Scrappy outfielders, infielders join KBO's 40th anniversary team

Speedy outfielders and slick-fielding infielders became the latest members of the commemorative team marking the 40th anniversary of professional baseball in South Korea on Monday. Since July, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has been revealing four new members for its 40 Legends team. The new quartet comprises: former outfielder Jeon Jun-ho, another ex-outfielder Lee Soon-chul, former second baseman Jeong Keun-woo and former shortstop Park Jin-man. Jeon, 34th in the voting by a panel of ex

Aug. 29, 2022

Reeling Heroes trying to hold on to 3rd place in KBO

On July 10, the Kiwoom Heroes, thanks to a three-game winning streak, sat only 2.5 games behind the SSG Landers for first place in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The Landers had been at the top of the standings since the start of the season, but the Heroes were making a hard push. Their record stood at 54-30-1 (wins-losses-ties). Fast forward to Tuesday, as the Heroes enter a new week of action in third place, now 13.5 games back of the Landers. The Heroes have gone 7-18-1 since July 10

Aug. 23, 2022

Looking to join MLB club, high school pitching prospect skips KBO draft

In a bid to sign with a major league club, South Korean high school pitching prospect Shim Jun-seok has decided to skip the annual rookie draft in the South Korean league. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Wednesday that Shim, the third-year right-hander for Duksoo High School in Seoul, did not register for the Sept. 15 draft. The deadline to enter the draft was midnight Tuesday. Shim, 18, has been a highly-touted prospect since his freshman year in 2020, when he went 4-1 in eight

Aug. 17, 2022

KBO-leading Landers remain on course for history after productive week

The SSG Landers, fresh off yet another productive week, are in the midst of a potentially historic season in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). On Saturday, they became the first team to reach the 70-win mark this year by beating the Doosan Bears 8-2. The next day, they edged out the Bears 5-4 in extra innings, thanks to Choi Jeong's go-ahead solo home run in the top of the 10th. With five wins in their past six games, the Landers' record now stands at 71-31-3 (wins-losses-ties), 9

Aug. 16, 2022

Dinos sign new pitcher Matt Dermody amid late-season push

In the midst of their second-half surge, the NC Dinos announced Thursday they've acquired new American pitcher Matt Dermody. Dermody will make $220,000 for the rest of the ongoing Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season, including a $40,000 signing bonus. Dermody, with 30 big league games to his credit, will replace Wes Parsons, who was released last week after posting a 1-2 record with a 3.56 ERA in eight starts. Parsons had not pitched since May 14 with a back injury. Dermody, a 32-year-

Aug. 11, 2022

Defending KBO champions Wiz making noise as season enters late stretch

The SSG Landers remain so far ahead of the pack in South Korean baseball this year that other contenders are essentially playing for second place. The defending Korean Series champions KT Wiz have entered the chat. The Landers hold an eight-game lead over the LG Twins with 44 games left in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season. Barring a collapse of epic proportions, the Landers should be able to claim the regular season crown. The Twins and the Kiwoom Heroes kept trading places all last

Aug. 8, 2022

Padres' Kim Ha-seong falls homer short of cycle in 4-hit game

Few players in baseball are as hot as Kim Ha-seong right now. The South Korean infielder for the San Diego Padres enjoyed his first career four-hit game against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park in San Diego on Tuesday (local time), going 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored in a 13-5 victory. It was the first game of a doubleheader, Kim fell a home run shy of a cycle, as he had two singles, a double and a triple. Former Texas Rangers All-Star Choo Shin-soo is so far the only South Korean

Aug. 3, 2022

Subject to trade speculation, Rays' Choi Ji-man tops 2021 RBI total

Amid rumors that he could be dealt ahead of the annual trade deadline this week, Tampa Bay Rays infielder Choi Ji-man has surpassed his RBI total from last season. Choi collected two RBIs despite going hitless in four at-bats in a 5-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Sunday (local time). Choi was the designated hitter and got his second straight start at the leadoff spot. After striking out in the first inning, Choi knocked in a run with a groundo

Aug. 1, 2022

Incheon to host ex-MLB stars in home run derby in Sept.

South Korea's western city of Incheon will host former major league sluggers and celebrities in a global home run derby tour in September, the event's organizers said Thursday. "FTX MLB Home Run Derby X" will stop in Incheon, some 30 kilometers west of Seoul, on Sept. 17. London hosted the inaugural event on July 9, and the tour will also visit Mexico City in October. Major League Baseball (MLB) announced the birth of the new bracket-style competition in March. It features fo

July 21, 2022

KBO season resumes as Landers look to run away with pennant

The SSG Landers have been at the top of South Korean baseball all season, and as the second half of the 2022 campaign resumes Friday, they will try to do the unthinkable: going wire to wire to win the pennant. The Landers (57-26-3) have already set a Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) record by spending 86 games and 104 days in first place from the season's start. No club has ever spent an entire season at the top in the league's 41-year history. The Landers, currently riding a six-game

July 21, 2022

Behind strong pitching, Landers run table in KBO in 1st half

As they enter the midseason break for the 2022 South Korean baseball season, the SSG Landers find themselves exactly where they started the proceedings three months ago: first place. The Landers defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 4-1 on Thursday night to arrive at the All-Star break in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on a six-game winning streak. At 57-26-3 (wins-losses-ties), they lead the Heroes (54-32-1) by 4.5 games. The Landers have been in first place for 103 days and 86 games since the star

July 15, 2022

Lions suffer 10th straight loss with veteran closer's latest collapse

Every defeat stings for baseball teams during a long losing streak, but for the Samsung Lions, their 10th straight "L" from Tuesday night probably hurt more than others. They were three outs away from ending their skid at nine games, with veteran closer Oh Seung-hwan taking the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning against the KT Wiz to protect a 3-2 lead. Just minutes later, the Wiz walked off with a 4-3 victory, courtesy of back-to-back solo home runs by Bae Jung-dae and Anthony Al

July 13, 2022

KBO-leading Landers acquire new pitcher Morimando, replace Nova

The SSG Landers announced Tuesday they have newly acquired left-hander Shawn Morimando, replacing him with injured former big leaguer Ivan Nova in their rotation. The Landers, currently leading the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 55-26-3 (wins-losses-ties), signed Morimando at up to US$230,000 for the rest of the season -- with $180,000 in guaranteed salary and a maximum $50,000 up for grabs in incentives. Morimando had been pitching in for the CTBC Brothers in the Chinese Professional Base

July 12, 2022

Heroes outfielder Lee Jung-hoo voted KBO's top player for June

Lee Jung-hoo, the hitting machine of an outfielder for the Kiwoom Heroes, was named South Korean baseball's top player for June on Monday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Lee won the voting for the Player of the Month award over four other candidates. Lee collected 23 out of 31 votes from the media, and 195,776 out of 364,694 votes from fans. He scored 63.94 in converted voting points, easily beating Park Byung-ho of the KT Wiz (17.12 points). For June, Lee led the KBO with

July 11, 2022

Pirates' Park Hoy-jun sent back to minors for 3rd time in 2022

The Pittsburgh Pirates' South Korean utility player Park Hoy-jun is going back to the minors, barely a month after getting called up for the second time this year. The Pirates optioned Park to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday (US local time), while reinstating a couple of players from the 10-day injured list. Park made the Opening Day roster in April but was demoted to the minors on April 22. He was called up on May 29 but was sent back down the very next day. The Pirates brought him back u

July 6, 2022

Key player's injury adds intrigue to battle for KBO postseason spots

An unfortunate injury to one of the best hitters in South Korean baseball is expected to turn an already compelling battle for postseason berths into an even more intriguing affair. The Kia Tigers have lost outfielder Socrates Brito for up to a month to a broken nose. The Dominican slugger took a fastball by SSG Landers starter Kim Kwang-hyun to the face during Saturday's game in Incheon, some 30 kilometers west of Seoul. Brito went down in immediate pain and was taken to a local hospital.

July 4, 2022

Rays' Choi Ji-man, Padres' Kim Ha-seong homer in victories

For the first time in Major League Baseball this season, two South Korean players have homered on the same day. Choi Ji-man of the Tampa Bay Rays smacked a solo home run in a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Sunday (local time). Hours later, Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres belted a two-run shot to help the club to a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in LA. Choi hadn't homered since June 18. Kim's drought had been even longer, as his last din

July 4, 2022

Bears ready to cut bait on reigning KBO MVP

Nearing the halfway point in the 2022 South Korean baseball season, the Doosan Bears still find themselves out of the postseason picture. They snapped a three-game slide on Sunday but remained in seventh place in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 32-37-1 (wins-losses-ties), 1.5 games out of the fifth and final playoff spot. The Bears have played in each of the past seven Korean Series, and that record-setting streak will end this year without the Bears even reaching the postseason unless

June 27, 2022

Star-crossed outfielder, downtrodden club stuck in long futility streak

Records are made to be broken in sports, even some dubious ones. In the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) this season, a particularly hard-luck hitter is closing in on a futility record, while a perennial punching bag of a team has already made some history, albeit for the wrong reasons. Kim Hun-gon of the Samsung Lions is looking for his first hit since May 27, 20 games ago. By going 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Kiwoom Heroes, Kim is now hitless in his past 43 plate appearances.

June 23, 2022

Pirates' Park Hoy-jun hits 1st home run of season in win

The Pittsburgh Pirates' South Korean infielder Park Hoy-jun has gone deep for the first time this season. Park smacked a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the third inning of a 4-3 victory at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Sunday (local time). Park jumped on a 2-2 sinker from Giants starter Alex Cobb and cut Pittsburgh's deficit to 2-1. The ball left Park's bat at 102.6 mph and traveled 393 feet over the right center field wall. Park started at second base

June 20, 2022