Tuesday, with the Blue Jays in Kansas City for a road series, that Ryu will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles on Thursday for an assessment. Ryu was placed on the 15-day injured list (IL) last Thursday with left forearm infla

June 8, 2022

Puig heating up as Heroes chase down 1st place in KBO

With their prized offseason acquisition heating up heading into summer, the Kiwoom Heroes are closing in on first place in South Korean baseball. Yasiel Puig, the former National League All-Star and the biggest name to arrive in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in the offseason, has finally begun to look like the hitter that the Heroes had envisioned he would be when they gave him a US$1 million contract in December. Puig is batting .361/.442/.639 in his past 10 games, with two home runs, 1

June 7, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin lands on injured list with left forearm inflammation

The Toronto Blue Jays' South Korean starter Ryu Hyun-jin has been sidelined with arm problems for the second time this season. The Blue Jays placed Ryu on the 15-day injured list (IL) with left forearm inflammation Thursday (Toronto time), a day after the left-hander pitched four innings against the Chicago White Sox through pain. Ryu gave up three runs -- one unearned -- on four hits in those four frames but was lifted after just 58 pitches with the Blue Jays leading 5-3. The team later an

June 3, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin surrenders 2 homers in abbreviated start

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays has served up two home runs in an outing for the first time this season, taking a no-decision in an abbreviated start against the Chicago White Sox. The South Korean left-hander was taken out after throwing only 58 pitches over four innings. He gave up three runs -- one unearned -- on four hits, and he struck out four without walking anybody. Three of those four hits went for extra bases. A.J. Pollock led off the game with a solo shot in the first, and Jose

June 2, 2022

Pirates' Park Hoy-jun called up to majors, thrown out at home in extra innings

Park Hoy-jun's first game in the majors in over a month didn't go the way he would have liked. The South Korean utility player was called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates before their road game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego on Sunday (local time). Park entered the game as the pinch runner in the top of the 10th inning but was thrown out at home plate in an ill-fated attempt to break the 2-2 tie. The Padres walked off on the Bucs with Trent Grisham's two-run b

May 30, 2022