Rays' Choi Ji-man lands on injured list with elbow issues

Tampa Bay Rays' South Korean first baseman Choi Ji-man has landed on the 10-day injured list (IL) with right elbow problems, with his red-hot start to the 2022 campaign coming to a screeching halt. The Rays made the move prior to their series finale against the Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Sunday (local time). It is retroactive to Thursday. Choi had sat out for four straight days, but manager Kevin Cash told MLB.com that Choi was "trending in the right d

May 2, 2022

Padres' Kim Ha-seong sets career high with 3-hit game

San Diego Padres' South Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong has established his major league career high with a three-hit performance. Kim went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, helping the Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-5 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Thursday (local time). Those three RBIs tied Kim's career best, first set last year during his rookie campaign. Kim is now batting .250/.362/.500 in 14 games this season with two home runs and eight RBIs. Batting ninth and playing third base, K

April 29, 2022

Suspended veterans swinging hot bats in minors ahead of KBO return

Three of the four suspended players for the NC Dinos have been putting up strong numbers against minor league pitching in recent days, with their reinstatement for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) less than a week away. Last July, infielders Park Sok-min and Park Min-woo, along with outfielders Kwon Hui-dong and Lee Myung-ki, were slapped with 72-game ban by the league for violating COVID-19 health and safety protocols. With the four-person limit on private gatherings still in effect in Seo

April 28, 2022

KBO outfielder thrives with newfound confidence

Confidence can be fleeting for athletes, but once they grab hold of it, it can do some wonderful things. Just ask Kim In-tae, the Doosan Bears outfielder who is finally blossoming into the dangerous hitter that many felt he would become after he was drafted fourth overall a decade ago. Finally playing on a regular basis at age 27, Kim is making the most of that opportunity. After a career-best three-hit game Tuesday against the NC Dinos, Kim is batting .338 with 26 hits, ranking eighth and sixth

April 27, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin set for live BP in move toward return from injury

The Toronto Blue Jays' South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin will throw a live batting practice in the coming days, as he inches closer to a return from a left forearm injury. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters in Toronto on Monday (local time) that the club will see how the left-hander feels before determining if he will need another live session or a rehab start. Ryu will rejoin the rotation as soon as he is activated, Atkins added. Ryu landed on the 10-day injured list (IL) on A

April 26, 2022

KT Wiz lose slugger Henry Ramos to broken toe

The defending South Korean baseball champions KT Wiz have lost their second slugger to a toe injury this season, with the first-year import Henry Ramos getting his right pinky toe broken by a pitch over the weekend. The Wiz said Sunday evening the injury will take four to six weeks just to heal, and Ramos will likely need more time to get back into game shape. In Saturday's game against the NC Dinos, Ramos took a pitch by starter Song Myung-gi to his right foot in the bottom of the first inning.

April 25, 2022

Reigning KBO MVP demoted to minors following shaky outings

Over the course of a Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season, teams send players down to the minors all the time, either to have them rehab injuries or to help them get their acts together. Even established names can't avoid that fate if they get into a protracted slump. But rare is an MVP-winning player who is unceremoniously demoted to the Futures League, the KBO's little brother, in the opening weeks of a season. Ariel Miranda, the left-handed starter for the Doosan Bears who was voted the l

April 25, 2022

KBO attendance spikes on 1st weekend with cheering allowed

Attendance in the South Korean baseball league spiked over the weekend, with vocal cheering permitted for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning with Friday's games, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) allowed fans to sing and chant, just like in pre-pandemic times, in line with eased social distancing rules nationwide. Fans still have to keep their masks on while cheering, and they are banned from engaging in cheering activities while eating or drinking at the same time. The l

April 25, 2022

Padres' Kim Ha-seong hits 1st home run of season

San Diego Padres' South Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong has gone deep for the first time this season. Kim smacked a solo home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the bottom of the seventh inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Wednesday (local time). With the Padres up 3-0, Kim, who started at third base and batted ninth, stepped into the box against Buck Farmer with one out and nobody on. Kim wasted no time as he jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Farmer, clocked at 93.5 mph, and sent it over the

April 21, 2022

2nd-generation KBO star breaks father's record, closes in on more milestones

Lee Jung-hoo is going where few others have gone before in South Korean baseball, breaking records, including one held by his father, along the way. And now Lee is on the verge of becoming the career batting average leader in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history. Lee, the veritable hitting machine for the Kiwoom Heroes, collected his 900th career hit against the Doosan Bears on Sunday. It came in his 670th game, making him the fastest to get to the 900-hit milestone. Lee's legendary father,

April 19, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin placed on 10-day injured list

The Toronto Blue Jays have placed their South Korean starter Ryu Hyun-jin on the 10-day injured list (IL) with left forearm inflammation. The Blue Jays made the move before hosting the Oakland Athletics for the final game of a three-game set in Toronto on Sunday (local time). Ryu had started Saturday's game against the A's at Rogers Centre and gave up five earned runs on six hits in four innings in a 7-5 Toronto loss. The left-hander, who left the game with a 5-1 deficit, got a no-decision as th

April 18, 2022

Rays' Choi Ji-man blasts 1st homer of season, extends hitting streak to 4

Choi Ji-man of the Tampa Bay Rays has gone deep for the first time this season, with the homer also extending his hitting streak to four games. Choi smacked a three-run homer against the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the second inning at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Tuesday (local time). Choi's home run, off Oakland starter Adam Oller's sinker, turned a 3-2 deficit for Tampa Bay into a 5-3 lead. The no-doubter shot traveled 409 feet into the seats in right-center field and

April 13, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin roughed up in season debut

From giving up a half-dozen runs to getting hit by a batted ball, Toronto Blue Jays' starter Ryu Hyun-jin couldn't have scripted a worse outing for his 2022 season debut. The South Korean left-hander was roughed up for six earned runs on five hits, including a home run, in just 3 1/3 innings against the Texas Rangers, as the Blue Jays fell 12-6 at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Sunday (local time). Ryu didn't factor into a decision, while the Blue Jays lost for the first time this year after back-t

April 11, 2022

Padres' Kim Ha-seong hits 1st spring homer; Pirates' Park Hoy-jun extends hitting streak

San Diego Padres' South Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong has gone deep for the first time in spring training, while his countryman for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Park Hoy-jun, has extended his hitting streak to six games. The one other South Korean hitter in the bigs, Choi Ji-man of the Tampa Bay Rays, continues to be cold at the plate. Kim smacked a three-run home run off D.J. McCarty of the Texas Rangers in the top of the third inning of the teams' spring training game at Surprise Stadium in Surpris

April 5, 2022

2nd-generation KBO star thanks rookie phenom for bringing back father's memories

Whenever Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Lee Jung-hoo sees Kia Tigers rookie sensation Kim Do-yeong play, he sees a bit of his father, the retired South Korean baseball legend Lee Jong-beom. Perhaps comparisons aren't fair, but it is not difficult to notice similarities between Kim, an 18-year-old phenom with an enviable skill set, and Lee Jong-beom, the ultimate five-tool star in his heyday in the 1990s. Kim is an athletic shortstop with power and speed just like Lee, who could flirt with the elusive

April 1, 2022

KBO introduces wild card tiebreaker game

The South Korean baseball league said Thursday it will have a new tiebreaker game for the final postseason spot in the case of a tie between two teams. The new play-in game is one of several changes announced by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) ahead of the 2022 regular season, which begins Saturday with all 10 teams in action. In the KBO, the fifth-best team in the regular season faces the No. 4 seed in the wild card game. But if two teams are tied for the fifth spot, then they will play o

March 31, 2022

Ex-MLB stars to visit Seoul for home run derby in Sept.

Former major league stars will visit Seoul in September for a global home run derby competition. Major League Baseball (MLB) announced Wednesday (US time) that its new bracket-style competition, called "Home Run Derby X," will make a stop in the South Korean capital on Sept. 17. London will host the event on July 9, and Mexico City will also get its look at former big league sluggers on Oct. 15. The MLB said the competition will feature four teams representing the Boston Red Sox, the N

March 31, 2022

Returning stars, new faces tasked with helping KBO return to prominence

It would have been unimaginable just a few years ago, but professional baseball is fighting to regain relevance in the national sporting landscape. From declining television ratings to discouraging poll numbers, there is plenty of evidence that suggests the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) isn't what it used to be: the undisputed king of professional sports in the country. TV ratings dropped so precipitously that the four cable networks with KBO rights even demanded the league office and 10 clu

March 30, 2022

KBO celebrates 40th anniversary with youngest franchise looking to repeat as champions

The top professional baseball league in South Korea will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, with the league's youngest franchise chasing their second straight crown while pitchers and batters across the league try to adjust to the expanded strike zone. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) had its inaugural season in March 1982 and it will turn 40 on Saturday, with the defending Korean Series champions KT Wiz hosting the Samsung Lions on Saturday at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, some 45 kilometer

March 30, 2022

Back from MLB, Landers' pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun is all smiles

Back home after two seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), SSG Landers pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun just wants to have fun. Pitching pro ball for 15 years has apparently provided the 33-year-old with a fresh perspective on his career. Make no mistake: Kim still takes his craft seriously, with his signature, easy smile often masking his intensity and competitive streak just beneath the surface. It's just that he wants to start smelling the roses more often. "I think baseball is supposed to be fun

March 23, 2022