Lions slugger Park Byung-ho becomes 3rd KBO player to hit 400 home runs

Park Byung-ho of the Samsung Lions became the third player in South Korean baseball to hit 400 home runs Wednesday. Park belted his 400th homer to lead off the bottom of the second inning against the Doosan Bears in their Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, some 230 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Park drove a forkball from Bears starter Choi Seung-yong over the right-center field fence for the milestone. He has now homered in four consecutive games.

Sept. 4, 2024

Ex-baseball player ordered to pay W800m won to Padres' Kim Ha-seong in contract dispute case

A former baseball player has been ordered to pay a substantial penalty to San Diego Padres' shortstop Kim Ha-seong for violating an agreement between the two. The Seoul Central District Court ruled in Kim's favor on Friday in a lawsuit against Lim Hye-dong for breach of contract, mandating the defendant to pay 800 million won ($597,000). The dispute originated from a scuffle between the two at a Seoul bar in February 2021. Lim had demanded a settlement from Kim, who was then completi

Aug. 31, 2024

Korean-ethnic high school wins prestigious Japanese baseball tournament

TOKYO -- A Korean-ethnic high school in Japan won a prestigious national baseball championship for the first time on Friday. Kyoto International High School defeated Kanto Daiichi High School in the final of the National High School Baseball Championship, better known as "Summer Koshien," by the score of 2-1 in extra innings at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, just west of Osaka. Kyoto International was founded in 1963 as an ethnic institution for students of Korean descent. S

Aug. 23, 2024

KBO's new strikeout king proves nice guys can finish first

Kia Tigers left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong was crowned the new career strikeout king in South Korean baseball Wednesday, proving that nice guys can finish first in sports. Yang struck out Yoon Dong-hee of the Lotte Giants in the top of the third inning of the teams' Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul. It was Yang's 2,049th career strikeout, moving him past former Hanwha Eagles pitcher Song Jin-

Aug. 21, 2024

Padres' Kim Ha-seong leaves game with shoulder injury

Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres exited his latest game with a shoulder injury after a dive back to first base on a pickoff attempt. Kim hurt his right shoulder during the top of the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver on Sunday. He opened that inning with a single off the starter Bradley Blalock, and with Luis Arraez at the plate, Kim dove safely back to the bag when the right-hander tried to pick him off. After the safe call, Kim immediately signaled to the d

Aug. 19, 2024

KBO breaks single-season attendance record

The South Korean baseball league set a new single-season attendance record on Sunday, surpassing a 7-year-old mark with more than a month left on the season. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced the attendance for the season reached 8,407,887 as of Sunday afternoon, after all 23,750 tickets were sold out for the evening tilt between the Kia Tigers and the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. The previous record had been 8,400,688 fans from the 2017 season, covering 720 ga

Aug. 18, 2024

Tigers' Kim Do-yeong becomes youngest member of 30-30 club in KBO

The Kia Tigers' All-Star Kim Do-yeong became the youngest member of the "30-30" club in South Korean baseball history Thursday. Kim launched his 30th home run of the 2024 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season in the top of the fifth inning against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, a two-run shot off Heroes starter Enmanuel De Jesus. Kim already had 33 steals prior to Thursday's game. With this home run, Kim, at 20 years, 10 months and 13 days old, became the

Aug. 15, 2024

Baseball game canceled due to severe heat for 1st time

Severe heat caused the cancellation of a South Korean baseball game Friday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said the regular-season game between the LG Twins and the Lotte Giants scheduled in the southeastern city of Ulsan was scrapped due to extreme heat. This marks the first game in the KBO's 42-year history to be canceled because of heat wave. Per KBO regulations, games may be canceled in cities where the highest daily temperature has reached 35 C for at least two consecutive days.

Aug. 2, 2024

Choo Shin-soo becomes oldest position player in KBO history

Former major league All-Star Choo Shin-soo became the oldest position player to appear in a game in the South Korean league Wednesday. At 42 years and 11 days old, Choo started as designated hitter for the SSG Landers against the KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of Seoul, in their Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game. Choo moved past former Lotte Giants player Felix Jose, who was 42 years and eight days old when he played in his final KBO game on May 10, 2007. Jose also home

July 24, 2024

KBO club manager welcomes new pitch-calling device

Kiwoom Heroes manager Hong Won-ki said Tuesday he welcomed the introduction of the new pitch-calling device that he feels will help speed up games. The Korea Baseball Organization has distributed PitchCom transmitters and receivers to all 10 clubs, and they're available for use starting with Tuesday's games. Catchers can use the transmitter to give pitch signals to pitchers instead of using conventional finger signs, and pitchers will be able to listen to the call via the receiver worn

July 16, 2024

KBO's Landers reinstate injured pitcher, cut ties with temporary replacement

The South Korean baseball club SSG Landers reinstated pitcher Roenis Elias from the injured list Tuesday, while terminating a deal with his temporary replacement in a corresponding move. The Landers said Elias, who had been out since May 18 with an oblique injury, will start against the NC Dinos on Wednesday at Changwon NC Park in the southeastern city of Changwon. The Cuban left-hander last pitched on May 12, and was sidelined before his next scheduled start six days later. With Elias out, th

July 2, 2024

Top vote getter to miss KBO All-Star Game due to injury

Kia Tigers closer Jung Hai-young, the top vote getter for the All-Star Game, will miss the midseason exhibition due to shoulder injury, his manager said Tuesday. The Tigers put Jung on the injured list on Monday with rotator cuff tendinitis in his right shoulder. The Tigers initially held out hope that Jung would be able to appear in the All-Star Game for the Korea Baseball Organization, scheduled for July 6, as he led all players by receiving about 1.39 million votes from fans. However, Tigers

June 25, 2024

All-Star closer for Tigers sidelined with shoulder injury

The Kia Tigers announced Monday their All-Star closer Jung Hai-young will be sidelined for at least two weeks with a shoulder injury. The Tigers, currently in first place in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), said Jung, the 22-year-old right-hander, has been diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinitis in his right shoulder. Jung was lifted during Sunday's game against the Hanwha Eagles after facing four batters due to shoulder discomfort. He had a preliminary test done on Sunday and went thr

June 24, 2024

Tigers' Kim Do-yeong joins 20-20 club with homer off Ryu Hyun-jin

Kia Tigers infielder Kim Do-yeong joined the 20-20 club in South Korean baseball Sunday with a home run off former Major League All-Star Ryu Hyun-jin. Kim swatted a solo home run off Ryu, the starter for the Hanwha Eagles, to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul. It was Kim's 20th home run of this Korea Baseball Organization season. Kim already had 22 steals prior to Sunday's game. At 20 years, eight mont

June 23, 2024

KBO club Eagles hire Olympic gold medal-winning skipper Kim Kyung-moon as new manager

The Hanwha Eagles announced Sunday that Kim Kyung-moon, who led South Korea to the 2008 Olympic baseball gold medal, will be their new manager. The Eagles signed Kim to a three-year deal worth 2 billion won ($1.4 million), including a signing bonus of 500 million won. Kim's hiring comes six days after his predecessor, Choi Won-ho, resigned to take the fall for the team's struggles. Kim, 65, will be managing in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the first time since June 2018. Ki

June 2, 2024

Eagles' Ryu Hyun-jin scratched from start due to arm discomfort

The Hanwha Eagles' pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin was scratched from his start Friday evening against the Samsung Lions because of left arm discomfort. Ryu had been scheduled to take the mound at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, some 240 kilometers southeast of Seoul, but the Eagles replaced him about an hour before the 6:30 p.m. first pitch. In Ryu's stead, right-hander Kim Kyu-yeon, who had been pitching in relief all season, made his first career start. The Eagles did not provide further de

May 31, 2024

Giants' Lee Jung-hoo lands on injured list with dislocated shoulder

The San Francisco Giants' South Korean rookie Lee Jung-hoo has landed on the 10-day injured list with a dislocated left shoulder. The Giants placed Lee on the sidelines Monday, a day after Lee crashed into the center-field wall at Oracle Park in San Francisco while trying to make a grab during the Giants' game against the Cincinnati Reds. Lee crumpled to the ground and immediately grabbed his left shoulder. A few minutes later, the Giants' head athletic trainer, Dave Groeschner, e

May 14, 2024

2 S. Korean players suffer injuries during MLB games

Two South Korean players in Major League Baseball this season, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants and Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres, have both suffered injuries that forced them to leave their games. The San Francisco Giants center fielder Lee Jung-hoo suffered a dislocated left shoulder after crashing into the outfield fence attempting to make a catch against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sunday. Kim Ha-seong, shortstop for the San Diego Padres, took a pitc

May 13, 2024

Landers slugger Choi Jeong becomes new KBO career home run leader

SSG Landers slugger Choi Jeong is the new home run king in South Korean baseball. Choi launched his 468th home run off Lotte Giants starter Lee In-bok at Sajik Baseball Stadium in the southeastern city of Busan on Wednesday, passing former Samsung Lions star Lee Seung-yuop on the all-time home run list in the Korea Baseball Organization. With the Landers trailing 7-4, Choi came up with two outs in the top of the fifth inning for his third plate appearance. Choi drilled a first-pitch slider and s

April 24, 2024

KBO umps caught on mic conspiring to cover up missed call

During a KBO game in Daegu on Sunday between the NC Dinos and Samsung Lions, the umpires were caught on a hot mic attempting to cover up a missed call of a strike as a ball. "You clearly heard a ball. You understand, right? This is the only way out for us," one umpire was overheard saying during a live TV broadcast during a conversation discussing an objection from the NC Dinos regarding a discrepancy between the robo umpire’s judgment and the human umpire’s call. After the

April 15, 2024