T1, Faker victims of first postseason League of Legends upset

The postseason for 2020 League of Legends Champions Korea Summer season kicked off with Afreeca Freecs playing against T1 in a best-of-3 series on Wednesday and resulted in a major upset where Afreeca won 2-1. Many analysts had predicted victory for T1, as it won both rounds against Afreeca in the regular season. T1 was the fourth place team of the regular season and the nine-time LCK Champions while Afreeca Freecs was the fifth place team. There were many key points leading up to the Wednes

More SportsAug. 27, 2020

Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun determined to eat up more innings in 3rd MLB start

For his third major league start, St. Louis Cardinals' left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun will look to pitch as many innings as he can, using as few pitches as he can. The South Korean pitcher will take the mound in the first game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Thursday (local time). In a Zoom call with local media on the eve of his start, Kim said he's been told by his coaching staff that he should throw around 100 pitches. He made 57 pitches in his

BaseballAug. 27, 2020

Vietnam football coach Park Hang-seo honored for int'l success

HANOI -- Park Hang-seo, the South Korean head coach of the Vietnamese men's national football team, has received a state badge of honor for his accomplishments in his adopted home. The Vietnamese government bestowed the second class Order of Labor upon Park at a ceremony at the Vietnam Football Federation headquarters Thursday. This award is given to individuals with outstanding achievements in labor, creativity or national construction. Park is the first foreign national to receive a Labor O

SoccerAug. 27, 2020

KBO to mandate masks in dugouts during games, fine spitters

In response to a recent nationwide spike in new coronavirus cases, the South Korean baseball league announced Tuesday it will mandate face coverings in dugouts during games, with fines to be levied on multiple offenders. Effective immediately with Tuesday's games in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), players and coaches must wear masks while in their dugouts. Relief pitchers warming up in the bullpen and their bullpen catchers will be exempt from the rule. Seoul and a few other municipali

BaseballAug. 25, 2020

Top pitching prospect drafted by father's former KBO team

Highly touted high school pitching prospect Jang Jae-young has been drafted by the pro club that his father once managed. The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization announced Monday they chose the 18-year-old right-hander with their territorial pick. Each year, the 10 KBO clubs get to pick an amateur player based in their region in the territorial draft, with another, free-for-all amateur draft to follow later in the year. Jang is a senior at Duksoo High School in Seoul. The Heroes

SportsAug. 24, 2020

Clinging to KBO's top spot, NC Dinos set for 6-game homestand against bottom feeders

With their lead at the top of the South Korean baseball standings cut to one game, the NC Dinos will try to bounce back during a six-game homestand this week. Prior to their makeup game against the KT Wiz later Monday, the Dinos were nursing a one-game lead over the Kiwoom Heroes for first place in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The Dinos are just 6-10 this month, allowing the Heroes (13-7 in August) to all but erase the six-game gap at the end of July. Even the fourth-place Doosan

BaseballAug. 24, 2020

Top dogs, cellar dweller all victorious in K League

After playing their first 15 matches of the season without a victory, Incheon United have now won two consecutive matches. Just like that, their hopes of avoiding relegation from the top division K League 1 to the K League 2 next year are very much alive. The K League's cellar dweller defeated Suwon Samsung Bluewings, the club right above them in the 12-team table, by 1-0 on Saturday. Song Si-woo delivered the winning goal in the 69th, lifting Incheon to 11 points for the season. Suwon, who

SoccerAug. 24, 2020

Korean players in LCS hope to make Worlds

As major regions in League of Legends hold on to their seats with summer playoffs starting, many Korean players can be found in teams outside the LCK, hoping to qualify for the LoL World Championship starting in September at Shanghai. Korean players in North America particularly expressed hopes for LCK teams at Worlds and the determination to face them on the big stage. Of six teams in contention for three spots at Worlds in North America’s LCS, four teams have a Korean player in their

More SportsAug. 22, 2020

LCK announces transition to online for remainder of season

Riot Games Korea announced that the rest of the matches for the summer season will be held online, starting Friday, in response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the capital area. LoL Champions Korea had been holding matches in LoL Park Arena in Jongno, Seoul, without an audience since the start of the season before the resurgence of COVID-19. “As the spread of COVID-19 has recently worsened around Seoul, we believe stronger preemptive measures are necessary to ensure the safet

More SportsAug. 21, 2020

With ballparks closed again during pandemic, KBO's focus shifts to completing full season

As all ballparks across the nation closed again because of a recent surge in coronavirus cases, the goal now for the South Korean baseball league is to complete the season without disruption, a senior official said Thursday. Ryu Dae-hwan, secretary general of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), also acknowledged that a "Plan B" is in place whereby the 144-game regular season will be shortened in case of an outbreak in the league. The season opened May 5, instead of March 28 as or

BaseballAug. 20, 2020

Amid coronavirus surge, 3 more KBO clubs to play home games without fans

In response to a nationwide spike in coronavirus cases, three more baseball clubs announced Tuesday they'll join six others in playing home games without fans. On Tuesday alone, the Hanwha Eagles, the NC Dinos and the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization said they'll play upcoming home games behind closed doors. The Eagles are based in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, while the Dinos are in Changwon and the Lions are in Daegu, 450 kilometers and 300 kilometers southeast of

BaseballAug. 18, 2020

S. Korea's Kim nearly makes two aces in grabbing PGA lead

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- South Korea's Kim Si-woo aced one hole and lipped out on another hole-in-one bid Saturday on his way to grabbing a two-stroke lead at the US PGA Wyndham Championship. Sparkling on the same course where he won his first PGA title four years ago, Kim fired an eight-under par 62 to stand on 18-under 192 after 54 holes at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. Americans Rob Oppenheim, who shot 62, and Doc Redman, who fired a 63, shared second on 194 in search of

GolfAug. 16, 2020

KBO club closes stadium to fans as precaution

The South Korean baseball club SK Wyverns announced Sunday they will temporarily close their home stadium to fans as a precautionary measure during the coronavirus pandemic, following the action taken by their neighboring clubs currently under strict social distancing guidelines. The Wyverns, a Korea Baseball Organization club based in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, said they will not admit any fans to their upcoming, six-game homestand at SK Happy Dream Park, from Tuesday to next Sunday

BaseballAug. 16, 2020

Korean football league adjusts fixtures ahead of Asian club tournament

The top South Korean football league announced changes to its fixtures on Tuesday, a move designed to accommodate teams playing at a continental tournament in October. The six K League 1 matches set for Sept. 25-27 will be played Sept. 15-16. Matches set for Oct. 4 will instead take place Aug. 25-26. Four K League 1 clubs -- Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, FC Seoul and Ulsan Hyundai FC -- are competing in the annual Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. The tou

SoccerAug. 11, 2020

Veteran KBO slugger hits milestone home run

Kiwoom Heroes' slugger Park Byung-ho blasted a milestone home run on Tuesday, becoming only the second player in South Korean baseball history with seven straight 20-homer seasons. Park smacked a two-run homer off Warwick Saupold of the Hanwha Eagles in a Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. The opposite field shot at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul was Park's 20th of the season. With that, Park joined the retired slugger Lee Seung-yuop as the only pla

BaseballAug. 11, 2020

COVID-19 patient found to have attended KBO game; season to continue

A person who recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus was found on Tuesday to have attended a baseball game in Seoul, with the league office saying it has cooperated with health authorities in follow-up studies and the season will continue as scheduled. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said the fan went to a game between the Samsung Lions and the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul last Tuesday. The person showed fever two days later and tested positive for COVID-19

BaseballAug. 11, 2020

Four teams qualify for LCK playoffs while AFS likely to take last spot

T1 secured their playoff spot with a 2-0 victory over Team Dynamics on Sunday, leaving only one final ticket left for the taking. Four teams -- Damwon Gaming, DRX, Gen.G and T1 -- have secured playoff positions already and will battle in the playoffs over the next two weeks. Three teams technically have a chance to clench the final ticket to the playoffs, but all odds are in favor of Afreeca Freecs. Afreeca Freecs is far ahead of its competitors, KT Rolster and Sandbox Gaming, with an 8-6 r

More SportsAug. 10, 2020

Doosan Bears infielder Hur Kyoung-min voted KBO's top player for July

Doosan Bears infielder Hur Kyoung-min has been voted the best player in the South Korean professional baseball league for July, the sport's governing body said Sunday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Hur was named the Player of the Month for July, following voting from fans and the media. It is his first monthly MVP award since he joined the Doosan Bears in the KBO League in 2009. The infielder, who plays both as a third baseman and shortstop, batted .494/.538/.554 in July, with

BaseballAug. 9, 2020

DWG reigns atop LCK after defeating Gen.G

Damwon Gaming continues the team’s undefeated second round win streak in the League of Legends Champions Korea, defeating Gen.G in the opening match of the week Thursday to sit at first in the standings. Damwon Gaming, which recently placed second in global power rankings by ESPN after Invictus Gaming of China triumphed over Gen.G 2-1, finally beat them for the first time this year after losing both games in the spring and losing the first round of the summer. With a 12-2 record and an o

More SportsAug. 7, 2020

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin vows to perform well in next game

Toronto Blue Jays' starter Ryu Hyun-jin said Wednesday that he has refreshed his mind to get ready to make a turnaround from his worse-than-expected previous outings. "I performed poorly in the last games," the left-hander with his new short, neat haircut said in a video interview. "I had my hair cut to get myself up for the next match." He will start the game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday (US time). It is Ryu's third outing of

BaseballAug. 5, 2020