The Korea Herald

KBO club chiefs give green light ...to Park Chan-ho

Dec 13, 2011

KBO club chiefs give green light to Park Chan-hoFormer Major League Baseball All-Star Park Chan-ho will be able to play in his home country next year.Presidents of the eight current clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization and one expansion team set to join the league in 2013 on Tuesday instituted a rule change to allow Park to join the league next season, the league office said. The veteran right-hander was released by the Orix Buffaloes in Japan in October.Under the previous rule, Park would
KBO club presidents give green light to Park Chan-ho

Dec 13, 2011

SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) -- Former Major League Baseball All-Star Park Chan-ho will be able to play in his home country next year.Presidents of the eight current clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and one expansion team set to join the league in 2013 on Tuesday instituted a rule change to
Chong Tae-hyon returns from U.S. without firm deal

Dec 7, 2011

Chong Tae-hyon, the South Korean free agent pitcher in contract talks with a Major League Baseball club, returned home early Wednesday with no deal in place.Chong, who has held talks with the Baltimore Orioles, arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, about 5:40 a.m. with his family. Chong refused to answer questions about his contract status, only saying, “Nothing has been decided, and I’ve got nothing to tell you.”Before Chong arrived, a source close to the pitcher claimed Chon
Lee Dae-ho joins Orix

Dec 6, 2011

Former Korean MVP Lee Dae-ho has joined the Orix Buffaloes in Japan, the club announced.In a press release, the Buffaloes said they have signed the 29-year-old infielder formerly with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization, but did not disclose other details of the deal. Lee has reportedly signed a two-year contract worth 700 million yen ($9 million). The hulking first baseman, listed at 194 centimeters and 130 kilograms, was voted the KBO’s MVP in 2010 after leading the league in a
Slugger Lee Seung-yeop rejoins former S. Korean team

Dec 5, 2011

Slugger Lee Seung-yeop has rejoined his former team in South Korea's top baseball league. Lee Seung-yeop (Yonhap News)Lee has signed a one-year deal with the Samsung Lions in theKorea Baseball Organization (KBO), the club announced Monday.The left-handed first baseman agreed to 800 million won (US$7
Samsung sinks SoftBank to win Series

Nov 30, 2011

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (Yonhap News) ― South Korea’s Samsung Lions beat SoftBank Hawks of Japan 5-3 to capture the Asia Series tournament in a battle of league champions.At Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, the Lions, the 2011 champions of the Korea Baseball Organization, overcame an early deficit against the Hawks, the Nippon Professional Baseball champions. Samsung’s starter Jang Won-sam settled down after a shaky start and the bullpen took care of the rest, as the Lions became the first K
Verlander named MVP

Nov 22, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― Justin Verlander figured time had run out on his chance to become the first starting pitcher in a quarter-century to be voted Most Valuable Player.Last Tuesday, he found out about 12:40 p.m. that he was a unanimous winner of the AL Cy Young Award. It was closing in on 1 p.m. Monday, and he still hadn’t gotten word on the MVP.“I had told myself that it wasn’t going to happen,” he said. “I figured somebody else got the call.” Not to worry, there was just a slight delay because Verl
Slugger Lee Dae-ho seeks opportunity in Japan

Nov 20, 2011

Lee Dae-ho of the Lotte Giants has refused to sign a new deal with the Busan-based club in order to pursue new opportunities in Japan.The veteran slugger, who debuted with the Giants in 2001, became a free agent this winter. His team was trying hard to retain him, offering 10 billion won ($8.7 million) in a four-year deal, which would have been the league’s biggest signing. The current record in the Korea Baseball Organization is Sim Jeong-soo’s 6 billion won deal with the Samsung Lions in 2004.
Gibson, Maddon voted managers of the year

Nov 17, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― Kirk Gibson took a tough-guy approach. So much so, he brought three Navy SEALs to spring training.The SEALs wrote D, W and I on a board. The letters stood for a sense of purpose, not a traffic offense: “Deal With It.”“They bought into it,” said Gibson, voted the NL Manager of the Year on Wednesday after the guiding the Arizona Diamondbacks to a worst-to-first finish.Joe Maddon took a different tact. After Tampa Bay lost its first six games, he proclaimed with a great flourish tha
S. Korean pitcher pursued by MLB calls off talks with current team

Nov 17, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- Free agent baseball pitcher Chong Tae-hyon on Thursday called off salary negotiations with his original South Korean team to seek a career in Major League Baseball (MLB), a day after the MLB checked his availability this offseason.The right-hander had until this Saturday t
Verlander bags Cy Young award

Nov 16, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― There was little question Justin Verlander would unanimously win the AL Cy Young Award. Now, the far more intriguing question: Will he take the MVP, too?“Do I think it’s possible? Yes. Would I like to win it? Of course,” he said during a conference call. “It’s kind of a weird scenario.”No starting pitcher has won the MVP trophy since Roger Clemens in 1986, with Dennis Eckersley the last reliever to get it in 1992. Many say pitchers shouldn’t win the MVP, period, contending they a
Kimbrel, Hellickson chosen top rookies

Nov 15, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― Craig Kimbrel overpowered hitters with his rocket right arm, then overwhelmed rivals in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.If only, the Atlanta Braves’ closer figured, his final outing could’ve gone better.Kimbrel unanimously won the NL honor on Monday, with Tampa Bay pitcher Jeremy Hellickson a clear choice as the top rookie in the AL.Kimbrel set a major league record for saves by a rookie with 46. He earned all 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Associatio
Will Yoon pitch Stateside?

Nov 11, 2011

Kia pitcher signs with MLB agent BorasThe country’s pro-baseball season is over, heralding speculation about players moving to other clubs. And the biggest transfer rumor involves Kia Tigers pitcher Yoon Suk-min. Reports say that the 25-year-old right-hander could leave the country to join Major League Baseball as early as next year. Yoon, the 2011 KBO’s MVP, revealed last week that he had signed with MLB agent Scott Boras as a part of his long-term plan to pitch in the American top league.Altho
Star free agents hit market in Korean baseball

Nov 9, 2011

A record number of players have declared free agency in South Korea’s top professional baseball circuit, including last year’s MVP, the league office announced Wednesday.According to the Korea Baseball Organization, 17 players declared themselves free agents for the 2012 season. That is the most since free agency was introduced in the league in 1998.Eleven others who were eligible for free agency have decided to remain with their current clubs, the KBO said.The KBO has eight clubs, with an expan
Tigers’ Yoon named MVP

Nov 7, 2011

Yoon Seok-min of Kia Tigers was named MVP award by the Korea Baseball Organization. Yoon received 62 of the 91 votes cast by baseball writers to beat out Samsung Lions closer Oh Seung-hwan, who had 19 votes.Lions slugger Choi Hyung-woo, expected to be one of the favorites to win the title, received only eight votes while 2010 MVP Lee Dae-ho of Lotte Giants garnered two.Oh, who had a remarkable 0.63 ERA with 47 saves this season, had announced earlier that he would give up the MVP award in order