S. Korean Kim Sei-young captures 1st career LPGA major title

With a ruthlessly dominant performance, South Korean LPGA star Kim Sei-young has finally broken through with her maiden major title. Kim captured the KPMG Women's PGA Championship by five strokes Sunday (local time) at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, for her 11th career title and first at one of LPGA's five major tournaments. Kim, world No. 7, carded a bogey-free round of seven-under 63 in the final round at the par-70, 6,577-yard track, for a four-round total of 14-under

GolfOct. 12, 2020

Under eased social distancing rules, baseball league to reopen stadiums on Tuesday

With social distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic eased across the nation, the top baseball league here will reopen stadium gates on Tuesday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) made the announcement on Sunday, hours after the government decided to lower the level of social distancing restrictions from Level 2 to Level 1, the lowest in the three-tier system. The government said teams could admit crowds of up to 30 percent of their stadium capacity. But to maintain sufficient dist

BaseballOct. 11, 2020

Men's nat'l football teams set for rare exhibition matches

South Korean football fans will be treated to a pair of exhibition matches between their two men's national teams this month, with the first showdown set for Friday, the Hangeul Day holiday. The senior national team will face the under-23 Olympic squad at 8 p.m. Friday at Goyang Stadium. The second match is back at the same venue next Monday, also an 8 p.m. kickoff. These are the first meetings of the senior team and the U-23 team in 24 years. The senior team boss Paulo Bento and his counterp

SoccerOct. 8, 2020

Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun comes home following successful rookie campaign

  He has come home again. After a whirlwind but outstanding rookie season with the St. Louis Cardinals, South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun returned home Wednesday, four days after his club was eliminated from the first round of the postseason. Kim will be reunited with his family after serving his mandatory 14-day quarantine. Kim's wife and two children greeted him at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul, though they couldn't get close to one another because of quarantine re

BaseballOct. 7, 2020

Surprise LPGA major champion working on long game in pursuit of 2nd big win

South Korean LPGA player Lee Mi-rim chipped and putted her way to a stunning major title last month, and ahead of another major tournament this week, she has been working on her long game. Lee is entering the KPGA Women's PGA Championship, set to open at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on Thursday (local time), as a player to watch. She won the ANA Inspiration in a playoff last month for her first career LPGA major title, and she chipped in for two birdies and an eagle in

GolfOct. 7, 2020

He does it again: Rays' Choi Ji-man homers off Yankees' Gerrit Cole in ALDS

Choi Ji-man hits Gerrit Cole like few others in Major League Baseball (MLB). Choi, the South Korean first baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, blasted a two-run homer off the New York Yankees' ace in Game 1 of their American League Division Series (ALDS) at Petco Park in San Diego on Monday (local time). It was Choi's fourth career home run and 10th hit in 19 career at-bats against Cole, including postseasons. Choi also has 10 RBIs against the right-handed fireballer. The ball left Choi's bat at 1

BaseballOct. 6, 2020

[Herald Interview] Looking at the future of esports

Gen.G Esports kicked off the 2020 League of Legends World Championships in Shanghai with two victories, besting North America and China over the weekend. As the players bowed to the audience following their victories, the team’s new uniforms caught the attention of many. The new LoL team uniform is just one of the efforts by Gen.G to succeed on all fronts. In July, Gen.G brought onboard designer, artist and DJ Heron Preston as its executive brand adviser. The appointment reflected th

More SportsOct. 6, 2020

Ahead of long-awaited matches, U-23 nat'l football coach feels alive again

PAJU -- It has been nine months since the South Korean men's under-23 national football team played a match, and for head coach Kim Hak-bum, the pair of exhibitions against the senior national team couldn't have come a day sooner. "I feel alive again," Kim said Monday after arriving at the National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, just north of Seoul, to open mini-training camp for his squad. The U-23 team will face the senior side on Friday and next Monday. "I think the players a

SoccerOct. 5, 2020

LoL Worlds play-ins: A miracle for the underdogs

Leading up to the 2020 League of Legends World Championships, many knew this year would be different. COVID-19 not only put an end to travel across China for the 10th year of LoL esports, but also made it impossible for teams from Vietnam to participate -- they were considered dark horses in the tournament. The South Korean members of PSG Talon would have to join the team later than planned due to quarantine and visa issues. Also, all players aside from the Chinese teams had to go through a m

More SportsOct. 2, 2020

[Newsmaker] Ryu Hyun-jin's successful 1st season with Blue Jays ends with postseason elimination

What has largely been a successful season as a new ace for the Toronto Blue Jays has ended on a bitter note for Ryu Hyun-jin. Ryu was torched for seven runs on eight hits in his season-low 1 2/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 of the American League wild-card series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Wednesday (local time). The Blue Jays lost 8-2 and were eliminated from the best-of-three series 2-0. They lost the opener 3-1 on Tuesday. This was the Blue Jays' first

BaseballOct. 1, 2020

S. Korean baseball fans thankful for early morning MLB postseason

South Korean baseball fans will have a lot to thank for this week. On the morning of Thursday, which also happens to be Chuseok, or the Korean Thanksgiving, two South Korean pitchers will start postseason games for their respective clubs. Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays will be on the hill for Game 2 of the American League (AL) Wild Card Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, starting at 5 a.m. Korean time at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. One hour later, Kim Kwang-hyun of the

BaseballSept. 29, 2020

Rangers' Choo Shin-soo bunts for single in final at-bat of 2020

If indeed this was his final at-bat for the Texas Rangers, South Korean veteran Choo Shin-soo has gone out in the only way he knows how: playing hard. With his family watching from the stands, Choo came off the injured list and put a bunt down for a single against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday (local time). Choo was lifted for a pinch runner after spraining his left ankle on that play. The 38-year-old outfielder/designated hitter had been out since Sept

BaseballSept. 28, 2020

Tokyo organizers outline steps for 'simplified' Games

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics on Friday proposed cutting back the number of staff at next year's Summer Games and shortening the opening period for training venues, as part of a plan to hold a streamlined event amid the pandemic. The Games, originally scheduled to start this summer, were postponed for a year by the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government due to the novel coronavirus. Since then, organisers and government officials have been looking at

Olympic GamesSept. 25, 2020

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin exorcises Yankees demon in crucial victory

When the team needed him the most, Ryu Hyun-jin rose to the occasion. With the Toronto Blue Jays a win away from clinching their first postseason in four years, Ryu threw seven scoreless innings for a 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on Thursday (local time). In the process, Ryu also exorcised his personal demons against the Yankees. It was his first career win over the Bronx Bombers in four career starts. In three previous outings, Ryu had gone 0-2 w

BaseballSept. 25, 2020

Tottenham's Son Heung-min stays hot in Europa League qualifier

When you're hot, you're hot. Son Heung-min scored a goal and set up two others, helping Tottenham Hotspur past Shkendija 3-1 in North Macedonia on Thursday (local time) in the third-round qualifying match at the UEFA Europa League. Fresh off a career-best four-goal performance against Southampton on Sunday, Son set up Erik Lamela's opening goal in the fifth minute. Then with the score level at 1-1, Son netted the go-ahead marker in the 70th by pouncing on a rebound after Lucas Moura's shot.

SoccerSept. 25, 2020

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin takes loss despite quality start vs. Phillies

Ryu Hyun-jin couldn't stop the bleeding for the Toronto Blue Jays, taking a tough-luck loss despite throwing a quality start against the Philadelphia Phillies. Ryu fell to 4-2 after giving up two runs on six hits in six innings against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Saturday (local time), with most of the damage being done in the fifth inning. The bullpen took over to begin the bottom seventh with the Blue Jays down 2-1, and they went on to lose by 3-1 after managing jus

BaseballSept. 20, 2020

Damwon Gaming No. 2 in ESPN LoL Worlds power rankings

As the 2020 League of Legends World Championship looms closer with the opening ceremony on Sept. 25, ESPN released its annual power rankings for the teams competing this year, Wednesday. Damwon Gaming, the top-seeded team coming out of LoL Champions Korea, placed second out of the 22 teams participating in the event, as ranked by the four ESPN analysts. To no surprise, analysts of ESPN assessed China’s first seed Top Esports as the strongest team coming into the event, as did most other

More SportsSept. 19, 2020

Ex-major leaguer White out for KBO season with broken hand

The South Korean stint for former major leaguer Tyler White has ended prematurely due to a hand injury. The SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization said Friday that White has been ruled out for eight weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. With the regular season set to end on Nov. 2 and the Wyverns out of playoff contention, White is done for the year after just nine games with the Wyverns. White was hit in the left hand by a pitch from NC Dinos' starter Drew Rucinski in Thursday's

BaseballSept. 18, 2020

Changes at top, bottom of K League table looming

By Sunday evening, there could be a new team at the top of South Korean football for the first time in two months. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will try to overtake Ulsan Hyundai FC for first place in the K League 1 when they both take the field Sunday. By beating Ulsan 2-1 on Tuesday, Jeonbuk closed the gap to two points, 47-45. The win also snapped Jeonbuk's season-high winless skid at three. In a winnable match on Sunday, Jeonbuk will host Busan IPark, who are stuck in 10th place with 21 point

SoccerSept. 18, 2020

Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun at efficient best in impressive return from ailment

In his young major league career so far, the St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean starter Kim Kwang-hyun has been an efficient pitcher, someone who pitches to contact after soft contact without overextending himself. And his latest start, against the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee on Monday (local time), was the perfect encapsulation of qualities that have made Kim such a reliable starter in 2020. Kim held the Brewers to three hits over seven shutout innings, while striking out six. Both the inn

BaseballSept. 15, 2020