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

Rangers' Yang Hyeon-jong wild in final spring training game

Texas Rangers' South Korean pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong may have blown his chance at making the big league roster at the start of the new season, following a wild outing in his final spring training game. Yang issued three walks and gave up two runs in 2/3 of an inning in relief against the Milwaukee Brewers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Monday (local time). Yang, who signed a minor league deal after 14 years in South Korea and received an invitation to spring training, has been tryi

March 30, 2021

Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun allows 2 runs in 2 innings in return to spring training action

Pitching in his first spring training game in nearly three weeks, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals was undone by extra-base hits. The South Korean left-hander served up two triples while giving up two runs in two innings against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, on Saturday (local time). This was Kim's first preseason since March 8, when he was charged with four earned runs in 2 1/3 innings against the same Marlins. While preparing for his next ou

March 28, 2021

2 S. Korean pitchers set to make final spring appearances over weekend

South Korean baseball fans won't get to sleep in this weekend, with two of their own set to make final appearances in the ongoing major league spring training in the early morning hours. Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays will start against the Philadelphia Phillies at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, at 7:37 a.m. Saturday (Korean time). It will be his third official spring start, but fifth appearance overall, counting unofficial scrimmages. The left-hander has built up to 77 pitches and fi

March 26, 2021

Injured Rays' infielder Choi Ji-man resumes training, itching to get back

Having been sidelined for about two weeks with a knee injury, Tampa Bay Rays' South Korean infielder Choi Ji-man can't wait to return to the field. The rehab has been taking longer than he'd like. In a Zoom media conference from Florida on Thursday (local time), Choi said he's been surprised by two aspects of his current condition: one, that he's had to deal with pain on two different occasions, and two, that the rehab has gone on as long as it has. "It's such a shame that I've been sitt

March 26, 2021

Rangers' Yang Hyeon-jong shaky in 1st spring start

Texas Rangers' South Korean pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong got knocked around in his first spring training start, wobbling in his pursuit of a major league job by the end of camp next week. Yang allowed two runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona, on Wednesday (local time). Four of those hits and both of the runs came in the second inning. The left-hander had made three relief appearances and pitched to a 3.00 ERA over six innings prior

March 25, 2021

Choo Shin-soo named to S. Korean provisional baseball roster for Tokyo Olympics

Choo Shin-soo, a former major league All-Star currently playing for a South Korean club, was named to the country's provisional roster for the Tokyo Olympics on Monday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced a 154-man preliminary squad, which will be whittled down to 24 for the final roster in June. The Tokyo Olympics, postponed by a year from 2020 due to effects of the coronavirus pandemic, will run from July 23 to Aug. 8 this year. The KBO said only those on the provisional roster c

March 22, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin throws 5 shutout innings in simulated game

Toronto Blue Jays' starter Ryu Hyun-jin has tossed another fine outing in spring training, as he continues to build up nicely for the start of the regular season next week. Ryu threw five scoreless innings in a simulated game in Dunedin, Florida, on Sunday (local time), the Blue Jays announced. The team said the South Korean left-hander struck out five while making 77 pitches. He gave up three hits and a walk. Ryu has pitched in just two official spring training games, while mixing in an intra

March 22, 2021

Choo Shin-soo strikes out twice in KBO preseason debut

CHANGWON -- Former major league All-Star Choo Shin-soo made his South Korean professional baseball debut on Sunday, striking out twice as a designated hitter in the most eagerly anticipated preseason game in recent years. Choo, the biggest offseason signing by the SSG Landers, went 0-for-3 from the No. 2 spot against the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The preseason in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) was scheduled to begin across the nation on

March 21, 2021

All eyes on Choo Shin-soo, SSG Landers as KBO's preseason begins on weekend

Contrary to popular belief, there are players in South Korean baseball other than Choo Shin-soo, and his SSG Landers definitely aren't the only club in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Despite the presence of nine other clubs and their players, Choo and the Landers have been hogging the spotlight throughout spring training, and for good reason. Now, one of the most hyped-up preseasons in KBO history is scheduled to begin Saturday. Choo, a 16-year major league veteran who signed with the

March 18, 2021

2nd-year KBO starter looking to throw curve, literally and figuratively

In 20 games as a rookie last year, including 16 starts, LG Twins' right-hander Lee Min-ho mostly relied on two pitches: four-seam fastball and slider. The 19-year-old is trying to change that pattern this year by throwing his curveball more often. The runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2020 hopes he can keep hitters on their toes that way and improve on his 3.69 ERA from last season. According to the Korean baseball statistics site Statiz, Lee threw his four-seamer 49.8 percent of t

March 18, 2021