Kim Tae-kyun, one of the most productive hitters in South Korean baseball history, has decided to call it a career after 18 seasons with one franchise. The Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Wednesday that Kim, 38, will retire at the end of the season. Kim is scheduled to hold a press conference before a home game against the Kia Tigers at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on Thursday. The regular season ends on Oct. 30. The team w

SUWON -- A leading MVP candidate in South Korean baseball will be tested for the novel coronavirus later Tuesday after developing a high fever. The KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization said Tuesday that slugging outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. will undergo a test for COVID-19, with the result expected sometime Wednesday. Rojas Jr. was ruled out of Tuesday's home game against the LG Twins at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, after his fever reached 37.2 degrees Celsius earlier i

When their 2020 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers begins in a Texas bubble this week, the Tampa Bay Rays and their South Korean first baseman, Choi Ji-man, will also start their pursuit of "firsts." As in: the Rays, who began play in 1998, will chase their first-ever World Series title. And whatever Choi does at the plate and on the field will be a first for a South Korean position player. Choi is the fourth South Korean to reach the World Series but the first batter to mak

Whenever questions about his potential jump to Major League Baseball (MLB) come up, Kiwoom Heroes' shortstop Kim Ha-seong says he would rather not discuss the matter until after the season. Kim's Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club is expected to post the 25-year-old for big league clubs this winter. The Heroes promised him as much last year. Kim's chances of landing a deal through posting and his possible destination have been a subject of speculation on both sides of the Pacific. But with

The Tampa Bay Rays and their South Korean first baseman Choi Ji-man are World Series bound. Choi went 2-for-3 with a walk and scored a late insurance run, helping the Rays beat the Houston Astros 4-2 in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) at Petco Park in San Diego on Saturday (local time). Choi is now poised to become the first South Korean batter to play in the World Series. Three South Koreans who have been there before Choi have all been pitchers: Kim Byung-hyun (2001

Choi Ji-man of the Tampa Bay Rays struck out in his only plate appearance as his club suffered its third straight loss in the American League Champions Series (ALCS). With the South Korean first baseman benched, the Rays fell to the Houston Astros 7-4 in Game 6 of the ALCS at Petco Park in San Diego on Friday (local time). After winning the first three games of the best-of-seven series, the Rays have dropped three in a row to be pushed into the do-or-die Game 7. The series-deciding game will b

Choi Ji-man delivered a key home run for the Tampa Bay Rays in a postseason losing cause, as the American League Championship Series (ALCS) got extended by another game. Choi belted a game-tying solo home run in the top eighth against the Houston Astros in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series at Petco Park in San Diego on Thursday (local time), only to see the Astros walk it off for a 4-3 victory in the bottom ninth on Carlos Correa's solo shot. Choi went 2-for-2 with two walks, but the Rays hav

The already intense pennant race in South Korean baseball has become even more interesting in recent days, with the unexpected struggles of the top-ranked NC Dinos. The Dinos have dropped a season-worst six games in a row, during which they've been shut out twice. Their lead atop the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) standings has been cut to 4.5 games over the KT Wiz, with both clubs having 13 games remaining entering Wednesday. Things are as tight as they get from there. The Wiz and the fift

The Tampa Bay Rays have moved within a win of reaching the World Series, with their South Korean first baseman Choi Ji-man watching from the bench. The Rays defeated the Houston Astros 5-2 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the American League Champions Series (ALCS) at Petco Park in San Diego on Tuesday (local time). In Game 3, Choi was held out of the starting lineup even though the Astros had right-hander Jose Urquidy starting. Yandy Diaz took Choi's spot both in the lineup and on the field,

Say what you will about wins for pitchers -- how it's an overrated stat and how pitchers have less control of their own destiny than once thought. The term "20-game winner" still has a nice ring to it and carries cachet. In the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) this season, two hurlers are going for that milestone, and their battle to lead the league in the category is going down to the wire. Raul Alcantara of the Doosan Bears threw seven shutout innings against the Hanwha Eagles on

Chung Un-chan, commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization, has decided not to seek a second term. Following its board of directors meeting, the KBO announced Tuesday that Chung, whose three-year term ends in December, will not pursue another term at the helm of the country's professional baseball. The board, made up of presidents from 10 KBO clubs, decided to nominate former Doosan Bears interim owner Chung Ji-taik as the new commissioner. The KBO's board of governors, comprising owners o

As the South Korean baseball league enters its third-to-last week of the regular season, stadium gates will open back up for fans who have been itching to return to seats. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) clubs will play their final two three-game sets this week, with makeup games of rained-out affairs to follow from Oct. 20 to 30. They received some welcoming bit of news Sunday, as the government eased social distancing restrictions to allow sports teams to start playing in front of fans

With social distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic eased across the nation, the top baseball league here will reopen stadium gates on Tuesday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) made the announcement on Sunday, hours after the government decided to lower the level of social distancing restrictions from Level 2 to Level 1, the lowest in the three-tier system. The government said teams could admit crowds of up to 30 percent of their stadium capacity. But to maintain sufficient dist

  He has come home again. After a whirlwind but outstanding rookie season with the St. Louis Cardinals, South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun returned home Wednesday, four days after his club was eliminated from the first round of the postseason. Kim will be reunited with his family after serving his mandatory 14-day quarantine. Kim's wife and two children greeted him at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul, though they couldn't get close to one another because of quarantine re

Choi Ji-man hits Gerrit Cole like few others in Major League Baseball (MLB). Choi, the South Korean first baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, blasted a two-run homer off the New York Yankees' ace in Game 1 of their American League Division Series (ALDS) at Petco Park in San Diego on Monday (local time). It was Choi's fourth career home run and 10th hit in 19 career at-bats against Cole, including postseasons. Choi also has 10 RBIs against the right-handed fireballer. The ball left Choi's bat at 1