Lessons learned from poor stretch helping young KBO ace in breakout season

Pitching in his second season for the Samsung Lions in 2020, right-hander Won Tae-in was a much different pitcher in the second half than the first half -- and not in a good way. He was 5-2 with a 3.56 ERA in his first 13 appearances, including one relief appearance, and he seemed to be on his way to a breakout campaign that many had expected from the then 20-year-old. Then things fell apart over his final 14 starts, over which Won was just 1-8 with an ugly 6.15 ERA. This year, Won is off to

May 11, 2021

Ryu Hyun-jin reports no pain following return from glute injury

Uncharacteristically wobbly with his command, Toronto Blue Jays' left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin labored through five innings for a road victory against the Oakland Athletics in his first outing back from the injured list (IL). But more importantly, the South Korean pitcher reported zero pain afterward. Ryu allowed four runs on six hits, including a home run, in five innings at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland on Thursday (local time) and watched his teammates tacking on late runs for a 10-4 victory. Ryu

May 7, 2021

Rangers' Yang Hyeon-jong strikes out 8 in 1st MLB start

As baseball starts go, this was short and sweet for Yang Hyeon-jong of the Texas Rangers. In his first major league start, Yang struck out eight Minnesota Twins in just 3 1/3 innings at Target Field in Minneapolis on Wednesday (local time). The bullpen took over with one out and bases loaded in the bottom fourth and the game tied at 1-1, and reliever John King bailed out the Korean left-hander with a couple of groundouts. The Rangers prevailed 3-1, after scoring twice in the top of the sixth

May 6, 2021

Kim Kwang-hyun shrugs off bizarre inning, puts team first in no-decision

Kim Kwang-hyun has been a professional pitcher since 2007. He has seen a lot over his career, which began in his native South Korea and has taken him to the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals. So a bizarre fourth inning against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Wednesday (local time), an extended frame that included multiple delays and two reviews, did little to faze him. Kim walked away with a no-decision after holding the Mets to a run in four innings on two hits and thre

May 6, 2021

Five KBO matches to be canceled after vaccination for Olympic athletes

Five matches of the South Korean professional baseball league scheduled for Tuesday will be canceled in accordance with the nationwide vaccination program for Olympic athletes. The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) said Friday that out of 154 players on the preliminary squad for the Tokyo Olympics, 116 professional athletes playing in South Korea, including former Major League All-Star outfielder Choo Shin-soo of SSG Landers, will be inoculated Monday. The number accounts for about 40 percen

April 30, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin placed on injured list following minor gluteal strain

Toronto Blue Jays' ace pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has been placed on the 10-day injured list (IL) for the first time since joining the club after suffering a minor right gluteal strain. In an away game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Sunday (US time), Ryu left the game in the fourth inning. His club said the pitcher left the mound because of a minor "right glute strain." Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo played down the placement, forecasting Ry

April 29, 2021

S. Korean pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong joins Texas Rangers' MLB roster

South Korean left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong of the Texas Rangers has made his Major League Baseball debut on the day he joined the team's big league roster. Yang took the mound as a relief pitcher for the first time in a major league game against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Monday (US time), relieving starter Jordan Lyles, who allowed seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. The southpaw made 66 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on five hits, with one

April 27, 2021

Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun allows 3 runs in 3 innings in his 2021 season debut

St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun took a no-decision in his long-awaited season debut. The left-hander started the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Saturday (US time), giving up three earned runs on five hits and one walk in three innings. It was his belated first start as the sophomore southpaw began the 2021 season on the injured list due to a back injury after making some rough starts during spring training. On Saturday,

April 18, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin rides cutter to impressive win over Yankees

When he's on top of his game, few pitchers in baseball can be as effective and beguiling as Ryu Hyun-jin. The Toronto Blue Jays' ace put on a pitching clinic in picking up his first win of the season against the New York Yankees at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, on Tuesday (local time). Ryu gave up a run -- unearned -- in 6 2/3 innings against his old nemesis, keeping them off balance all game, with an array of well-located fastballs setting up excellent secondary pitches. The left-hander, n

April 14, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin sharp vs. Yankees for 1st win of season

Three starts into the 2021 season, Ryu Hyun-jin finally has a win for the Toronto Blue Jays. The South Korean left-hander limited the New York Yankees to a run on four hits in 6 2/3 strong innings, helping the Jays to a 7-3 victory at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, on Tuesday (local time). He struck out seven and walked one. The lone Yankees run off Ryu was unearned, as it came following a throwing error by third baseman Cavan Biggio in the seventh inning. Ryu is now 1-1 for the season and

April 14, 2021

Cardinals' pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun to make season debut on weekend

St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun will make his long-awaited 2021 season debut on the weekend. The left-hander will face the Philadelphia Phillies on the road on Saturday (local time), St. Louis manager Mike Shildt announced prior to Tuesday's home game against the Washington Nationals. The first pitch will be 4:05 p.m. Saturday in Philadelphia, and 5:05 a.m. Sunday in South Korea. Kim missed a couple of weeks in March with back tightness, after some rough starts to his

April 14, 2021

Choo Shin-soo belts 1st homer in KBO

After hitting 218 home runs over 16 years in the majors, Choo Shin-soo has now homered for the first time in South Korea. The new outfielders for the SSG Landers launched a solo home run off Hanwha Eagles' starter Nick Kingham in the bottom of the third inning of their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season game on Thursday. The no-doubter traveled 115 meters into right field seats at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul. That one swing took care of a lot

April 8, 2021

Padres' Kim Ha-seong collects 1st MLB hit, RBI

It was a day of firsts for the San Diego Padres' South Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong. In his first major league start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in San Diego on Saturday (local time), Kim also picked up his first hit and RBI. He ended the game 2-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout. The Padres prevailed 7-0. Kim got the start at second base and batted sixth at Petco Park. Kim had come off the bench on Opening Day on Thursday but struck out swinging. He sat out the next game before getting

April 4, 2021

Opening Day excitement tempered by injuries for KBO managers

Samsung Lions' skipper Huh Sam-young is managing his second Opening Day in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Saturday, but it feels like the first one to him. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic caused multiple delays to the start of the season. It had been scheduled to start on March 28, and the league eventually decided on May 5. By the time that first day rolled around, it was too anticlimactic for Huh. This year, things are at least starting on time. Four of the five games scheduled w

April 3, 2021

Choo Shin-soo's KBO debut rained out

Choo Shin-soo has waited his whole life to make his debut in South Korean professional baseball. So what's another day? Choo, the 38-year-old former major leaguer now with the South Korean club SSG Landers, was scheduled to play in his first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season game on Saturday. But the Landers' game against the Lotte Giants at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, was rained out, along with three of four other games: the Kia Tigers vers

April 3, 2021

KBO players looking to test themselves against Choo Shin-soo

To a man, South Korean baseball players who had previously only seen Choo Shin-soo in action in the majors say they're honored to now be in the same league with the veteran. Following 16 years in the bigs, Choo signed with the SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in February. Before the ink on his one-year, 2.7 billion won ($2.4 million) contract was dry, Choo became the face of his new team and the most compelling name to watch this season. In the virtual preseason media day

April 2, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin looks at big picture ahead of Opening Day start

As he prepares to make his third straight Opening Day start this week, Toronto Blue Jays' left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin has adopted big picture thinking. The South Korean ace will be on the mound at Yankee Stadium to face the New York Yankees -- at 1:05 p.m. Thursday (local time), or 2:05 a.m. Friday in Seoul. He also started the first day of last season for the Blue Jays and had the honor for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019. While Opening Day assignments for starting pitchers carry certain symboli

April 1, 2021

Choo Shin-soo headlines KBO players to watch in 2021

Perhaps no player has generated quite as much buzz ahead of a South Korean baseball season as Choo Shin-soo has this spring for the SSG Landers. He isn't the first ex-major leaguer from the country to set foot in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Even Park Chan-ho, the first South Korean to play in Major League Baseball (MLB), chose to finish out his career at home. But Park arrived here in 2012 in the twilight of his career, having spent the previous year in Japan. His lone season with t

April 1, 2021

Dinos chase 2nd straight title as KBO opens 2nd season during pandemic

In a season unlike any other in South Korean baseball history in 2020, the year of the coronavirus pandemic, the NC Dinos emerged as the first-time champions. While the rest of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) may be hoping the 2021 season will be different than last year -- more fans in the stands would be a nice change, for one -- the Dinos will try to ensure the end result will be the same, with the Korean Series title staying with them. The 2021 season will open Saturday, an on-time s

April 1, 2021

Rays' Choi Ji-man to undergo knee surgery, likely to miss 3-5 weeks

Tampa Bay Rays' South Korean first baseman Choi Ji-man will begin the 2021 season on the shelf, as he's scheduled to undergo knee surgery this week. The Rays announced before their spring training finale in Lakeland, Florida, on Tuesday (local time) that Choi will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday morning. Though the exact timetable for Choi's return hasn't been determined, he's expected to miss three to five weeks. The regular season opens Thursday across the United Sta

March 31, 2021