Samsung Lions clinch 4th straight pennant in S. Korean baseball

Yamaico Navarro of Samsung LionsThe Samsung Lions clinched their fourth consecutive pennant in the top South Korean baseball league with a narrow victory on Wednesday.The Lions defeated the LG Twins 5-3 at their home in Daegu, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to secure first place in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season this year with one game remaining. Second baseman Yamaico Navarro hit a tie-breaking solo shot in the two-run eighth inning, as the Lions improved to 78-4

BaseballOct. 15, 2014

Giants walk off in 10th on Cards’ throwing error

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Once the Giants finally got a bunt down, the rest was easy. A wild throw by reliever Randy Choate on a bunt allowed Brandon Crawford to score the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants over the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Tuesday for a 2-1 lead in the NL Championship Series.Crawford drew an eight-pitch walk from Choate to begin the inning, ending a stretch of 16 straight Giants retired since Tim Hudson’s two-out single in the fourth. Af

BaseballOct. 15, 2014

Dodgers’ Ryu looks back on solid season

INCHEON (Yonhap) ― South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers returned home after putting together a solid sophomore season in Major League Baseball, vowing to improve himself in 2015.In a roller-coaster 2014 season, Ryu went 14-7 with a 3.38 ERA, numbers that easily could have been better had he avoided three trips to the disabled list.Ryu matched the win total from his rookie season in 2013 despite making four fewer starts, 30 to 26. His ERA this year was slightly higher comp

BaseballOct. 15, 2014

A blessing in disguise

INCHEON (Yonhap) ― Michelle Wie, the American LPGA Tour star of South Korean descent, has had an up-and-down season in 2014. Up: Wie has had two victories, including her first career major at the U.S. Women’s Open. Down: Wie has missed most of the past three months with a finger injury.As she gears up for a return to action in the land of her parents’ birth this week, Wie, who claims to be pain-free now, said her extended layoff may have been a blessing in disguise.“It was frustrating not to be

GolfOct. 15, 2014

S. Korea falls to Costa Rica in final football friendly of '14 at home

South Korea fell to Costa Rica 3-1 in their football friendly match on Tuesday, unable to contain the FIFA World Cup quarterfinalists in its final contest at home this year. (Yonhap)Midfielder Celso Borges scored twice and defender Oscar Duarte had another for the visitors, while forward Lee Dong-gook netted one for the home side before some 39,000 fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium.This was South Korean head coach Uli Stielike's second match; South Korea defeated Paraguay 2-0 in his debut here las

SoccerOct. 14, 2014

Postseason shines spotlight on moves ...of managers

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Ned Yost has the revved-up Kansas City Royals on track for their first World Series trip in 29 years. Still, in his first postseason as a manager, every choice he’s made has been dissected ― and, in many cases, flat-out destroyed.Bruce Bochy has the San Francisco Giants positioned for a third trip to the Fall Classic in five years. Yet before and after games, he’s had to justify all sorts of decisions.That’s playoff baseball. Every move is magnified, and the scrutiny is rele

BaseballOct. 14, 2014

LPGA phenom Lydia Ko not thinking about No. 1 ranking

 INCHEON (Yonhap) ― Even as she’s breathing down the neck of the world’s best golfers, LPGA Tour phenom Lydia Ko, currently ranked No. 3, said Tuesday she isn’t thinking about taking over the top spot yet.The 17-year-old New Zealander is in the land of her birth this week for the $2 million LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship, the only LPGA Tour stop in South Korea each year. It will be Ko’s first appearance at a tournament held in South Korea.“I think it’s going to be an awesome week, and I can’t wa

GolfOct. 14, 2014

Trouble at the top

ROME (AP) ― The Netherlands fell to another surprising loss and fellow continental powers Italy and Belgium also struggled in European Championship qualifying Monday, while Croatia showed off its goal-scoring credentials.Meanwhile, Wales stayed atop Group B with a 2-1 win over Cyprus and is on course to qualify for its first major championship, with the 2016 tournament in France expanded to 24 teams for the first time.Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson scored both goals as Iceland beat the Neth

SoccerOct. 14, 2014

Korea looks to make it two in a row

On paper, South Korea, ranked 63rd in the world, will be overmatched against the 15th-ranked Costa Rica in its football friendly scheduled for Tuesday in Seoul.Yet Uli Stielike, head coach for the home side, said on the eve of the match that he has confidence in his players to come through against the favored opponents.“Based on FIFA rankings, it may seem easy to see who will win this match,” Stielike said at a pre-match press conference Monday at Seoul World Cup Stadium, the venue for the match

SoccerOct. 13, 2014

Off with a bang

NAPA, California (AP) ― Bae Sang-moon built a big lead and was steady enough on the back nine at Silverado to win the Frys.com Open on Sunday in the first event of the new PGA Tour season.Bae missed a short birdie putt on the 18th that only affected the margin. He closed with a 1-over 73, the first player on the PGA Tour since Ben Crane at the St. Jude Classic in June to win with a final round over par.He won by two shots over Steven Bowditch, who closed with a 67 on a dry, hot day in the Napa V

GolfOct. 13, 2014

Wong homers in ninth as Cards edge Giants

ST. LOUIS (AP) ― Kolten Wong and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied again with their latest postseason power show, tying the NL Championship Series at a game apiece.After the final party at home plate, reality set in: They might be without Yadier Molina the rest of the way.Wong hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and the resilient Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 Sunday night.The Cardinals came back after losing Molina to a strained oblique muscle in the sixth. The A

BaseballOct. 13, 2014

Royals stay perfect, up 2-0

BALTIMORE (AP) ― Following another successful road show, the Royals are heading back to Kansas City with momentum and history on their side in the AL Championship Series.Alcides Escobar doubled in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, Mike Moustakas extended his home run-binge and the Royals remained perfect in the playoffs, beating the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 Saturday for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven matchup.Lorenzo Cain had four hits, scored twice and drove in a run for the wild-card Royals,

BaseballOct. 12, 2014

Feng rallies to win LPGA Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (AP) ― China’s Shanshan Feng rallied to win the LPGA Malaysia on Sunday for her fourth LPGA Tour title, playing a six-hole stretch on the back nine in 6 under.The 25-year-old Feng, four strokes behind Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum entering the round, closed with a bogey-free 8-under 63 for a three-stroke victory over Phatlum. Feng birdied Nos. 11-14 to tie Phatlum at 16 under and pulled away with a four-stroke swing when she holed a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th and Phatlum ma

GolfOct. 12, 2014

(Photo News) Gold in vault

North Korean veteran Ri Se-gwang won his first ever global title Sunday in the men’s vault as South Korea’s defending champion and Olympic gold medalist Yang Hak-seon fell on landing twice. Ri’s triumph followed his compatriot Hong Un-jong’s victory in the women’s vault Saturday at the worlds in Nanning, China. The 29-year-old Ri displayed two technically demanding vaults to collect 15.416 points. (Xinhua-Yonhap)

More SportsOct. 12, 2014

A study in contrasting offenses

BALTIMORE (AP) ― Speed versus power. The surprising Kansas City Royals and unflappable Baltimore Orioles are extremely similar with one significant exception: the fashion in which they score runs. The team that best utilizes its standard method of offense will likely win the best-of-seven AL Championship Series, which begins Friday night.Get ready for small ball versus long ball.Back in April, few could have predicted these two teams would be the last standing in the American League. But the fas

BaseballOct. 10, 2014