Ryu Hyun-jin's first career Opening Day start for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday was a significant occasion on multiple levels, potentially fraught with stress. He was filling in for Clayton Kershaw, the longtime franchise ace and three-time Cy Young Award winner who had opened the past eight seasons. And Ryu was the first South Korean to start on Opening Day since Park Chan-ho for the Texas Rangers in 2002.But after throwing six solid innings of one-run ball against the Arizona Diamondback

The Doosan Bears opened their quest for a second straight regular season crown in South Korean baseball with a 5-4 victory over the Hanwha Eagles on Saturday.New Cuban hitter Jose Miguel Fernandez knocked in three runs, including two that broke the 3-3 tie with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, as the Bears took their home opener in the Korea Baseball Organization at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.Fernandez, a former Cuban national team member, went 2-for-4 batting out of the sixth spot.The

　The new season in South Korean professional baseball began Saturday, with four of the five games played before sellout crowds.　The Korea Baseball Organization opened its 38th season, with all 10 clubs in action.　Changwon NC Park in Changwon, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, hosted its first regular season game as the brand new home for the NC Dinos. All 22,112 tickets for the tilt between the Dinos and the Samsung Lions sold out last Saturday, the league office said.(Yonhap)　The first home ru

Los Angeles Dodgers’ South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin has been named the team‘s Opening Day starter, becoming just the second pitcher from the country to have the honor.　Manager Dave Roberts made the announcement in the Dodgers’ spring training site in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday (local time).　Injuries to Clayton Kershaw, who had opened the previous eight seasons, plus Walker Buehler and Rich Hill left Ryu as the most viable option to start the season against the Arizona Diamondbacks next

　The Korea Baseball Organization recently announced its salary data for the 2019 season.　Lee Dae-ho of the Lotte Giants topped all players with an annual salary of 2.5 billion won ($2.2 million), followed by the Kia Tigers’ Yang Hyeon-jong (2.3 billion won) and the NC Dinos’ Yang Eui-ji (2 billion won). 

Korea Baseball Organization team Kiwoom Heroes announced Friday that it was replacing Im Eun-ju, who made headlines not two weeks earlier when she became the first female general manager in KBO history.Replacing her will be Kim Chi-hyeon, whose previous roles include scouting foreign players, negotiating with MLB teams, and creating and operating the team’s farm system. Im Eun-ju“We recruited Im in order to improve our front office, but decided to replace her for quicker and more efficient opera

All-Star catcher Yang Eui-ji, the most coveted asset in South Korean baseball's open market this winter, signed the second-largest free agent contract in league history on Tuesday.The 31-year-old agreed to a four-year deal worth 12.5 billion won ($11.1 million) with the NC Dinos. The Korea Baseball Organization club announced the deal, which includes a signing bonus of 6 billion won. Yang made 600 million won in 2018. Free agent catcher Yang Eui-ji speaks on stage after winning his fourth career

Former South Korean league pitcher Merrill Kelly has joined the Arizona Diamondbacks, a report claimed Wednesday.Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports said Kelly, the former ace for the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization, has signed a two-year, US$5.5 million deal. The deal also includes two club options -- first valued at $4.25 million with a $500,000 option and another worth $5.25 million.Kelly made $1.4 million in 2018 here. In this file photo from Nov. 12, 2018, Merrill Kelly, then of the S

South Korean baseball club LG Twins announced Wednesday they've signed former major league first baseman Tommy Joseph.The Korea Baseball Organization team signed Joseph, 27, to a one-year deal worth US$1 million, which includes a $300,000 signing bonus. (LG Twins)Starting this offseason, the KBO put in a salary cap of $1 million on all new foreign players. The cap doesn't apply to returning foreign players.Joseph is just a year removed from his second-straight 20-homer season with the Philadelph

South Korean baseball club Samsung Lions on Tuesday announced their acquisition of former big league pitcher Justin Haley.The Korea Baseball Organization team said Haley has agreed to a one-year deal worth US$550,000. He got a $100,000 signing bonus and can make an additional $250,000 in incentives.Starting this offseason, the KBO put in a salary cap of $1 million on first-year foreign players. In this UPI file photo from June 29, 2018, Justin Haley, then with the Boston Red Sox, throws a pitch

South Korean baseball club Nexen Heroes said Friday they've acquired a new American pitcher, Eric Jokisch, while retaining two of their foreign players for one more season.The Korea Baseball Organization team said Jokisch, a 29-year-old left-hander, agreed to a one-year deal worth $500,000, which includes an undisclosed signing bonus and performance-based incentives.The KBO has implemented a salary cap of $1 million on all first-year foreign players, starting this offseason. SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonh

Once a big spender in South Korean baseball's free agency, the Kia Tigers will stay away from the open market this winter, their general manager said Friday.Cho Kye-hyun said his Korea Baseball Organization club will not go after any free agents during this offseason and added, "We felt we'd be better off trying to develop our own assets." In this file photo from July 25, 2018, Ryu Seung-hyun of the Kia Tiger hits a two-run double against the Hanwha Eagles in the top of the seventh inning of a K

South Korean baseball club Hanwha Eagles said Wednesday they'll bring back outfielder Jared Hoying for one more season.The Korea Baseball Organization team said Hoying, 29, will return on a new one-year deal worth $1.4 million, with $800,000 in salary, $300,000 in signing bonus and another $300,000 in option. Hoying made $400,000 in 2018 with a signing bonus of $300,000.The KBO has put a salary cap of $1 million on new foreign players coming to the league, and it doesn't apply to returnees. In t

South Korean baseball club LG Twins announced on Wednesday their signing of former major league pitcher Casey Kelly.The Korea Baseball Organization team said Kelly has agreed to a one-year deal worth $1 million, which includes a $300,000 signing bonus.Starting this offseason, the KBO put a $1 million salary cap on foreign players who sign their first contracts here. In this Associated Press file photo from Sept. 26, 2018, Casey Kelly, then of the San Francisco Giants, pitches against the San Die

By accepting the Los Angeles Dodgers' one-year qualifying offer last week instead of testing the open market, South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin rolled the dice and gambled that he will have a strong 2019 season and his value will rise even higher next winter.And Ryu said Tuesday he was confident things will work out just fine."Considering how I feel physically, I thought I could be in an even better position next year," Ryu told reporters at Incheon International Airport after returning home to