Latest news with #KBO
Korea Herald
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
Veteran outfielder, rookie reliever earn 1st KBO All-Star selection as injury replacements
Kia Tigers outfielder Kim Ho-ryung and reliever Sung Yeong-tak both earned their first All-Star selections in the Korea Baseball Organization as injury replacements Thursday. The KBO announced Kim, 33, will take the place of his Tigers teammate Choi Hyoung-woo, who will miss Saturday's All-Star Game after suffering a right hamstring injury Tuesday. Choi was the top vote getter for the designated hitter spot for the "Nanum" team, made up of players from the Tigers, the Hanwha Eagles, the LG Twins, the NC Dinos and the Kiwoom Heroes. With Choi out, the runner-up in the voting by fans and fellow players, Moon Hyun-bin of the Eagles, will be the starting DH for the Nanum side. Moon had already been selected as a reserve, and with Moon moving into the starting lineup, Kim was named to the Nanum team. Kim, a longtime backup outfielder, has been thrust into the starting role this season with injuries piling up for the Tigers. He has responded with a solid .285/.366/.438 batting line in 48 games and has played strong defense in center field. Later Thursday, the league office announced Tigers reliever Yoon Young-cheol will miss the All-Star Game with some elbow issues. Yoon himself had been an injury replacement for another Tigers pitcher, starter Adam Oller, who was ruled out last Friday with right shoulder discomfort. Sung, 20, will take Yoon's spot. The right-hander has been lights out since making his KBO debut on May 20, having pitched to a 0.71 ERA over 25 1/3 innings in 21 outings. Sung began his career with a 17 1/3-inning scoreless streak -- the longest such run in franchise history and third longest in the KBO. The streak was snapped on June 24 and Sung gave up a run again two days later. In six outings since, Sung has strung together seven shutout innings. This year's All-Star Game will be played at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, the Eagles' new stadium in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
Ex-KBO manager Lee Kwang-hwan dies at 77
Lee Kwang-hwan, who managed the LG Twins to the 1994 Korean Series title with a revolutionary use of his pitching staff, died Wednesday at age 77. Lee had been receiving treatment for lung issues on the southern island of Jeju in recent weeks. Lee managed four franchises for 11 seasons total in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), including two stints with the Twins. In 1994, he led the Seoul-based club to their second Korean Series championship. Lee was also the inaugural manager of the Woori (currently Kiwoom) Heroes in 2008, after they had taken the place of the cash-strapped Hyundai Unicorns. Lee lasted just one season there and it ended up being his final KBO managerial job. Lee had 608 wins as manager, the 11th-highest total in league history. After serving as a hitting coach for the OB (currently Doosan) Bears from 1982 to 1985, Lee received coaching training overseas, first with the Saitama Seibu Lions in 1986 and then with the St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball in 1987. He returned to South Korea to begin his managerial career with the Bears in 1989. Lee is largely credited with installing a starting rotation system and specializing roles for relief pitchers during his first tour of duty with the Twins in the mid-1990s. While other KBO teams were running their pitchers into the ground, with a starter one day coming out of the bullpen the next day, Lee's Twins had starters go every five days. In 1995, Lee opened a baseball museum on Jeju and donated about 3,000 pieces of baseball memorabilia from his personal collection. Lee served as head of the KBO's player development committee from 2006 to 2007, and again from 2013 to 2019. He also helped nurture future coaches as the director of the KBO Baseball Academy from 2010 to 2015. In his last public appearance, Lee threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Twins' season-opening game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on March 22 this year. All five games for Wednesday had fans and players observe a moment of silence in Lee's honor before their start. Players and coaches lined up outside their dugouts and took off their caps before bowing their heads for a few seconds, while fans in the stands did the same, as stadium scoreboards displayed Lee's photos from his managerial days. (Yonhap)
New York Times
26-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
A journey of more than 1,000 days led Dietrich Enns back to the major leagues
DETROIT — In his first inning back in the major leagues, Detroit Tigers left-hander Dietrich Enns retired the side on eight pitches. He struck out Nick Kurtz on a 94 mph fastball, generated a pulsating swing and miss, and started walking off the mound. He pointed both index fingers to the sky. This was the validation, the culmination of a journey that spanned 1,371 days and multiple continents. It involved countless nights of uncertainty but also three-plus years of defiant belief. Advertisement Thursday was Enns' first major-league appearance since he threw 22 innings for the Rays in 2021. He spent two seasons pitching for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. Last season, he logged more than 167 innings with the LG Twins of the KBO. Such travels were really nothing new. A Central Michigan product and 19th-round draft choice in 2012, Enns debuted with the Twins in 2017 and threw only four innings. He grinded in the minors, played winter ball in Venezuela and had a stint in indy ball before returning with the Rays in '21. So Japan? Korea? Wherever he was, he always believed he could return to this stage. 'That was always the goal, to get back,' Enns said. 'Use those stops along the way, wherever I was, to hone the craft and get better and try and be as good as I can when I'm at the major-league level.' Such dreams do not always come to fruition for players like this. When Enns signed with the Tigers as a minor-league free agent this winter, he did so as a pitcher about to embark on his age-34 season. An Illinois native who attended Central Michigan, he had familiarity with the Tigers, even earned his lone two MLB wins against Detroit. He was given an opportunity but promised nothing. He threw left-handed, had a crafty arsenal and displayed down-to-earth people skills that made him a fast fit in the Tigers' spring training clubhouse. But he might not have ascended back to the game's highest level without the tweaks he implemented over the past four months. 'He has dove right in with our pitching group,' Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, 'which I think is a cool story in itself. He's not just doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a new opportunity.' The work started early in spring. Tigers director of pitching Gabe Ribas suggested Enns start experimenting with a so-called kick change. The latest designer trend in pitching involves a pitcher spiking his middle finger and giving the ball a subtle 'kick' to alter its spin axis. The goal is to catch seam-shifted wake, to create a changeup release more suitable for pitchers whose wrists supinate rather than pronate. Enns began playing around with the pitch during spring training. He liked its shape, kept experimenting until he got it down. 'From the get-to, it's been a great organization to be a part of,' Enns said. 'Their pitching development is just unmatched. … I feel like it's the right place to find those little improvements, if they're willing to work with guys no matter how old, how young or anything like that.' Ballgame. Tigers 8, Athletics 0. Check out the pitchers DET used today: Dietrich Enns – Spent 3 years in Japan/KBOBrenan Hanifee – Minor-league FATyler Holton – DFA'd by the D-BacksChase Lee – Sidearm walk-on at AlabamaWill Vest – 12th rd pick, once a Mariners Rule 5 pick — Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) June 26, 2025 Enns made other adjustments, too. Tightening up his slider. More tiny shifts in grips and movements that all resulted in a pitcher who Thursday had command of a five-pitch arsenal. Facing the Athletics, Enns generated 13 swings and misses, including five with that changeup. He yielded only one hit in five scoreless innings. He walked two batters and struck out four in an 8-0 Tigers victory. Advertisement 'He did a really good job of just being in the zone with all his pitches and giving me the reins (to go) a lot of different ways,' catcher Jake Rogers said. 'We kept them off balance. Going fastballs, in, up, down if he needed to, changeups down if he needed to. Really, it was in the zone with everything, which makes it a lot easier to call a game.' As he vexed an A's lineup that swung aggressively from the jump, Enns had more than 20 friends and family members in the stands. Some were relatives who traveled from his hometown in Illinois. Some were college friends who now live in Detroit and took off work to come see him pitch. Their attire was representative of his journey. A few old college teammates wore Central Michigan polos. Others wore his jersey from NPB. Enns let loose small displays of emotion throughout his long-awaited return — there was the sky-point in the first inning, then an exclamation after he generated a double-play ball to escape the third. His day was done after the five scoreless innings, and Hinch met Enns in the dugout with a firm handshake and a tap on the chest. 'Dietrich came in and stayed under control,' Hinch said. 'He stayed within himself with all the excitement and the return after 1,000 days or whatever it's been and delivered a great performance at a time where we needed it. Hats off to him and everyone around him that helped get him to this moment.' Enns mostly downplayed the idea that this was like a second debut. At his locker after the game, it seemed as though the magnitude of the moment still had not set in. He planned to find a restaurant to relax with family and friends after the game, to thank those in his circle who stuck with him throughout the journey, to cherish those who drove four-plus hours to come see him pitch. 'A lot closer than Japan or Korea,' he said. Advertisement The Tigers' pitching staff remains in flux. Reese Olson could return from a rehab assignment as soon as next week. It's unclear whether Enns will remain a starter or work in relief. But after a stellar return to the major leagues, one thing is clear. 'I told him yesterday when he got here, 'You can help us win,'' Hinch said. 'He's earned the right to pitch again in some capacity. … Is it gonna be in the bullpen? Is he gonna be starting? I don't know, but it's gonna be in the big leagues.'
Korea Herald
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Korea Herald
Landers pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun signs 2-yr extension
SSG Landers pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun signed a two-year contract extension Friday, likely ensuring that he will finish his career with the only Korea Baseball Organization franchise he has known for nearly two decades. The Landers said Kim, 36, agreed to a new two-year deal worth 3.6 billion won ($2.6 million) -- with 3 billion won in total guaranteed salary and 600 million won in incentives. Kim is currently in the final season of his four-year deal worth 15.1 billion won, signed prior to the 2022 season after ending a two-year stint with the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the largest contract in KBO history at the time. Kim made his KBO debut in 2007 as an 18-year-old out of high school when the Landers were called the SK Wyverns under different ownership. He played for them until 2019 before signing with the Cardinals. Kim then rejoined the KBO franchise in 2022 after they had become the Landers. Kim captured the KBO regular-season MVP award in 2008 after leading the league with 16 wins and 150 strikeouts, and finishing second with a 2.39 ERA. Kim has won five Korean Series titles with the Wyverns/Landers franchise -- 2007, 2008, 2010, 2018 and 2022. Even though Kim is a starter, he recorded the saves in the title-clinching games in 2010, 2018 and 2022 Korean Series. Widely considered one of the top starting pitchers of his generation, Kim has a 174-104 career record with a 3.35 ERA over 2,249 innings, along with 1,953 strikeouts. On the KBO's all-time list, Kim is third in wins, third in strikeouts and fourth in innings pitched. He has finished in the top 10 in wins nine times, in ERA seven times and in strikeouts six times. In 2025, Kim is 4-6 with a 3.91 ERA in 13 starts, with 71 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings. The Landers said Kim is determined to reach his 200th career win in a Landers uniform and the club wanted to help him realize that goal. "As our franchise star, Kim Kwang-hyun has been a great pitcher who has also played an important role off the field with his dedication and leadership," the Landers said in a statement. "We will offer our full support for Kim so that he can continue to impress our fans over the next two years. We think he should be able to get to 200 wins within two years." Though he will be 38 by the end of the new contract, Kim hinted Friday he wants to pitch beyond that point. "Ever since I made my debut in 2007, 200 wins have always been my goal," he said. "I signed for two years because I wanted to stay on my toes, and I will push myself even harder to accomplish my goal within this time frame. And after that, I will sit down with the club and assess my value again." At a press conference before a home game against the Lotte Giants at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Friday, Kim reiterated his desire to reach the 200-win milestone as a Lander. "I've never once thought about playing for another team," Kim said. "When I was with the Cardinals, my teammate Adam Wainwright kept saying he wanted to retire after winning 200 games, and he did just that. After seeing that, I was inspired to do the same with SSG." The Landers are scheduled to move into a new dome, currently under construction, in 2028, and Kim said he wants to make it the first year of his new deal after the one he signed Friday. "Once my contract expires, we will move into a new home, and I want to help the team do well there," Kim said. "I'd love to sign another contract after this one." (Yonhap)
Forbes
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Ex-Team USA Star Was Washout, Now Back On MLB Radar In South Korea
Attention Major League Baseball teams in need of pitching, which means all 30 of you: How would you like to add a former Team USA right-hander currently sporting a 9-0 record and 2.20 earned run average in Korea Baseball? That's 31-year-old Cody Ponce's record this year in 14 starts for the Hanwa Eagles in South Korea. It is literally a far, far cry from his 1-7 mark and 5.86 ERA in 20 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020-21. The difference is as vast as the straight-line distance of 6,882 miles between Pittsburgh and The Eagles' home in Daejeon, South Korea. The scouting report on the 6-foot-6, 255-pounder is basically the same as when he was the Milwaukee Brewers' second-round draft pick in 2015. He still has an impressive pitch mix featuring a four-seam fastball that touches 96 mph. He utilizes a low 90s cutter the most and throws a slider, curveball and changeup. That has enabled him to get 120 strikeouts in 90 innings, allowing only 57 hits and 20 walks in 14 starts this year. Naysayers point out the numbers are against competition inferior to MLB quality. No doubt. His current teammate Hyun Jin Ryu, who pitched 10 years in the Majors, believes Ponce's stuff can play at the highest level. He also doesn't want him to leave. That's why he told The Chosun Biz, "He is still a little lacking. He should stay with us longer. I hope he can stay for at least 7 years like me," indicating it was a joking wish. When Korean media asked Ponce about that statement, he joked back, "If I get more Ryu Hyun-jin jerseys and signatures, I will stay. 'Right now, I am focused only on one game, one game. I am not worried about what will happen next year. I am only focused on getting our team into the postseason.' The 38-year-old lefty probably could help an MLB team, especially a contender. He was quite good with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays from 2013 through 2023 despite twice missing significant time with injuries. He had a 78-49 record and 3.27 ERA overall. A year ago, however, he signed an eight-year, $14 million deal with Hanwa. He says he is quite content back home with club he started with at age 19 and compiled a 98-52 record. The Dodgers then paid the Eagles $25.7 million negotiate with him and signed Ryu for six-years and $36 million in December 2012. MLB clubs are aware that occasionally a pitcher who struggled in America found success in Korea, then returned and made an impact in MLB. Three recent examples are Ben Lively, Erick Fedde and Merrill Kelly. Lively had a combined 4-10 record and 4.80 ERA for the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals in 26 games over 2017-19. He went to Korea for three seasons, then signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 2023 at age 31. The right-hander went 4-7 in 19 games with the Reds and signed as a free agent with Cleveland. Though currently on the injured list, Lively has thrived in the rotation, compiling a 15-12 record and 3.68 ERA in 38 starts for the Guardians. Fedde, a first-round pick by the Washington Nationals in 2014, had a 21-33 record and 5.41 ERA for them from 2017 until 2022. He became a one-year wonder in Korea, going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA. The Chicago White Sox came calling. Yes, the same 2024 team that compiled the worst record in MLB since 1899. Fedde was their most reliable pitcher with a 7-4 record and 3.11 ERA in 21 starts. The Chisox figured they could get some young players that may eventually lead them out of the losing wilderness and so the 31-year-old Fedde went to the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-way trade that included the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chicago got minor-league prospects. The Cardinals got Fedde, who has helped solidify their rotation with a 3.62 ERA in 32 starts since. Merrill helped the Arizona Diamondbacks into the 2023 World Series. Before that, he pitched four seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays' farm system and four more in South Korea. Since joining the D-backs in 2019 at age 30, Merrill has a 59-46 record and 3.79 ERA in 153 starts. He's 6-2 with a 3.43 ERA this year. In four starts in the 2023 post-season, he had a 2-1 record and 2.25 ERA. That included Arizona's only win in the Series against the Texas Rangers. In Game 2, Merrill struck out nine without a walk and allowed three hits and one run over seven innings. Ponce is married to the sister of San Francisco 49ers football star George Kittles. She's his biggest fan and has posted many videos of them together. His best results until this year came at age 21 in 2015. In his final year of college, he had a 1.44 ERA in 13 games including 12 starts. That helped him get a $1.108 million signing bonus from the Brewers as the No. 55 pick overall. He was quite good in his first 14 games as a pro later that year: 2-1, 2.29 ERA, 9 walks and 40 strikeouts in 51 innings. He was traded to Pittsburgh midway through the 2019 season, reached Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pirates' farm system later that summer. That fall, he was Team USA's best pitcher with a 2.03 ERA in three starts in a tournament in Asia. He missed significant time in his next two years with forearm strains as a member of the big-league team. After going 0-6 with a 7.04 ERA in 2021 for the Pirates, he was released and went to Japan. He had one shining moment, pitching a no-hitter for the Nippon Ham Fighters on Aug. 27, 2022 – the first by an imported hurler in 16 years. In three seasons, however, he had only a 10-16 record and 4.54 ERA and admitted this year he was miserable. The losing had really gotten him down. Now, he says teammates and coaches have made him forget the past and focus on the future. He's throwing the same, but with better results. He says that when things get tough, he has a better mindset to handle it. "I don't think I can express how much honor and gratitude I have towards everybody in this organization,' he told the Yonhap News Agency. 'There's so much love and support and charisma on this team that it makes it fun to play on.' It seemed so easy when Ponce fanned a KBO record 18 on May 17, allowing two hits and one walk in a shutout win. The previous nine-inning mark of 17 was set by Ryu back in 2010. It made both heroes in the country that has a a great passion for baseball both before and since winning an Olympic gold medal in 2008. That got scouts' attention. So did his start on June 7, his first bad one of the year. He gave up 2 homers and 5 runs over 5 innings to the first-place LG Twins. Just when it looked as if he was invincible and his MLB-caliber stuff was looking like MLB consistency, Ponce turned in a clunker. How he responds in his next start could go a long way as to whether his long career road takes a turn back towards America or hits a stop sign in the Korea Baseball Organization.
