Orioles' Kim Hyun-soo eager to make big league debut

Three games into the 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, Kim Hyun-soo of the Baltimore Orioles has yet to get off the bench.And when he does, Kim said he wants to show he belongs."I want to be as well prepared as I can be for my first game, so that I can have a good performance," Kim told Yonhap News Agency on Thursday after the Orioles defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-2 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. "To show that I am ready to play, I just have to prepare hard for that opportunity."Kim, wh

April 8, 2016

Mariners' Lee Dae-ho hitless in 1st MLB start

The Seattle Mariners first baseman Lee Dae-ho went hitless in his first Major League Baseball start Tuesday in Texas.Playing first base and batting eighth against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Lee went 0-for-2 and stranded three men. Seattle won 10-2.In his big league debut the previous day, the 33-year-old South Korean struck out in a pinch-hit appearance.Lee started opposite of his childhood friend Choo Shin-soo, a veteran outfielder for the Rangers. It marked the first ti

April 6, 2016

Twins' Park Byung-ho gets 1st MLB hit as three Koreans make season debuts

Park Byung-ho of the Minnesota Twins picked up his first Major League Baseball hit, as three South Koreans made their first appearances of the 2016 season Monday across the United States.Batting sixth as the designated hitter, Park went 1-for-3 and scored a run in his big league debut against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The O's prevailed 3-2 with Matt Wieters' walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth.Park was called out on strikes against Baltimore starter C

April 5, 2016

Pending free agent pitcher signs with Japanese agent

Pending South Korean free agent pitcher Cha Woo-chan has signed with a Japanese agent, sources said Monday, as he eyes a move to Japan after this season.Sources said the left-hander has hired Shigeyuki Mito as his agent. The veteran lawyer has represented two South Korean players who've competed in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, Lee Seung-yuop and Lee Dae-ho, and also worked with the Seattle Mariners outfielder Norichika Aoki when he was playing in Japan.Cha, 28, has been playing for the

April 4, 2016

After much hoopla, Kim Hyun-soo makes Orioles' Opening Day roster

After much hoopla over his playing status, South Korean outfielder Kim Hyun-soo made the Baltimore Orioles' Opening Day roster.Kim got the final outfield spots, along with Nolan Reimold, on the roster announced Sunday as the Orioles are set to open their 2016 season against the Minnesota Twins the following day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.The decision puts an end to days of speculation over Kim's destination to start the season. After signing a two-year, US$7 million free agent deal last Dece

April 4, 2016

Cardinals' Oh Seung-hwan throws scoreless inning in MLB debut

The St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean pitcher Oh Seung-hwan tossed a scoreless inning in his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.Oh walked two and struck out two in the seventh inning against the host Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in their season opener. The Cardinals lost the game 4-1.Oh relieved starter Adam Wainwright to start the seventh, with the Cards down 3-0, and faced Matt Joyce as his first major league hitter. Oh threw a 93 mph cutter for a wild

April 4, 2016

Fun of baseball not lost on Lotte's Jim Adduci

At 30 years of age, Jim Adduci, outfielder for the South Korean baseball club Lotte Giants, knows he won't be playing the game forever.This understanding of the finite nature of an athletic career is why Adduci, now in his second Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season, wants to have fun while he can."I think people forget sometimes this is a game and it's meant to be played with fun," Adduci told Yonhap News Agency Friday, before the Giants took on the Nexen Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul

April 1, 2016

Despite subpar spring, infielder predicts postseason for Lotte Giants

The Lotte Giants may have finished with the worst preseason record in the Korea Baseball Organization last weekend, but as third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun tells it, spring ball can be thrown out the window.The Giants went 3-11-3 to finish 10th in preseason, but in Hwang's words, "A preseason is just that, a preseason.""We all have completely different mindsets going into the regular season," Hwang said Monday during the annual KBO media day, held four days before the start of the new season. "Be it

March 29, 2016

Samsung Lions send message, top baseball preseason standings

The Samsung Lions, which fell short of winning their fifth straight South Korean baseball championship last year, topped the preseason standings last weekend, reminding their competition that they could make another title run in 2016.The Lions routed the SK Wyverns 11-1 Sunday to finish first in the Korea Baseball Organization preseason with 11 wins and five losses.The preseason champions have gone on to win the Korean Series the same year on six previous occasions, most recently the 2007 Wyvern

March 28, 2016

Sanctioned pitcher signs with hometown club

A South Korean pitcher serving gambling-related sanctions has signed with his hometown club.The Kia Tigers in the Korea Baseball Organization announced Monday they've agreed to terms on a one-year deal with right-hander Lim Chang-yong. The deal is worth 300 million won and Lim will sign the contract once he returns from his personal training camp in Guam.The KBO slapped the All-Star closer with a half-season suspension in January after he was fined for illegal overseas gambling charges. The KBO

March 28, 2016

Korean slugger Lee Dae-ho makes Mariners‘ 25-man roster

South Korean slugger Lee Dae-ho has made the Seattle Mariners' 25-man roster, an informed baseball source told Yonhap News Agency Monday, a move that gives the 33-year-old his first big league job.The Mariners have yet to unveil their Opening Day roster. On Sunday local time, the M's said Lee had made their 40-man roster and was likely to be added to the team's 25-man roster in the coming days.According to the source, the Mariners have already informed Lee that he'd be on the 25-man roster. Lee

March 28, 2016

NC Dinos consensus pick to take 2016 KBO crown

The 2016 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season promises to be as wide open as ever: most of the playoff contestants from last season have lost key players, while those left on the outside looking in opened their wallets over the winter.Yet pundits here agreed on one club to rise like cream: the NC Dinos.The Dinos only joined the KBO in 2013 but have steadily improved themselves. They made their playoff debut in 2014 and were eliminated in the first round. Last year, they finished second in th

March 27, 2016

Unified ball, home-plate collision rule among changes for 2016 baseball season

A new season typically means a handful of changes for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), which, for the 2016 season, has instituted a new rule to reduce injuries on scoring plays and altered scheduling for its championship series.The KBO has adopted a new rule on home-plate collisions to increase player safety. It's intended to eliminate egregious collisions at home, and the rule was put into effect in the preseason.Under the rule, a base runner may not run out of a direct line to the plate

March 27, 2016

Young franchise eyes first title as 35th pro baseball season opens

When English poet Alexander Pope penned the words "Hope springs eternal" in his 18th-century poem "An Essay on Man," the sport of baseball didn't even exist. Yet these words have become synonymous with the start of baseball season, the time of the year when every team, from the defending champ to the returning cellar dweller, starts with a clean slate.And when the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) launches its 35th season Friday, the 10 clubs will take this cliche to a whole new level and brace

March 27, 2016

Cardinals' Oh Seung-hwan looks shaky, issues first walk

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Oh Seung-hwan looked shaky in his seventh spring appearance Thursday in Florida, issuing his first walk en route to giving up a run in one inning's work.Oh also gave up a pair of hits against the Washington Nationals at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Florida, as the Cards fell 8-2.The South Korean right-hander relieved Sam Tuivailala to start the bottom of the eighth, with St. Louis down 7-2, making his first appearance in three days. He retired Reed Johnson on a flyo

March 25, 2016

Twins' Park Byung-ho drives in two as cleanup

Park Byung-ho of the Minnesota Twins drove in a pair of runs in the cleanup spot in spring training action Tuesday.In a split-squad game at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida, Park went 1-for-3 with two RBIs as the Twins beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-5.After going hitless in his previous two games, the South Korean first baseman hit an RBI double off Jerad Eickhoff in the top of the first to put the Twins up 1-0.Park grounded into a 5-4-3 double play in the third but reached on an erro

March 23, 2016

Samsung Lions welcome brand spanking new ballpark

The Samsung Lions have moved from the oldest baseball stadium in the country to the newest.The Lions hosted the LG Twins at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) preseason game Tuesday, the first official contest in the brand new, 24,000-seat venue.They'd been playing at the 10,000-seat Daegu Citizen Baseball Stadium since the KBO's inception in 1982. The stadium itself opened in 1948 and was renovated in 1981 before the la

March 22, 2016

Cardinals' Oh Seung-hwan throws perfect inning in relief

Oh Seung-hwan of the St. Louis Cardinals tossed a perfect inning in relief in his sixth spring training appearance in Florida on Monday.Oh retired the side in order in the top of the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. The South Korean right-hander took over from Jordan Walden with the Cards trailing 4-1. He struck out Jordan Betts looking, and got Dan Butler to line out to left field. Oh then sat down Henry Ramos on a groundout to second.Oh needed

March 22, 2016

Giants' shortstop prospect sent to minor league camp

San Francisco Giants' shortstop prospect Lee Hak-ju was sent to the team's minor league camp on Sunday, a move that put his major league dream on hold yet again.  The Giants announced that they've reassigned Lee, 25, along with three other players to their minor league camp. Lee had signed a minor league deal with the Giants last November and earned an invitation to spring training.Lee batted .286 (4-for-14) with three RBIs and a steal in 13 spring appearances, but will have to start another sea

March 21, 2016

Baseball club undecided on fate of players facing gambling suspicions

The South Korean baseball club Samsung Lions said Friday they remain undecided on what to do with their two pitchers that face gambling suspicions.The Lions were scheduled to announce on Friday whether or not they would use starter Yun Sung-hwan and reliever An Ji-man during the ongoing Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) preseason. Ahead of the Lions' game against the Kia Tigers in Gwangju, however, Samsung manager Ryu Joong-il said he would need to take more time."It's so tough because it's a se

March 18, 2016