It’s been a long time coming for right-hander Lim Chang-yong of the Samsung Lions ― 2,408 days, to be exact.

Recently released by the Chicago Cubs, Lim, who rejoined his former Korea Baseball Organization club before the start of this season, picked up his first win of the year on Sunday against the SK Wyverns.

The Lions defeated the Wyverns 10-9, and Lim, 37, was credited with the win thanks to 1 2/3 innings of scoreless work in relief.

Lim’s previous KBO appearance had come on Oct. 5, 2007, and his last victory in the top domestic league had been on Sept. 9, 2007.

Lim left for Japan after the 2007 season here and signed with the Yakult Swallows. He pitched five seasons in Japan and then signed with the Cubs before the 2013 season.

Lim pitched in 21 minor league games while recovering from his second Tommy John operation to repair ligament damage in his pitching elbow, but made only six big league appearances, posting a 5.40 ERA in five innings with no win-loss record.

The Cubs released him in March, and the veteran returned to the KBO club that he’d played for from 1999 to 2007. He is expected to fill the void in the closer’s role, following the departure of the previous closer Oh Seung-hwan to Japan. Oh, the KBO’s all-time leader with 277 career saves, is now pitching for the Hanshin Tigers.

Confident NC Dinos in first place

Confident and resilient, the NC Dinos, playing in their second season in the Korea Baseball Organization, climbed into the sole possession of first place over the weekend.

The Dinos enjoyed a three-game sweep of the LG Twins on the road in Seoul from Friday to Sunday, capping it off with a 5-4 win in 12 innings.

They’re 8-4 so far this year and are tops in the league in team batting average (.303) and ERA (3.65).

The expansion club opened the inaugural 2013 season with a seven-game losing streak but played near .500 ball in the second half, en route to a seventh-place finish. They posted better records than two of the incumbents, the Kia Tigers and the Hanwha Eagles.

They’re off to a much better start in 2014. They opened the weekend series against the Twins with a 12-11 win on Friday, with Mo Chang-min breaking a deadlock with a solo shot in the top of the ninth. They enjoyed a 10-1 drubbing on Saturday. Nursing a 2-0 lead, the Dinos added three runs in the top of the seventh and tagged on five more for good measure in the ninth. (Yonhap)