The Korea Herald

NC Dinos set to play in KBO next year, 10th team undecided

Korean baseball fans will have another team to root for starting next year.The NC Dinos, the ninth club in the Korean Baseball Organization, will join the professional league in 2013, a year ahead of schedule.The recently rebuilt home field of NC Dinos in Masan, South Korea. (Yonhap News)The KBO’s board of directors -- comprised of presidents of the current eight teams -- approved the addition in

May 8, 2012

NC Dinos set to play in KBO next year, 10th team undecided

Indians hand Yu Darvish first MLB loss

CLEVELAND (AP) ― A glaring problem cost Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers.Ubaldo Jimenez pitched seven scoreless innings and Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two-run double after the Rangers lost an infield popup in the sun as the Cleveland Indians handed Darvish his first major league loss, 4-2 Sunday.Jason Kipnis homered off Darvish (4-1), who struck out a career-high 11 over six innings. Jimenez (3-2) walked four in the first three innings but settled down and permitted only two hits.Johnny Damon’s pop

May 7, 2012

Korea’s overseas sluggers put in mixed performances

Korean baseball players abroad had a mixed week, with sluggers hitting homeruns or recording no-hitters.Korean slugger Choo Shin-soo hit his first homer of the season, giving Cleveland the lead and ultimately a 6-3 win on Friday at its home field.The Korean outfielder also played phenomenal defense, chasing after a possible homer and making a leap for a finishing catch before slamming into the fence.Choo’s performance against defending American League Champions, the Texas Rangers, came after a 0

May 6, 2012

Korea’s overseas sluggers put in mixed performances

Rivera tears ACL before Royals beat Yankees

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) ― Mariano Rivera tore a ligament in his right knee while shagging balls during batting practice Thursday night, casting a pall over the New York Yankees even before their 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals.The 42-year-old right-hander’s leg caught on the field where the grass meets the dirt, causing his knee to buckle. Rivera fell into the outfield wall and down on the ground, where he grimaced in pain while teammates and training staff ran out to see him.Rivera was ca

May 4, 2012

Weaver tosses 2nd no-hitter of young season

ANAHEIM, California (AP) ― Jered Weaver pitched the second no-hitter in the majors in less than two weeks, completely overmatching Minnesota and leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 9-0 win over the Twins on Wednesday night. Weaver struck out nine and walked one. The Twins never came close to getting a hit against the All-Star right-hander.Phil Humber of the Chicago White Sox threw a perfect game against Seattle on April 21.Weaver (4-0), a California native who played at Long Beach State, quickly

May 3, 2012

Weaver tosses 2nd no-hitter of young season

Beckham, White Sox down Tribe

CHICAGO (AP) ― Gordon Beckham snapped out of a slump with three hits and the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 7-2 on Tuesday.Beckham was mired in 0-for-10 slide and was batting just .153 before he belted a solo homer in the third to give Chicago a 2-1 lead on a rainy, overcast night at U.S. Cellular Field. He also singled in a run in the fifth.A.J. Pierzynski also had a solo homer for Chicago, which is 3-0 against Cleveland this season. Chris Sale (3-1) allowed one run and three hits

May 2, 2012

Lotte rides hot streak to start season

The Lotte Giants dominated the diamond right out of spring training and have held the top place on the field throughout the month.Their performance has definitely taken fans by surprise after a slow start last season. Adding to that, gone are star players such as slugger Lee Dae-ho, who went overseas to the Nippon Professional Baseball league after signing with the Orix Buffaloes, and pitcher Chris Bootcheck, who returned to the U.S. after a year with the team.The Busan-based club has held a ste

May 2, 2012

Yu Darvish strikes out 9 as Rangers dispatch Jays

TORONTO (AP) ― Yu Darvish acknowledged it felt strange to face the Blue Jays. That didn’t stop him from shutting down their lineup.Darvish won his third straight start, Mitch Moreland and Craig Gentry homered and the Texas Rangers beat Toronto 4-1 on Monday night.Pitching against a Blue Jays team that reportedly pursued him when his rights went up for auction last December made Darvish (4-0) a little uneasy as he took the mound.“Honestly, it was kind of an awkward feeling because rumor has it th

May 1, 2012

Korean baseball draws in fans for record breaking season

The Korean Baseball Organization league has been breaking attendance records over the past couple of years and this season is definitely no exception.Since the season opened on April 7, the nation’s eight stadiums have seen more than a million fans come out to enjoy one of Korea’s favorite pastimes. The professional baseball league hit the 1 million mark in just 65 games, a new record after the league hit the mark within 79 games in 1995.While baseball in the United States, the home of the game,

May 1, 2012

Korean baseball draws in fans for record breaking season

Lowe, Indians blank Angels

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Derek Lowe never saw the key play that helped him and the Cleveland Indians win the game.Lowe pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning and the Indians scored three runs on errors to beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-0 Sunday. Two scored on an error by nine-time Gold Glove outfielder Torii Hunter.“I’ve never played the outfield, but I probably would do that myself,” Lowe said after Hunter lost a routine fly ball in the sun, allowing Cleveland to go ahead 2-0 in the fifth inning.

April 30, 2012

Allen’s 2-run HR in 9th lifts Rays over Angels 4-3

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) ― The Tampa Bay Rays added Brandon Allen to provide power off the bench, and he quickly delivered.Allen pinch hit in the ninth inning Thursday, and his two-run homer lifted the Rays over the Los Angeles Angels 4-3.“Success like this isn’t going to come all the time,” Allen said. “Baseball is a lot of luck. I was just there hitting and stayed within myself.”Allen, acquired April 19 off waivers from Oakland, homered off Jordan Walden (0-1) after B.J. Upton’s one-out si

April 27, 2012

Choo out of Indians lineup

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Choo Shin-soo is out of the lineup for Cleveland’s game against Kansas City with an injury to his left hamstring.Manager Manny Acta said there’s no timetable for Choo’s return, but he doesn’t expect Cleveland’s right fielder will go on the disabled list.“Our medical staff feels that it’s a mild type thing,” Acta said. “He showed up today feeling a lot better.”The outfielder was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game. Manager Manny Acta said after the g

April 26, 2012

Pirates split doubleheader with Rockies

PITTSBURGH (AP) ― Carlos Gonzalez shielded his eyes from the sun and stuck out his glove.The way things have been going for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first three weeks of the season, having the Colorado left fielder make a catch with his eyes closed wouldn’t have been out of the question.For once, the ball hit the ground. And for once, the Pirates didn’t let the good fortune go to waste.Nate McLouth’s RBI double skipped just under Gonzalez’s outstretched mitt, sparking a five-run rally t

April 26, 2012

Prosecutor: Clemens told lies to cover up lies

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The complexity of the Roger Clemens perjury retrial showed itself in many ways Monday ― before a jury that knows little about baseball.The prosecutor’s hour-long opening statement was a rambling hodgepodge of dates and anecdotes that attempted to portray the seven-time Cy Young Award winner as a man who told lies and “other lies to cover up lies.” A ruling was issued about Clemens’ former teammate Andy Pettitte: He can testify about taking human growth hormone, but can’t say wh

April 24, 2012

Prosecutor: Clemens told lies to cover up lies

A’s avoid Tribe sweep

OAKLAND, California (AP) ― Tyson Ross was right at home with family and friends enjoying a birthday celebration and making his second start of the season. His teammates helped give him the best gift of all.Seth Smith hit a two-run homer, helping Ross get his first win in nearly a year as the Oakland Athletics avoided a series sweep with a 5-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.“I always seem to end up pitching on my birthday,” said Ross, celebrating his 25th birthday. “This was definit

April 23, 2012

Humber throws MLB’s 21st perfect game

SEATTLE (AP) ― Philip Humber, who underwent Tommy John surgery seven years ago, threw the first perfect game in the majors in almost two years, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 4-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.It was baseball’s 21st perfect game and first since Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay threw one against the Florida Marlins on May 29, 2010. It was the third in White Sox history, joining Mark Buehrle against Tampa Bay on July 23, 2009, and Charles Robertson against Detroit on

April 22, 2012

Sox ready for Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary

BOSTON (AP) ― Jaime Gutierrez flew all the way from his home in El Salvador to attend Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary celebration.“It’s a dream come true,” the 28-year-old Red Sox fan said. “Let’s just say I can scratch it off my bucket list.”Bill “Spaceman” Lee came from a more distant place ― somewhere north of normal ― to the ball park where he made his name as a pitcher in the late 1960s and 1970s with a penchant for speaking his counter-culture mind. “I’ve been around this park when it was

April 20, 2012

Sox ready for Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary

Marlins top Cubs in Guillen’s return

MIAMI (AP) ― There was no protest and just one heckler. The only boos were directed toward the plate umpire, and by the eighth inning Ozzie Guillen’s Miami Marlins had the crowd in such a happy frenzy that the roar shook the clubhouse.Guillen made a victorious return to the dugout Tuesday night, and pitchers Josh Johnson and Heath Bell snapped out of early-season slumps to help beat the Chicago Cubs 5-2.When the dugout emptied and Guillen joined his players on the field for the postgame celebrat

April 18, 2012

Pitchers get suspended jail terms for fixing matches

DAEGU (Yonhap News) -- A local court on Wednesday sentenced two pitchers charged with fixing matches to six months in prison, suspended for two years, and 7 million won ($6,154) each in fines.The Daegu District Court also ordered 120 hours of community service for Park Hyun-jun and Kim Seong-hyun, who played for the Seoul-based LG Twins in South Korea‘s top professional baseball league.Last month, the Korea Baseball Organization, which runs the league, suspended the two players indefinitely afte

April 18, 2012

Pavano, Morneau key as Twins sink Yankees

NEW YORK (AP) ― Carl Pavano had nothing to prove to an unforgiving Yankee Stadium crowd. He wanted to get the Minnesota Twins back on track.In only two batters, it looked as if his plan had derailed.Then something happened that Yankees fans rarely got to see in his four injury-wrecked years in New York: Pavano found a rhythm and was superb through the seventh inning, leading the Twins to a 7-3 victory Monday night that ended their three-game skid.“It wasn’t about coming in here and putting every

April 17, 2012