South Korean baseball slugger Choi Jeong is no longer afraid of swinging with two strikes, which in turn has put him on a torrid home run pace this season.The SK Wyverns third baseman went deep in back-to-back at-bats against the Hanwha Eagles on Thursday to take the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) lead with 22 home runs.This was the Wyverns' 64th game of the 144-game season, and Choi's 58th appearance.Choi Jeong (Yonhap)Choi, who tied for the league lead last year with 40, is on pace for 52 h

The South Korean baseball club Hanwha Eagles said Tuesday they will keep interim manager Lee Sang-kun for the remainder of the season.The Korea Baseball Organization club has been without a full-time manager since the dismissal of Kim Sung-keun on May 23. Lee, then a pitching coach, assumed the interim role, and the Eagles at the time said they'd try to name Kim's replacement as quickly as possible to stabilize the clubhouse and the dugout.Lee Sang-kun (right), interim manager of the Hanwha Eagl

Having already surpassed his previous career home run total in 2017, SK Wyverns' outfielder Han Dong-min has emerged as the biggest -- and also the unlikeliest -- power threat in South Korean baseball.Prior to Tuesday's action, Han found himself leading the Korea Baseball Organization with 20 home runs and a .685 slugging percentage. He's tied with NC Dinos' Xavier Scruggs for the league lead with 49 RBIs, though Han has driven in those runs in 228 plate appearances, 28 fewer than Scruggs.Before

Hurt by long balls yet again, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers has barely avoided a loss in a shaky start.Ryu gave up three home runs against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday (local time). Ryu was lifted for pinch hitter Franklin Gutierrez in the bottom fourth with the Dodgers trailing 4-2.The Dodgers' offense came alive after Ryu left the game and rallied for a 9-7 victory thanks to a six-run eighth.(Yonhap)The four innings matched Ryu's shortest start of th

The South Korean baseball club KT Wiz on Friday signed former US minor league hitter Mel Rojas Jr.The Korea Baseball Organization team said Rojas agreed to a $400,000 deal for the rest of the season. (Yonhap)A third round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010, Rojas doesn't have any major league experience. He has spent eight years in the minor leagues, with 46 home runs, 325 RBIs and 94 steals in 837 games.In 2017, Rojas, a switch hitter, had been playing for the Gwinnett Braves, the Tri

As base hits pile up, KT Wiz outfielder Oh Jeong-bok is growing into his role as the Korea Baseball Organization club's No. 2 hitter.Oh is working on a 15-game hitting streak, which began May 20.In nine of those games, Oh had at least two hits. Through Thursday's action, he's batting a robust .407 (55-for-135), though he doesn't have enough at-bats yet to qualify for the batting title. In this file photo taken May 10, 2017, Oh Jeong-bok of the KT Wiz watches his base hit against the Kia Tigers i

What a difference a year can make -- and not in such a positive way for SK Wyverns first baseman Choi Seung-jun.Choi came out of nowhere to win the Player of the Month in the Korea Baseball Organization in June 2016, after belting 11 home runs in 26 games. That included a three-homer game on June 28 against the KT Wiz, and Choi also led the league with a .783 slugging percentage that month. In this file photo taken on July 7, 2016, Choi Seung-jun of the SK Wyverns (R) celebrates a home run again

Player A: 115 home runs in 1,184 games in South Korea. Zero 30-homer seasons. Two .300 seasons.Player B: 210 home runs in 868 games in South Korea. Four 30-homer seasons, including back-to-back 50-homer seasons in 2014 and 2015. Regular season MVP awards in 2012 and 2013.Both players are currently biding their time in the U.S. minor leagues, hoping for a shot in the Big Show. And as it turns out, Player A has a much better shot at cracking a major league roster this year, despite less impressive

With only two games under his belt in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Samsung Lions rookie outfielder Kim Seong-yoon can already lay claim to a record, unflattering as it seems.At 163 centimeters, Kim, 18, is the shortest player in the league's 35-year history. Kia Tigers' shortstop Kim Sun-bin had been the shortest for nine years at 165 cm. Kim Seong-yoon of the Samsung Lions speaks to reporters at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul before a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against t

Jamie Romak, a midseason acquisition for the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization, likes it in South Korea so much that he is hoping for a long stay here.In just 23 games after replacing Danny Worth, Romak has smacked 11 home runs and knocked in 23 runs. He's a key cog of the home run-hitting machine that is the Wyverns, who are leading the KBO with 99 home runs, a whopping 40 more than anyone else.Romak might have had a chance to join the big leagues this year, but he chose the KBO bec

The longest on-base streak in South Korean baseball came to an end at 86 games on Sunday.Kim Tae-kyun of the Hanwha Eagles went 0-for-4 in a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game against the SK Wyverns at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul.Kim had been on base in each of his past 86 games, a KBO record by 23.Kim Tae-kyun of the Hanwha Eagles reacts after flying out to left against the SK Wyverns in their Korea Baseball Organization regular season gam

Oh Seung-hwan of the St. Louis Cardinals has saved his 13th game of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers.Oh threw a scoreless ninth inning against the Dodgers at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Thursday (local time), preserving the Cards' 2-0 victory. The right-hander gave up a hit but collected two strikeouts to pick up a save for the second straight day.  St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Oh Seung-hwan and catcher Yadier Molina celebrate a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium in

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers has thrown a solid outing in his return to the starting rotation, while fellow Korean pitcher Oh Seung-hwan earned a save for the St. Louis Cardinals in the same game.Ryu tossed six effective innings in a no-decision against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Wednesday (local time). Ryu held the Cards to a run on three hits over those half-dozen frames, while striking out four and walking one, but the Cardinals went on to win the game 2-1.The l

DAEJEON -- Former major league players Alexi Ogando and Wilin Rosario on Wednesday became the first batterymates from the Dominican Republic to win a game in the Korea Baseball Organization.Ogando tossed six strong innings for the Hanwha Eagles with countryman Rosario behind the plate, as they beat the Doosan Bears 3-1 at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul. The Eagles are now enjoying a season-high four-game winning streak.Ogando gave up just one earned run on

Choo Shin-soo of the Texas Rangers has homered in back-to-back games for the first time this season.Leading off and playing right field, Choo jumped on the first pitch he saw from the Tampa Bay Rays' starter Matt Andriese in the bottom of the first at Globe Life Park in Arlington in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday (local time). In this Associated Press photo, Choo Shin-soo of the Texas Rangers rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in their Major League Baseball r