BUSAN -- The well-worn baseball cliche has it that pitching and defense help teams win championships. And in their crucial postseason victory in the Korea Baseball Organization on Saturday, the NC Dinos enjoyed some stellar pitching while exploiting their opponents' shoddy defense. They had smart base running to boot, making for a lethal combination against any team.The Dinos defeated the Lotte Giants 9-2 at Sajik Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in Game 1 of their best-of-fi

BUSAN -- The NC Dinos stole a road game in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason Sunday, beating the Lotte Giants 9-2 in 11 innings to open their best-of-five first round series.The Dinos exploded for seven runs in the top of the 11th at Sajik Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, powered by Mo Chang-min's grand slam.The winner of Game 1 in the first round has gone on to take the series in six of the past 10 years, including each of the last three. Game 2 is back at Sajik Sta

MOSCOW -- Former South Korean men's football head coach Guus Hiddink has turned down the country's offer of another position on the national team, though he's still willing to assist the squad for next year's FIFA World Cup, the national football federation said Saturday.The Korea Football Association said Hiddink also canceled his trip to Moscow, where South Korea are scheduled to face Russia in a friendly match later in the day.According to the association, KFA Vice President Lee Yong-soo met

MOSCOW -- South Korea men's football head coach Shin Tae-yong blamed defensive lapses for the 4-2 loss to Russia in a friendly Saturday.South Korea gave up two goals and defender Kim Ju-young scored two own goals in the deflating loss at the VEB Arena in Moscow. South Korea's record for 2017 now stands at one win, three losses and three draws, and the team has scored five goals in those seven contests.This was Shin's third match for South Korea, and first since two consecutive scoreless draws ag

South Korea lost 4-2 to Russia in a men's football friendly match in Moscow on Saturday, adding another lethargic effort to a growing list of subpar results.Fyodor Smolov and Aleksei Miranchuk each scored a goal for the home side, and South Korean defender Kim Ju-young committed two own goals in the second half at the VEB Arena in the Russian capital.(Yonhap)Defender Kwon Kyung-won and foward Ji Dong-won had a goal apiece for the visitors late in the match, though these weren't nearly enough.Rus

The Kia Tigers won the South Korean baseball pennant on Tuesday, the final day of the regular season.The Tigers finished first among 10 clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season with a record of 87 wins, 56 losses and one tie, after defeating the KT Wiz 10-2 at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 40 kilometers south of Seoul.The Tigers edged out the Doosan Bears (84-57-3) by two games for their first pennant since 2009.Kia players celebrate their win of the pro-baseball pennant on Tuesday.

Kim Un-yong, former vice president of the International Olympic Committee, passed away Tuesday. He was 86 years old.Sources close to the deceased said Kim, feeling under the weather, was admitted to Severance Hospital on Monday and was pronounced dead at 2:21 a.m. Tuesday.During his sports administration career, Kim was one of the most powerful figures in the IOC, which he joined in 1986. He played an instrumental role in helping Seoul win the right to host the 1988 Summer Olympics. Kim Un-yong

North Korean figure skaters Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik qualified for next year’s Winter Olympics to be held in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. The pair finished sixth Friday at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany, becoming North Korea’s first athletes to qualify for the upcoming Olympics.It is unclear whether the Kim Jong-un regime will allow the skaters to compete, but South Korea’s PyeongChang Olympics organizing committee said Saturday the pair’s achievement could make it easier to persuade the No

Former national men's figure skating champion Lee June-hyoung has earned a spot for host South Korea at next year's Winter Olympics.Lee established a new career high of 148.74 points in free skate for a total of 222.89, also a personal best, to rank fifth among 26 at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany, on Friday (local time). This is the last qualifying competition for PyeongChang 2018, and the top six skaters from countries that hadn't already qualified each earned a spot for their nat

Construction has been nearly completed on a controversial stadium that will host the opening and closing ceremonies for next year's Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in South Korea.    The Pyeongchang organizing committee said Friday the pentagonal, 35,000-seat stadium would be finished on Saturday. It will be torn down after the Games, with the site to be used for a new museum and leisure facilities.     South Korea had considered using existing stadiums in other cities for the opening and closi

South Korea's football governing body confirmed Friday that the men's national team will play Morocco in an international friendly next month.The Korea Football Association said South Korea will take on Morocco at Tissot Arena in Biel, Switzerland, on Oct. 10. It will be South Korea's second friendly after clinching a berth at the 2018 FIFA World Cup earlier this month. The Taeguk Warriors are first set to meet the World Cup hosts Russia in Moscow on Oct. 7. The KFA originally planned a friendly

South Korean ice dance tandem of Min Yu-ra and Alexander Gamelin on Thursday found themselves on the bubble for next year's Winter Olympics on home ice.The duo scored 55.94 points in their short dance to rank seventh among 18 teams at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. This is the last Olympic qualifying competition, and the top five teams here will each earn a spot for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics for their countries.The free dance is scheduled for Saturday.Of the 18 teams in actio

South Korea's new under-23 national football team boss, Kim Bong-gil, said Thursday he may select Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min for his Asian Games squad next year under the right conditions.Kim, who was appointed Tuesday by the Korea Football Association, will lead South Korea at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship in January next year and then at the Asian Games in August.Like the Olympic Games, the men's football tournament at the Asian Games is open to players

A pair of homegrown stars will headline a strong field at the upcoming LPGA tournament in South Korea.Ryu So-yeon and Park Sung-hyun, Nos. 1 and 2 in the women's world rankings, will showcase their talent before home fans at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship starting Oct. 12 at Sky 72 Golf & Resort's Ocean Course in Incheon, west of Seoul.In all, nine out of the top-10 players will compete at the tournament, the only LPGA event in South Korea each year.Only the No. 10-ranked Park In-bee will b

Doosan Bears' right-hander Dustin Nippert has been as reliable as they come, but in his seventh Korea Baseball Organization season in 2017, the American hurler is stumbling into the playoffs.After taking his eighth loss of the season Wednesday against the KT Wiz, Nippert is 3-2 with a 5.53 ERA in his last 10 appearances. In four September starts, Nippert is 1-1 with an even more uncharacteristic 9.78 ERA.For the year, Nippert is 14-8 with a 4.20 ERA, still solid numbers in an offense-happy leagu