The Korea Herald

Lions sign Cloyd

Jan 8, 2015

The reigning South Korean baseball champs Samsung Lions said Thursday they’ve signed former big league right-hander Tyler Cloyd.The Korea Baseball Organization club said they inked the 27-year-old pitcher for $550,000, along with a signing bonus of $100,000.Cloyd pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2012 and 2013, going 4-9 with a 5.89 ERA in 19 appearances, 17 of them starts. (Yonhap)
Johnson, Martinez among 4 voted into Hall of Fame

Jan 7, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) ― Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz dominated in an era of offense, each in their own way.The 6-foot-10 Big Unit became the tallest of 215 players elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame and the 5-foot-11 Martinez the shortest pitcher picked for Cooperstown since Whitey Ford in 1974.Smoltz, who found unusual success both as a starting pitcher and a reliever, also was voted in Tuesday along with Craig Biggio, the first time since 1955 writers picked a quartet of players in on
Jang seeks ‘turning point’ on new team

Jan 7, 2015

Jang Won-jun takes part in a press conference on Wednesday. (Yonhap)Jang Won-jun, South Korea’s most expensive pitcher who signed a record-setting free-agent contract with the Doosan Bears, said Wednesday he wants to have a “turning point” in his Korea Baseball Organization career on a new club.The Bears formally introduced Jang at their home park, Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, on Wednesday, a little more than a month after inking him to a four-year, 8.4 billion won ($7.6 million) contract. It was th
Reigning MVP to start with clean slate

Jan 6, 2015

By all accounts, Nexen Heroes second baseman Seo Geon-chang had a season to remember in 2014, setting Korea Baseball Organization single-season records with 201 hits, 135 runs scored and 17 tripes, en route to winning his first MVP award. For his accomplishments ― which included his first batting title with a .370 average ― Seo also grabbed multiple trophies at several year-end baseball award ceremonies.Yet with the Heroes’ spring training set to open next week, Seo said Tuesday he will forget a
Pedro Martinez waits for call from Hall of Fame

Jan 4, 2015

BOSTON (AP) ― As a Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster, Nomar Garciaparra watched Clayton Kershaw become the dominant pitcher in the National League, winning three of the last four NL Cy Young Awards ― the last one unanimously.But when fans ask if he’s ever witnessed anyone as good as the L.A. left-hander, Garciaparra stops them cold.“Hang on,” he says, “I got to play with Pedro Martinez.”The former Red Sox shortstop was already in Boston when the reigning NL Cy Young winner arrived from the Montrea
Doosan Bears bring back Dustin Nippert

Dec 29, 2014

South Korean baseball club Doosan Bears announced Monday they have re-signed their right-hander Dustin Nippert, bringing back the steady starter for his fifth season in the Korea Baseball Organization.The Bears said Nippert has agreed to a $1.5 million deal to return to the Seoul-based club. Foreign players are only allowed to sign one-year contracts with the KBO clubs.Nippert, 33, has gone 52-27 with a 3.25 ERA in 107 appearances for the Bears and holds the record for most victories by a foreig
Crowded infield

Dec 25, 2014

Without trades, little room on Pirates’ roster for shortstop Kang Jung-ho
MLB average salary exceeds $3.8 million

Dec 25, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) ― Major League Baseball’s average salary shot up to more than $3.8 million this year following the steepest rise in more than a decade, putting big leaguers on track to top the $4 million barrier for the first time in 2015.The Major League Baseball Players Association said the average salary was $3,818,923, up from $3,386,212 last year. The 12.78 percent hike was the biggest since a 12.83 percent rise from 2000 to 2001.Player salaries are spurting after several years of more modest
Little room on Pirates' roster for shortstop Kang Jung-ho without trades

Dec 24, 2014

Of the 30 Major League Baseball clubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates seemed one of the least likely teams to put in a bid when the South Korean shortstop Kang Jung-ho was posted earlier this month.For one, their infield appeared set for next season with players still in or entering their primes in their late 20s. And the Pirates had one of the smallest payrolls in MLB in 2014, ranking 27th with $78.1 million. Bidding millions of dollars just to have the rights to talk to an international player with no
LG Twins land Hannahan

Dec 23, 2014

South Korean baseball club LG Twins announced Tuesday they’ve signed former major league infielder Jack Hannahan.The Korea Baseball Organization club signed the 34-year-old for $1 million. The Twins have now filled up their foreign player quota for next year, with pitchers Henry Sosa and Lucas Harrell also in the fold.Hannahan, who bats left and throws right, made his big league debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2006 and went on to play for four more clubs until 2014. (Yonhap)
Pittsburgh wins Kang bid

Dec 23, 2014

Shortstop to have until Jan. 20 to reach deal with Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates win bidding for shortstop Kang Jung-ho

Dec 23, 2014

Major League Baseball (MLB) announced early Tuesday, Korean time, that the Pittsburgh Pirates have won the bidding for the posted South Korean shortstop Kang Jung-ho.The Pirates announced the news on their website, shortly after Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweeted that the Pirates had put in the winning bid for Kang in an MLB-wide silent auction held earlier this month.The Nexen Heroes, Kang's Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club, on Saturday received the result of the bidding race and promptl
KT Wiz sign Chris Oxspring

Dec 22, 2014

South Korean expansion baseball club KT Wiz announced Monday they’ve signed right-hander Chris Oxspring.The Korea Baseball Organization team said they acquired the 37-year-old right-hander for $350,000, a figure that includes a signing bonus.Oxspring will now be pitching for his third KBO club. He first pitched for the LG Twins in 2007 and 2008, and then returned to South Korea to join the Lotte Giants, for whom he’d pitched the past two seasons.The Giants made him a free agent after the 2014 se
Expansion KBO club KT Wiz sign veteran pitcher Chris Oxspring

Dec 22, 2014

South Korean expansion baseball club KT Wiz announced Monday they've signed right-hander Chris Oxspring.The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team said they acquired the 37-year-old right-hander for US$350,000, a figure that includes a signing bonus.Oxspring will now be pitching for his third KBO club. He first pitched for the LG Twins in 2007 and 2008, and then returned to South Korea to join the Lotte Giants, for whom he'd pitched the past two seasons.The Giants made him a free agent after the
Kang Jung-ho aims to ‘shatter stereotypes’ of Asians in big leagues

Dec 21, 2014

South Korean shortstop Kang Jung-ho, about to enter contract talks with a Major League Baseball club, said Sunday he wants to “shatter stereotypes” about Asian position players in the big leagues.Kang met the local media for the first time since his Korea Baseball Organization club, the Nexen Heroes, accepted a $5 million bid for the posted shortstop a day earlier. Though the identity of the bid winner has not been disclosed, the team will have exclusive rights to negotiate a contract with Kang