Two clubs that clashed for the South Korean baseball championship last year will renew their postseason rivalry this week.The Doosan Bears and the NC Dinos will meet for the third straight year in the Korea Baseball Organization playoffs starting Tuesday at the Bears' home, Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.There's less at stake this year than the last, though. The Bears swept the Dinos in four straight games in the Korean Series last year to capture their second straight league championship. This time, t

BUSAN  -- The NC Dinos defeated the Lotte Giants 9-0 to advance to the next round in the Korea Basebal Organization (KBO) postseason on Sunday.The Dinos put up a seven-spot in the top fifth to break open the scoreless game at Sajik Stadium in Busan, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to beat the Giants three games to two in the best-of-five first round showdown.NC starter Eric Hacker tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings for the win, and the Dinos will now face the Doosan Bears in the best-of-five

The Lotte Giants stayed alive in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason on Friday with a 7-1 victory over the NC Dinos on the road.Son A-seop smacked a pair of home runs, while Lee Dae-ho and Jeon Jun-woo also hit one homer apiece at Masan Stadium in Changwon, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as the Giants evened their best-of-five first round series at two games apiece. Lotte Giants outfielder Son A-seop (Yonhap)Lotte starter Josh Lindblom struck out 11 in eight dominant innings, hol

Underachieving baseball club LG Twins welcomed their new manager on Friday.Ryu Joong-il was formally introduced as the new skipper for the Seoul-based club in the Korea Baseball Organization. The Twins first announced their hiring of Ryu on Oct. 3, hours after their regular season finale.Ryu signed a three-year deal worth 2.1 billion won ($1.87 million), including 600 million won in signing bonus.For the first time in his baseball career, Ryu, 54, is donning a uniform belonging to a club other t

INCHEON -- South Korean pitcher Oh Seung-hwan said Wednesday he's "open to all possibilities" as he is set to hit free agency this offseason.Oh returned home Wednesday after completing his second major league season with the St. Louis Cardinals. The right-hander went 1-6 with a 4.10 ERA and 20 saves in 62 appearances and lost his closer job in the midseason. This was a down year compared to 2016, when he was 6-3 with 19 saves and a 1.92 ERA and became the go-to ninth-inning guy for the Cardinals

CHANGWON, South Korea -- The NC Dinos beat up on the Lotte Giants 13-6 on Wednesday to move within a victory of advancing to the next round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason.The Dinos belted out five home runs in their home park, Masan Stadium in Changwon, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to take a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five opening round. They pounded out 13 hits in the game.Game 4 is back at Masan Stadium at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.Third baseman No Jin-hyuk, who came off the

Rookie sensation Lee Jung-hoo headlines the South Korean national baseball team for an inaugural offseason tournament this fall.The Korea Baseball Organization announced a 25-man final roster for the Asia Professional Baseball Championship, which will take place from Nov. 16-19 in Tokyo. It will feature pros from South Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei under 24 years of age -- born on or after Jan. 1, 1993 -- or those with less than three years of professional experience.Lee Jung-hoo, hot-hitting

BUSAN -- At first glance, the Lotte Giants' 1-0 victory over the NC Dinos in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason game Monday may seem like the product of a pitching duel.But this nail-biting contest at Sajik Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was much more than that. Both clubs put on a display of maddening inability to cash in on their opportunitiesWhen the stakes are high and pitchers dig deep in playoffs, hitters have to pounce on what few chances they get and not do

The Lotte Giants blanked the NC Dinos 1-0 to even their Korea Baseball Organization postseason series at one game apiece Monday.Starter Brooks Raley tossed 5 1/3 shutout innings before leaving the game with a leg injury, and the bullpen took care of the rest at Sajik Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.The Giants bounced back after dropping the opening game 9-2 in 11 innings Sunday. The best-of-five series will resume in Changwon, about 50 kilometers west of Busan, on Wednesday.T

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

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.

In this age of advanced metrics in baseball, the number of wins for pitchers may not carry quite the same luster that it once did. 　But for starting pitchers, 20 is still a nice round number that represents overall excellence, consistency and durability -- not to mention a little bit of luck.　This season in the Korea Baseball Organization, Yang Hyeon-jong is the only starter with a chance of reaching 20 wins.　The 29-year-old left-hander picked up his 19th win of the season Tuesday, after tossing

South Korean baseball players' interest group on Wednesday called for revisions to a recent rule introduced to allow players to have representation starting next year.The Korea Professional Baseball Players Association welcomed the decision by the Korea Baseball Organization to permit agents to represent its players beginning in 2018, putting into effect a rule that was initially written in 2001.The KPBPA will be responsible for running qualification tests for those hoping to work with KBO playe

The final game for retiring South Korean baseball legend Lee Seung-yuop has sold out, his club Samsung Lions said Tuesday.The Korea Baseball Organization club said the 24,000 tickets to the regular season finale on Oct. 3 between the Lions and the Nexen Heroes at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, have all been snapped up. The game will begin at 5 p.m.The first 15,000 tickets went on sale for the club's Blue Members on Sunday, and they were gone by Monday. Then