It's a funny game, this thing called baseball. A pitcher can feel like he has the stuff to shut down the opponents, but in the blink of an eye, a lead can evaporate and the pitcher can end up with a loss. Up against the Baltimore Orioles, the worst team in the majors, Toronto Blue Jays' starter Ryu Hyun-jin had confidence in all of his pitches. And he looked the part through two outs in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Tuesday (local time), as he had held the Orioles without a hi

As teams approach the century mark in games played this season, the KT Wiz will set its sights on padding its lead atop the South Korean baseball standings. The Wiz is coming off a 4-2 week. Its most recent victory, on Sunday against the Samsung Lions, must have been particularly gratifying for the leaders of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). After allowing two runs in the top of the first inning, the Wiz put up a seven-spot in the fifth inning. It pounded out 12 hits, with every member of

South Korean left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong has been recalled to the big leagues for the first time in nearly 70 days. The Texas Rangers said Tuesday (US time) they have called up three minor league players, including Yang, to fill open roster spots due to a COVID-19 outbreak on the team. Yang joined the 26-man major league roster for the first time in 69 days since he was sent to the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, Round Rock Express, on June 17. In his first major league stint in April, Yang went

With his first scoreless outing in more than a month, Toronto Blue Jays starter Ryu Hyun-jin has pulled into a tie for the American League (AL) lead in victories. Ryu tossed seven shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Saturday (local time), helping the Blue Jays to a 3-0 victory. Ryu scattered five hits and struck out five, while walking one batter and inducing three double plays. Ryu is now 12-6 for the season, and his ERA dropped from a season-high 3.72 to

Inching toward a return to the big leagues, St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean starter Kim Kwang-hyun allowed two runs in two innings of his minor league rehab outing. Pitching for Triple-A Memphis Redbirds at AutoZone Park in Memphis on Thursday (local time), Kim served up two solo home runs in the top of the first inning against the Nashville Sounds. Leadoff man Matt Lipka went deep on Kim's fifth pitch of the game. Two batters later, Daniel Vogelbach homered to right field to put the Sounds

There isn't a precise measure to compare the overall talent level of South Korean professional baseball to that of the majors. But big league scouts and other front office types familiar with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) would tell you the Korean league falls somewhere between Triple-A and Double-A ball stateside. By some crude math, then, it stands to reason that one-time big leaguers who didn't pan out in the KBO would have little, if any, chance of returning to Major League Baseball

After an errant pitch brushed his jersey, SSG Landers' slugger Choi Jeong didn't just walk to first base. He also trotted into the record books. On Wednesday night in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Choi got hit by a pitch for the 288th time in his career. The Landers billed it as "the world record," as Choi surpassed the major league mark of 287 held by Hall of Famer Hughie Jennings. His career spanned from 1891 to 1918 but his last hit-by-pitch came in 1903. It's difficult t

This has been an unusual season in South Korean baseball in more ways than one, and the absence of former major leaguers from overseas at the top of batting stats leaderboards has been especially noticeable. Gone are the days when foreign hitters dominated major hitting categories such as home runs, hits and RBIs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Through Tuesday's action, Jose Pirela of the Samsung Lions has been the only foreign bat of note. In his first KBO season, Pirela is tied wit

A South Korean baseball player has been cleared of doping allegations upon further review by the national anti-doping body, the player's club has announced. The Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said late Tuesday that the Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) informed the league office of its final decision on the player, whose identity was being withheld, at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The KBO in turn delivered the news to the Bears, a team official added. In June, the KADA detected a banne

A player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) is undergoing an additional review after failing a doping test, national authorities said Tuesday. The Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) said a player for the Doosan Bears, whose identity is being withheld, tested positive for a banned substance last month but has since appealed his case. The player insisted in his hearing in July that he has never taken any illegal drug. The KADA is reviewing possibilities that a prohibited substance might have

St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun has landed on the injured list (IL) for the third time this season. The Cardinals announced Monday (US local time) that Kim is back on the 10-day IL with left elbow inflammation and the move is retroactive to Sunday. The left-hander had previously made two trips to the IL, first in April and then in June, with lower back issues. After giving up two runs in four innings against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, Kim admitted he had been

The South Korean baseball club KT Wiz announced Monday one of their coaches tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The coach began exhibiting symptoms on Friday and didn't attend the club's practices on Saturday and Sunday. The coach was tested Sunday and got his positive result back Monday, the Wiz added. The club said it immediately informed the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) of the result. All KT players and front office staff will be tested and remain isolated until further notice.

Trying to regain consistency with his best pitch, the changeup, Toronto Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin put his head down and got to work in the bullpen during the All-Star break. And he came out throwing it as well as he has at any point this year. The South Korean left-hander rode the changeup to a seven-inning shutout of the Texas Rangers at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on Sunday (local time). Ryu held the opponents to three hits in the first game of a doubleheader for his first complete game

Though it came in an abbreviated game, Ryu Hyun-jin will take a complete game shutout in any shape or form. The South Korean starter for the Toronto Blue Jays pitched a seven-inning shutout against the Texas Rangers to open the second half of the season at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on Sunday (local time), carrying Toronto to a 5-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader. Ryu gave up three hits and a walk while striking out four, after his scheduled start was pushed back by a day due to

With his family watching him pitch in the majors in person for the first time, St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean starter Kim Kwang-hyun delivered an outstanding performance. While twirling six shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants in a 3-1 win at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Saturday (local time), Kim had to keep his emotions in check. "I tried not to get caught up in the thoughts of my family and just focus on the game at hand," Kim said in his postgame Zoom session. He