All KBO spring training participants test negative for coronavirus

All participants in spring training for South Korean baseball have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, the league office announced Monday. Spring training for the 10 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) clubs began across the nation on Monday. And the league announced in the evening that 776 players, 255 coaches and managers, and 692 team officials -- 1,723 in total -- all tested negative. The KBO mandated pre-camp testing for all players, coaches, trainers and front office staffers, plus

Feb. 1, 2021

SSG Electros? Shinsegae applies for trademark on potential new baseball team name

Searching for a new nickname after purchasing a professional baseball club, South Korean retailer Shinsegae Group said Monday it has applied for a trademark on a name inspired by its home appliance shop. Shinsegae said it has sent in a trademark application for Electros, taken from its Electro Mart chain. Shinsegae acquired the SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in a surprise deal announced last Tuesday. E-Mart, the country's biggest discount store chain run by Shinsegae, will

Feb. 1, 2021

Snow or not, KBO clubs set to open spring training at home next week

The morning low temperature dipped to double digits below freezing in Seoul and some other regions of South Korea on Friday, a day after parts of the country were blanketed in snow. This could only mean one thing. It's time for baseball's spring training. The 10 clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will open their camps on Monday. The term "spring training" is almost a misnomer here, because spring doesn't officially start until Tuesday and the mercury is expected to stay b

Jan. 29, 2021

Shinsegae acquires pro baseball club from SK Telecom

South Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group said Tuesday it will acquire a professional baseball club owned by SK Group as it seeks to boost marketing with the sports team. E-Mart Inc., the country's biggest discount store chain run by Shinsegae, has agreed to buy the SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) from SK Telecom Co., the country's largest mobile carrier, for 135.2 billion won ($122 million). The deal includes acquisition of SK Telecom's 100 percent stake in the Wyverns as

Jan. 26, 2021

New manager for KBO club wants to give fans hope during pandemic

When it comes to playing for fans, Hong Won-ki, recently named the manager of the South Korean baseball club Kiwoom Heroes, doesn't want his players just to talk the talk. He'd like to see them walk the walk with their action on the field. Hong, who was promoted from bench coach to manager last Thursday, was formally introduced on Monday in a ceremony streamed on the club's YouTube channel. The former player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) first joined the Heroes as a scout in 2008 and

Jan. 25, 2021

KBO rocked by latest gambling scandal

About two weeks before the start of spring training across the league, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has been rocked by its latest gambling scandal. The Doosan Bears on Tuesday asked the KBO to place two of their minor leaguers, pitcher Jeong Hyun-wook and catcher Kwon Ki-young, on the inactive list, for engaging in illegal betting activities. Once placed there, they must be reinstated by the league commissioner before they can play again. Though the latest incident involved little-kn

Jan. 15, 2021

Defending KBO champions Dinos acquire ex-MLB pitcher Parsons

The 2020 South Korean baseball champions NC Dinos announced Monday they've signed former big league pitcher Wes Parsons. The Dinos said they signed the 28-year-old right-hander to a one-year deal worth up to US$600,000. He will make $320,000 in salary and $80,000 in signing bonus, and can earn up to $200,000 incentives. The Dinos have now completed their foreign player signings for 2021, having earlier retained starter Drew Rucinski and outfielder Aaron Altherr on new one-year contracts. Th

Jan. 11, 2021

KBO's Bears bring back veteran shortstop on 3-year deal

  The South Korean baseball club Doosan Bears announced Friday they will bring back veteran shortstop Kim Jae-ho on a new three-year deal. The Korea Baseball Organization club said Kim has agreed to a three-year deal worth 2.5 billion won ($2.3 million). He'll make 1.6 billion won in salary and 900 million won in signing bonus. Kim, 35, became a free agent, for the second time, this winter. After debuting with the Bears in 2008, Kim first entered the open market in 2016 and re-signed wi

Jan. 8, 2021

New KBO boss sets sights on improved play, safety during pandemic

The new head of South Korean professional baseball said Tuesday he will prioritize running a safe 2021 season during the coronavirus pandemic while also putting together an improved product on the field. Chung Ji-taik, a 70-year-old executive with the business conglomerate Doosan Group, was introduced as the 23rd commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) that day. In his inauguration ceremony held at the KBO headquarters in Seoul, Chung said the KBO faces "a series of tasks&qu

Jan. 5, 2021

Hitting big league fastballs, defensive flexibility keys for San Diego-bound Kim Ha-seong

Once the South Korean star infielder Kim Ha-seong completes his reported move to the San Diego Padres, he will have to prove his considerable offensive talent and athleticism on defense will translate against hard-throwing big league arms. MLB.com and other US media reported Monday (local time) that Kim has agreed to a deal with the Padres. Financial terms of the contract, which is pending a physical, weren't immediately available.  Kim was posted for Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs on

Dec. 29, 2020

Posted KBO star Kim Ha-seong on way to US ahead of signing deadline

With at least one major league offer in tow, the posted South Korean All-Star shortstop Kim Ha-seong departed for the United States on Monday with his deadline to land a big league deal fast approaching. A-Spec Corporation, the Seoul-based agency for the Kiwoom Heroes‘ slugger, confirmed an earlier report that Kim left for the US on Monday. Kim, a 25-year-old coming off his first 30-homer season, was posted on Dec. 2. Under the terms of the posting agreement between the Korea Baseball O

Dec. 28, 2020

Ex-MLB hitter Jose Pirela signs with KBO's Lions

The Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Wednesday they have signed former major league hitter Jose Pirela. The team said the Venezuela-born Pirela signed a one-year deal worth up to $800,000, including a guaranteed salary of $500,000 and a signing bonus of $100,000. He can make up to $200,000 in incentives. Making his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2014, the 31-year old went .257 with 17 homeruns and 82 RBIs in 302 big league games for the Yankees, San Diego Pad

Dec. 16, 2020

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin named to All-MLB 2nd Team for 2nd straight year

South Korean major league pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has been picked for an All-MLB Team for the second straight season. The Toronto Blue Jays' left-hander was one of five starting pitchers for the All-MLB Second Team, unveiled by Major League Baseball (MLB) on Wednesday (US time). On the strength of a third-place finish in the American League (AL) Cy Young Award voting, Ryu made the Second Team again, after doing so as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019. He was the National League (NL) Cy

Dec. 10, 2020

KBO's MVP poised for another year-end trophy

The 2020 regular season MVP in South Korean baseball is poised to pick up another piece of hardware this month. Mel Rojas Jr. of the KT Wiz has been nominated for the Golden Glove in the outfield category, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Wednesday. The slugging right fielder captured the MVP award on Monday in a landslide after leading the KBO in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and runs scored. He became the sixth foreign player to take KBO's top individual award. Rojas J

Dec. 2, 2020

KBO asks MLB to post NC Dinos slugger Na Sung-bum

One of South Korea's premier sluggers will be knocking on the big league doors this winter. The Korea Baseball Organization announced Monday it has asked Major League Baseball to post NC Dinos outfielder Na Sung-bum for MLB's 30 clubs. The decision came after the Dinos requested the Korean league take that administrative step and give Na a chance to reach the big leagues. Under the posting system, any interested big league team will be able to negotiate with Na during a 30-day period. It will

Nov. 30, 2020

Dinos on verge of Korean Series title after shutting out Bears 5-0

The NC Dinos are one win away from capturing their first South Korean baseball championship. Starter Koo Chang-mo fired seven shutout innings, and cleanup Yang Eui-ji blasted a two-run home run in the bottom sixth, lifting the Dinos to a 5-0 victory in Game 5 of the Korean Series at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Monday. Yang's shot followed Aaron Altherr's tiebreaking RBI single in the fifth. The Dinos added two insurance runs in the seventh. After their second straight shutout, the Dinos lea

Nov. 23, 2020

KBO champions to be crowned before reduced crowd under tighter distancing rules

When the 2020 South Korean baseball championship is awarded this week, it will be done before a reduced crowd due to tighter social distancing rules in the capital region. The government decided on Sunday to enforce Level 2 distancing regulations for the greater Seoul area, the third-highest in South Korea's five-tier coronavirus alert system, effective Tuesday. The move was in response to the continued surge in COVID-19 cases in Seoul and surrounding regions, even after the distancing level wa

Nov. 22, 2020

KBO to allow clubs to cut salary in case of extraordinary events

Starting next year, South Korean baseball clubs will be allowed to reduce player salaries if the season is interrupted by extraordinary events. The Korea Baseball Organization announced Thursday that, following their board meeting, general managers from its 10 clubs agreed to add the "force majeure" clause into player contracts. Under that clause, teams will be able to cut wages without liability, if events beyond their control disrupt the season. Those events include an outbreak of

Nov. 19, 2020

Dinos' Altherr apologizes for refusing to wear mask during Korean Series

An American baseball player competing in the South Korean baseball championship series apologized on Wednesday for refusing to wear a mask during official pregame and postgame functions. Aaron Altherr of the NC Dinos skipped the award ceremony and his postgame press conference on Tuesday, after being named the Player of the Game in the Dinos' 5-3 victory over the Doosan Bears in Game 1 of the Korean Series. Altherr hit a three-run home run at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, but told the club and th

Nov. 18, 2020

Ties, more ties, walk-off blasts: a look at history of Korean Series

This is the 39th season of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) but starting Tuesday, the NC Dinos and the Doosan Bears will only be playing in the 38th Korean Series. So what happened in that one missing season? The very first Korean Series game, back in 1982, ended in a tie. Yes, even in games that matter the most, there are ties in the KBO. The answer to the above question and other factoids like tie games have helped shape the history of championship baseball in the country. The Korean S

Nov. 17, 2020