The Toronto Blue Jays have announced their signing of free agent pitcher Oh Seung-hwan, making him the first South Korean to play for the franchise.The Jays said on Monday (local time) that the 35-year-old agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million, with a club option for 2019 worth $2.5 million that goes into effect if he meets performance incentive thresholds.Earlier in the day, Oh's Seoul-based agency, Sports Intelligence Group, said Oh had signed with the Jays and passed his physical in F

The last two seasons were something of a struggle for South Korean slugger Park Byung-ho, who was mostly toiling in the minors of the Minnesota Twins system and awaiting a call-up that never came. Park Byung-ho (Yonhap)Now that he's back with his former Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club, Nexen Heroes, Park said he feels "right at home.""It's great to see some familiar faces, and I feel really comfortable now," Park said at a press conference in Incheon on Tuesday, moments after arriving bac

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin tied the knot with local sports announcer Bae Ji-hyun Friday.The star athlete and the popular TV personality exchanged vows in a private ceremony at Shilla Hotel in Seoul. Kim In-sik, Ryu’s former manager in South Korea with the Hanwha Eagles, was the officiant and Yoo Jae-suk, one of South Korea’s biggest celebrities, served as the master of ceremonies. (Yonhap)Their wedding guests included Choo Shin-soo of the Texas Rangers and former big leaguers Kim H

Chung Un-chan, former South Korean prime minister inaugurated as head of professional baseball on Wednesday, has previously been an economics scholar, with Ph.D. in economics at Princeton University.And it's perhaps the academic in him that envisions the 10 clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization developing into successful business entities.Throughout his inauguration ceremony, Chung stressed the need to turn individual clubs into profitable business organizations, so that professional baseball

Former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan was formerly unveiled as the new head of South Korean professional baseball Wednesday.The Korea Baseball Organization held an inauguration ceremony for its new commissioner in Seoul, as Chung replaces Koo Bon-neung, a corporate executive who had been the commissioner since 2011. Chung's term is three years.Chung, 70, was nominated by the KBO's board of directors -- made up of the 10 club presidents, Koo and KBO's Secretary-General Yang Hae-yong -- on Nov. 29 l

South Korean free agent infielder Choi Ji-man has received offers from 13 Major League Baseball clubs, his agency said Friday. GSM said the clubs that made offers to the 26-year-old include Choi's former clubs the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels. The others are the Tampa Bay Rays, the Oakland Athletics, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Miami Marlins, the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, the Baltimore Orioles, the Minnesota Twins, the Atlanta Braves, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Chicago

Reigning South Korean pro baseball league MVP Yang Hyeon-jong will stay with his original club for one more season after he inked a lucrative contract on Thursday.The free agent pitcher re-signed with the Kia Tigers after he agreed to a one-year deal that will give him 2.3 billion won (US$ 2.14 million) next season. Yang is now the second-highest paid player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) behind Lotte Giants slugger Lee Dae-ho, who receives an annual salary of 2.5 billion won.Yang this

South Korean outfielder Kim Hyun-soo has returned home after a largely unsuccessful stint in Major League Baseball, but the 29-year-old hasn't entirely given up on his big league dreams.Kim recently signed a four-year deal worth 11.5 billion won ($10.7 million) with the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization and was formally introduced by the Seoul-based club on Thursday.He split the past two seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies, batting .273 with seven home runs

Former major league outfielder Kim Hyun-soo was formally introduced by his new South Korean club on Thursday, two days after signing one of the largest free agent contracts in the history of professional baseball here.Kim donned the pinstriped jersey of the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization at his introductory press conference in Seoul. On Tuesday, the Twins, based in the nation's capital, announced their signing of the 29-year-old to a four-year deal worth 11.5 billion won ($10.7 mill

Former All-Star outfielder Lee Yong-kyu has taken the biggest year-to-year pay cut in South Korean professional baseball history.The Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization said Wednesday Lee has agreed to a 400 million won ($368,000) deal for the 2018 season.The 32-year-old earned 900 million won in 2017, the final season of his four-year contract. The 500 million won pay cut is the largest in the KBO's 35-year history, surpassing a 450 million won reduction that former LG Twins pitche

South Korean teenage baseball prospect Bae Ji-hwan is trying his best to shrug off a murky future after his US deal got wiped out over a rules violation.The 18-year-old shortstop out of Kyeongbuk High School in Daegu, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was the recipient of the 2017 Lee Young-min Batting Award at an annual amateur baseball ceremony Monday evening. The award, named after a former baseball great, is presented to the top-hitting high school player each year.In 27 games in 2017,

The South Korean baseball club Lotte Giants said Thursday they've agreed to terms with former major league pitcher Felix Doubront.The Korea Baseball Organization team said the 30-year-old left-hander has agreed to a one-year deal worth $1 million, including a signing bonus of $100,000. Doubront is scheduled to undergo a physical in the United States on Friday (local time).Doubront, a native of Venezuela, joins American left-hander Brooks Raley in the Giants' rotation. Earlier this week, right-ha

The reigning South Korean baseball MVP Yang Hyeon-jong picked up another major trophy on Wednesday, completing an unprecedented sweep of the sport's top individual awards.The Kia Tigers left-hander was one of 10 recipients of the Golden Glove in the Korea Baseball Organization, as he capped off the most memorable season of his 11-year career. Yang won a whopping 323 out of 357 votes cast by baseball writers, photojournalists and broadcasters.Yang won the regular season MVP award last month, afte

South Korean baseball's reigning Rookie of the Year Lee Jung-hoo got a hefty raise Wednesday.The Nexen Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization announced they've inked Lee to a new one-year deal worth 110 million won ($101,200). The 19-year-old outfielder made the minimum KBO salary of 27 million won in 2017.And the deal was a bargain for the Heroes, as Lee established new rookie records with 179 hits and 111 runs scored, while leading all freshmen with a .324 batting average. Lee was the runaw

The South Korean baseball club Doosan Bears announced their signing of American right-hander Josh Lindblom on Monday, parting ways with long-time ace Dustin Nippert in the process.The Korea Baseball Organization team said Lindblom agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.45 million. The 30-year-old will be entering his fourth KBO season; he'd spent the first three with the Lotte Giants.The contract talks between Lindblom and the Giants fell through last week. And only hours before the Bears made their