Main S. Korean Olympic delegation arrives in Tokyo

NARITA -- The main South Korean delegation to the Tokyo Olympics arrived in Japan on Monday, four days ahead of the opening ceremony for the competition delayed one year by the coronavirus pandemic. Jang In-hwa, head of the delegation, led a team of 69 athletes and officials from sports such as archery, gymnastics, table tennis and fencing. South Korean athletes in sailing, football and shooting, among others, traveled to Japan earlier in the month. Swimmers and badminton players arrived on Mo

Olympic GamesJuly 19, 2021

S. Korea bracing for tough pitching vs. Israel in 1st game at Tokyo Olympics

The importance of the first game in South Korea's Olympic baseball title defense isn't lost on manager Kim Kyung-moon. South Korea's first game in Group B is against Israel on July 29. On paper, the third-ranked South Korea should have little trouble against the 24th-ranked Israel. But Kim thinks South Korea will be in trouble if his players take their opponent lightly. In particular, Kim said his hitters should be on guard against Israeli pitching. That's the preliminary report he received fr

Olympic GamesJuly 19, 2021

Mechanical tweak works wonders for Ryu Hyun-jin in shutout

Trying to regain consistency with his best pitch, the changeup, Toronto Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin put his head down and got to work in the bullpen during the All-Star break. And he came out throwing it as well as he has at any point this year. The South Korean left-hander rode the changeup to a seven-inning shutout of the Texas Rangers at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on Sunday (local time). Ryu held the opponents to three hits in the first game of a doubleheader for his first complete game

BaseballJuly 19, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin tosses 7-inning shutout to open 2nd half

Though it came in an abbreviated game, Ryu Hyun-jin will take a complete game shutout in any shape or form. The South Korean starter for the Toronto Blue Jays pitched a seven-inning shutout against the Texas Rangers to open the second half of the season at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on Sunday (local time), carrying Toronto to a 5-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader. Ryu gave up three hits and a walk while striking out four, after his scheduled start was pushed back by a day due to

BaseballJuly 19, 2021

Olympic football coach confident in team's health protocols

The South Korean men's Olympic football team almost had a brush with the novel coronavirus over the weekend, even before the start of their competition in Japan. Ryu Seung-min, a South Korean member of the International Olympic Committee, was diagnosed with COVID-19 after arriving in Japan on Saturday. The football team had been scheduled to be on the same flight with Ryu but took a different, earlier flight instead following a last-minute change. Given the recent surge in new cases in and aro

Olympic GamesJuly 18, 2021

Ex-MLB reliever Oh Seung-hwan named S. Korea's closer for Olympics

As roster decisions go, this was probably the easiest one to make for the South Korean Olympic baseball manager Kim Kyung-moon. During a press conference on Sunday at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Kim named Oh Seung-hwan, he of more than 400 professional saves in three different leagues, as his closer for the Tokyo Olympics. The 39-year-old right-hander for the Samsung Lions is the career saves leader in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history with 322. He is leading the league this year with 2

Olympic GamesJuly 18, 2021

Olympic champion catcher hoping for controversy-free gold medal in Tokyo

During South Korea's inexorable march to the baseball gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the defining moment for catcher Kang Min-ho came not in an at-bat or a defensive play but in an ejection. With South Korea nursing a 3-2 lead over Cuba in the bottom of the ninth inning in the gold medal showdown, Kang was tossed after arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Carlos Rey. The angry catcher slammed his mask into the ground and threw his mitt toward the dugout on his way out. Cu

Olympic GamesJuly 18, 2021

Fueled by home cooking, Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun puts on show for family

With his family watching him pitch in the majors in person for the first time, St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean starter Kim Kwang-hyun delivered an outstanding performance. While twirling six shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants in a 3-1 win at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Saturday (local time), Kim had to keep his emotions in check. "I tried not to get caught up in the thoughts of my family and just focus on the game at hand," Kim said in his postgame Zoom session. He

BaseballJuly 18, 2021

Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun shuts down Giants for 2nd time, extends scoreless streak to 21 innings

St. Louis Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun has shut down the best team in the majors once again. The South Korean left-hander tossed six scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants in a 3-1 victory at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Saturday (local time). By winning his fourth consecutive start, Kim improved to 5-5 for the year and lowered his ERA from 3.11 to 2.87. Kim's scoreless innings streak has now reached 21. The last run Kim allowed came in the third inning of a home game against the Ar

BaseballJuly 18, 2021

Pro baseball players fined by local health authorities for social distancing violation

Two baseball players have been fined by local health authorities for violating social distancing rules, in a new wrinkle to a damaging misconduct scandal that has rocked professional sports in the country. Gangnam Ward office in southern Seoul said Saturday evening that it has levied a fine on one player each from the Hanwha Eagles and the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for being involved in an illegal social gathering. The players also face a potential police investigat

BaseballJuly 18, 2021

KBO pitcher withdraws from Olympic baseball team after misconduct, replaced by ex-big leaguer

In the latest fallout from a COVID-19-related misconduct scandal, South Korean pitcher Han Hyun-hee withdrew from the Olympic baseball team Saturday. The right-hander was promptly replaced by former major league closer Oh Seung-hwan. Han, who pitches for the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), admitted to and apologized for leaving the team hotel on a road trip last week for drinks with a teammate and three other guests. Contact tracing and epidemiological studies are und

SportsJuly 17, 2021

8 K League matches postponed due to COVID-19

Eight matches in the top South Korean football league have been canceled due to a rising number of coronavirus infections across the circuit. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) announced Friday that eight matches scheduled for July in the first-tier K League 1 will be contested at a later date to guard against the further spread of COVID-19. Four clubs -- Seongnam FC, Jeju United, Daegu FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors -- have reported 18 positive COVID-19 cases so far. The eight

SoccerJuly 16, 2021

On cusp of MLB debut, minor leaguer Park Hoy-jun called up to Yankees' taxi squad

South Korean minor leaguer Park Hoy-jun was set to be called up by the New York Yankees this week in the Bronx, pushing the 25-year-old closer to his big league debut, an informed source told Yonhap News Agency. The source, requesting anonymity, said Park was being added to the major league taxi squad and "heading to New York on standby" on Thursday (local time). The Yankees were scheduled to host the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium that day to open the second half of the season, but

BaseballJuly 16, 2021

Olympic-bound male golfers take aim at medal

On paper, they may not jump off the page as medal contenders at the Tokyo Olympics. But Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo, representing South Korea in the Olympic men's golf tournament, understand the competition won't be played on paper. The two players qualified for the 60-man Olympic field as the top-two South Koreans on the world rankings as of June 21. Im, the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for 2018-2019, was No. 26. Kim, a three-time tour winner, sat at No. 49. They have since slipped a notch and

Olympic GamesJuly 15, 2021

Local official accuses baseball players of covering up social distancing violation

A local official handling contact tracing during the coronavirus pandemic is accusing professional baseball players of covering up an illegal gathering in violation of social distancing rules. The official from the Gangnam Ward office in southern Seoul told Yonhap News Agency on Thursday that players from the NC Dinos in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and their two outside guests initially didn't report their drinking session at an NC team hotel room in Seoul last week. In all, four Din

BaseballJuly 15, 2021

4 more players for Seongnam FC test positive for COVID-19

Seongnam FC said Thursday four additional players have been infected with the novel coronavirus, raising the total on the K League 1 football team to 15. Nine players and six staff members for Seongnam are now on the COVID-19 list. The first positive case for the K League 1 club was reported Sunday. The rest of the team, 46 players, coaches and staffers, immediately received polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Two players and five staffers received positive results Monday, followed by one

SoccerJuly 15, 2021

Choo Shin-soo to receive treatment, reunite with family in US during KBO break

South Korea-based former major leaguer Choo Shin-soo will spend the next two weeks in the United States to receive treatment and spend time with his family, his club announced Thursday. The SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Choo will depart for America on Saturday. He will have his left elbow and shoulder looked at by Dr. Keith Meister, the head physician for Choo's former major league club, Texas Rangers. After 16 seasons in the bigs, Choo signed with the Landers in Fe

BaseballJuly 15, 2021

Olympic baseball team adds teen pitcher to replace beleaguered infielder

Defending Olympic baseball champion South Korea added a left-handed pitcher to its roster Thursday, a day after an infielder took himself off the squad after breaching coronavirus safety protocols. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced that Lotte Giants' 19-year-old lefty Kim Jin-uk will be the 11th pitcher on the Olympic team. Kim, the first overall pick at last year's draft, has gone 2-5 with an 8.07 ERA in 29 innings so far in his rookie campaign. He has struck out 26 but walked 2

Olympic GamesJuly 15, 2021

S. Korea seeking bigger confidence boost in final Olympic football prep match vs. France

With South Korea set to take on France in their final Olympic men's football tuneup Friday, head coach Kim Hak-bum sees the match as another opportunity for his players to build confidence. As far as the coach is concerned, it doesn't necessarily have to be a victory. It can be a collection of small moments within the match, such as connecting on long-distance passes, foiling the opposition's counterattack opportunities or creating dangerous chances from set pieces. The kickoff between the two

Olympic GamesJuly 15, 2021

2 additional players for football club Seongnam test positive for COVID-19

South Korean football club Seongnam FC announced Wednesday two additional players have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the total on the team to 11. Previously, three players and six staff members from Seongnam had been infected with COVID-19. The first positive case for the K League 1 was reported Sunday. The rest of the team, 46 players, coaches and staffers, immediately received polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Seongnam said the two newly infected players had initi

SoccerJuly 14, 2021