KBO to notify MLB of Ryu’s availability

South Korea’s top baseball league said Thursday it will inform Major League Baseball of the availability of a star Korean pitcher for posting.The Korea Baseball Organization said it will notify MLB Friday that the Hanwha Eagles left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin will be up for a silent auction as part of the posting process.The Eagles announced on Monday this week that they will make Ryu available for interested MLB clubs, clearing the way for the pitcher to join the big leagues as early as 2013.Ryu becam

Nov. 1, 2012

Samsung Lions squeeze past SK Wyverns, one win from championship

 The Samsung Lions squeezed past the SK Wyverns 2-1 Wednesday to get to within one win of the South Korean professional baseball championship.In Game 5 of the Korean Series at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium, the Lions scored early on SK's shaky defense and held on for dear life to take the 3-2 series lead in the best-of-seven affair.The Lions can clinch their second straight title, and sixth overall, with a win Thursday night back at Jamsil.The Lions got the first run in the bottom of the first. After a

Oct. 31, 2012

Long balls dominating Korean Series

A time-worn baseball adage says pitching and defense win championships. Four games into the championship final in South Korean baseball, though, you can forget about at least the pitching part.The Samsung Lions and the SK Wyverns are knotted at 2-2 in the best-of-seven Korean Series. And whoever claims the Korea Baseball Organization crown, it will likely be in spite of their pitching, because the series has turned into a home-run slugfest.This is the third straight Korean Series between these t

Oct. 30, 2012

Lotte Giants baseball manager Yang Seung-ho resigns

The Lotte Giants' manager Yang Seung-ho has resigned from his post, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team announced Tuesday, to take the fall for the club's failure to reach a final during his two-year tenure.The Busan-based Giants said Yang had offered to step down in a meeting with the team president, Chang Byung-soo, last Wednesday, and the management decided to accept his resignation offer.Yang, 52, replaced Jerry Royster as the Giants' manager in October 2010. Royster, the first Americ

Oct. 30, 2012

SK Wyverns beat Samsung Lions to even Korean Series

(Yonhap News) -- The SK Wyverns got past the Samsung Lions 4-1 Monday to even the ongoing South Korean baseball championship series.In Game 4 of the Korean Series at Munhak Stadium here, west of Seoul, Park Jae-sang and Choi Jeong blasted back-to-back home runs in the fourth and the bullpen held the opponents to two hits over the final four innings for the home team Wyverns. They have now won two straight after losing the first two in this best-of-seven affair.This is the third straight Korean S

Oct. 29, 2012

It’s a Giants World after all

DETROIT (AP) ― Marco Scutaro singled home the tiebreaking run in the 10th inning, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Detroit Tigers 4-3 on Sunday night to complete a four-game sweep and win their second World Series title in three years.Ryan Theriot, who went hitless for St. Louis in Game 7 of last year’s Series, singled softly into right field off Phil Coke opening the 10th.Brandon Crawford sacrificed, nearly bunting the ball past Coke. Angel Pagan struck out and Scutaro singled into short c

Oct. 29, 2012

Giants shut out Tigers

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Long ball one night, a Giant dose of small ball the next.Two wins in two games and suddenly San Francisco doesn’t need to dig itself out of a postseason hole for a change.Madison Bumgarner shut down the Detroit Tigers for seven innings, then the Giants took advantage of a bunt that stayed fair to eke out the go-ahead run in a 2-0 win Thursday night for a 2-0 edge in the World Series.Gregor Blanco’s single trickled to a stop inches fair on the infield dirt, setting up Brandon

Oct. 26, 2012

Samsung Lions beat SK Wyverns to take 2-0 lead

   DAEGU (Yonhap News) -- The Samsung Lions defeated the SK Wyverns 8-3 here Thursday to take the 2-0 series lead in the best-of-seven South Korean professional baseball final.   In Game 2 of the Korean Series at Daegu Baseball Stadium, Choi Hyung-woo hit a grand slam in the Lions' six-run third inning and starter Jang Won-sam pitched six strong innings, as the defending Korea Baseball Organization  champs got a step closer to their second straight crown.   The Lions and the Wyverns also squared

Oct. 25, 2012

Choo Shin-soo hopes to join winning club

A year away from free agency in Major League Baseball, South Korean outfielder Choo Shin-soo of the Cleveland Indians said Thursday he’d like to “play for a winning ball club.”Upon returning home from the 2012 major league season earlier in the day, Choo said at a press conference here that if he could choose a team, he would go with a title contender.“I grew up winning championships since I was young and I am used to winning,” the 30-year-old said. “And it’s been disappointing to go through the

Oct. 25, 2012

Sandoval‘s 3 HRs lead Giants to 8-3 romp in opener

Pablo Sandoval hit a record-equaling three home runs to help the San Francisco Giants down the Detroit Tigers 8-3 in the World Series opener Wednesday and put himself into the same class as Reggie Jackson, Babe Ruth and Albert Pujols.The vocal San Francisco crowd roared as the Venezuelan connected on his four at bats and drove in four runs.Pujols homered three times last year, Jackson accomplished the feat in 1977 and Ruth did it in 1926 and again in 1928.Justin Verlander, the reigning Cy Young

Oct. 25, 2012

Samsung Lions beat SK Wyverns to start Korean Series

The Samsung Lions defeated the SK Wyverns 3-1 on Wednesday in the opening game of the South Korean professional baseball final.At Daegu Baseball Stadium, slugger Lee Seung-yeop belted a two-run home run and the Lions‘ bullpen slammed the door shut on the Wyverns to start the best-of-seven Korean Series in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).In 29 previous Korean Series, the team that won the first game went on to capture the title 23 times. The opening game of the 1982 Korean Series ended in a

Oct. 24, 2012

Then there were 2

The past two champions of South Korean professional baseball will clash in the final for the third straight year.The defending champions Samsung Lions will host the SK Wyverns Wednesday in Daegu to open the championship Korean Series in the Korea Baseball Organization.The Lions knocked off the Wyverns in five games last year. In 2010, the Wyverns swept the Lions in four games to take their third championship in four seasons. This matchup marks the first time in the league’s 30-year history that

Oct. 23, 2012