Day: March 17, 2024

Getting a couple of hits against one of the best teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) didn’t exactly inspire Song Sung-mun to start dreaming big Sunday.

The third baseman for the Kiwoom Heroes, though, is hoping he will be able to build on this feel-good performance as he gears up for the new season in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Song went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the Heroes’ 14-3 loss to the Dodgers in an exhibition game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. It was the first of two exhibitions scheduled for the Dodgers, who will later play the San Diego Padres in a two-game Seoul Series on Wednesday and Thursday.

“I felt really happy to start today, knowing I would get this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play against a major league team,” Song said. “I didn’t even know if I would play in this game. And then I picked up two hits. I am taking away a really good piece of memory.”

Song’s first hit in the third inning was also the Heroes’ first hit of the game.

“Even though it was just an exhibition g
ame, we hadn’t been on base once at that point,” Song said. “We’re getting close to the start of our own regular season here, and I wanted to take the same approach as I would in a regular season game against a good pitcher.”

Then with the Heroes down 13-1, Song hit a two-run double off reliever Evan Phillips. The deep fly struck the center field wall, and it would have been a home run at 12 MLB stadiums.

“When I first hit it, I saw the center fielder take an easy stroll toward the wall, and so I thought he was going to catch it,” Song said. “I haven’t hit that many home runs to center in the KBO. I was pretty happy with that double.”

Song quipped that he was disappointed he didn’t get to field any groundballs at third, but he enjoyed simply sharing the field with the Dodgers.

“I had really high expectations of this game, and I could see how these guys were on a different level,” Song said. “I learned just by standing on the same ground as those players. I will never forget this day for the rest of my lif
e.”

Asked if playing the Dodgers fueled his dreams of playing in MLB one day, Song smiled and said, “I don’t have any big dreams. I think I have to play better in Korea first.”

“I think I can walk away from this game feeling more confident in my game,” Song continued. “I think it’s going to help me a great deal this season.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency

Kiwoom Heroes pitcher Ariel Jurado came into his team’s exhibition game on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a strong Major League Baseball (MLB) track record against their superstar, Shohei Ohtani.

And Jurado, now pitching in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), maintained that upper hand, as he struck out Ohtani twice.

The Dodgers cruised a 14-3 victory, but Jurado had himself a moment to remember.

“I felt good,” the Panamanian pitcher said. “I threw some fastball up and he swung. He’s the best player in MLB now. Every year, he’s getting better. He’s unbelievable.”

Before Jurado joined the Heroes for the 2023 season, he had struck out Ohtani six times in 22 at-bats in the majors while giving up just four hits.

In Ohtani’s first at-bat in the opening frame of Sunday’s game, Jurado got him to fan on a high sinker. Then in the second inning, Jurado got him with a high fastball.

Immediately after striking out Ohtani in the first, Jurado served up a home run to Freddie Freeman. Ohtani and Free
man were two of the three MVP winners in the Dodgers lineup, joined by leadoff man Mookie Betts.

“It’s a good lineup,” Jurado said. “A lot of good players in MLB … it’s a good experience for me, too.”

Jurado, who was charged with four runs on five hits in four innings, said he hoped he would start drawing more attention from big league scouts after this outing.

“Maybe a lot of scouts watched this game on TV, too,” he said. “It was a good opportunity. Maybe more scouts will follow my career here.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency

Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun had a chance to reconnect with his ex-big league skipper Mike Shildt in Seoul on Sunday.

Kim, currently pitching for the SSG Landers in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), pitched for the Cardinals under Shildt from 2020 to 2021. Shildt became the San Diego Padres’ manager in November last year.

Shildt brought his Padres to South Korea for a two-game Seoul Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the first two Major League Baseball (MLB) games to be played in this country. Kim, after making a preseason outing earlier Sunday, made his way to Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul to catch up with Shildt.

“Shildt took such good care of me during my two years in America, I am really thankful for that,” Kim told reporters after his brief chat with Shildt. “He helped me take the next step as a ball player. I’ve always been appreciative of that.”

Kim went 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA in eight games in 2020, when the 162-game MLB season was cut short to 60 games due to the COVID-19
pandemic. In 2021, Kim had a 7-7 record with a 3.46 ERA in 27 appearances, including 21 starts.

Kim is now entering his third season back in the KBO. And while watching the Padres prepare for an exhibition game against the South Korean national team at Gocheok, Kim took a moment to ponder what might have been.

“It’s been three years, and I wonder how my career would have played out if I’d kept on playing in the U.S.,” Kim said. “Personally, it’s a little disappointing. But I want to do the best I can from my current position and cheer on younger guys coming up.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts got his first taste of the South Korean style of cheering at a baseball game Sunday, as his club enjoyed a breezy 14-3 win over the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Major League Baseball (MLB) games don’t feature cheerleaders on stage, but they are a major part of the KBO viewing experience. For Sunday’s game, South Korean dancers decked out in Dodgers t-shirts took the stage on the first base side at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, leading cheers for the visiting big league club when they were batting.

And they had a lot to cheer about, as the Dodgers exploded for 17 hits, including a first-inning home run by Freddie Freeman.

The Heroes, despite the big loss, had their own fans cheering from the first pitch to the final out of the three-hour affair.

“The environment, the atmosphere was great. A lot of energy tonight certainly on their side,” Roberts said. “We’re not used to having cheerleaders during games so that was exciting for everyone and i
t just seemed like everyone kept their energy up throughout the whole night.”

Asked if the constant noise was distracting, Roberts said, “No, I don’t think it was distracting. I think it’s great.”

“I think that the energy for nine innings, they kept it up there,” he continued. “I couldn’t follow all the cheers but it’s different but that was a good thing.”

The Dodgers will play another exhibition game, against the South Korean national team, at 7 p.m. Monday. And they will take on the San Diego Padres for two games in the historic Seoul Series on Wednesday and Thursday. These will be the first MLB games to be held in South Korea.

The Dodgers arrived here Friday afternoon. And with the start of their regular season just days away, Roberts said fatigue or jetlag will not be an excuse.

“I think for the most part, we’re all adjusted. Some guys were talking about having a little bit of a tougher time sleeping but at the end of the day, once the game starts, we got to go out there and perform,” he said. “So no
ne of our guys are going to complain about lack of sleep or a jetlag or anything like that. So we’ve done everything we can to help us adjust and I thought tonight was a good sign and then tomorrow we have a night game so we’ll have plenty of rest for tomorrow night.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency

When the San Diego Padres scouted and ultimately signed South Korean shortstop Kim Ha-seong prior to the 2021 season, they didn’t think he would blossom into the Gold Glove-winning defender that he is today.

A.J. Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations and general manager, acknowledged Sunday that the team “probably underestimated” Kim’s defensive chops.

“He has probably exceeded our expectations on the defensive side of things,” Preller said in a media scrum at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, ahead of the Padres’ exhibition game against the South Korean national team. “Right out of the gate, he was an impactful defensive player. Winning the Gold Glove last year (at the utility position) is a testament to that.”

Before joining the Padres, Kim had been a hard-hitting shortstop for the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). In his final season with them in 2020, Kim belted a career-high 30 home runs to lead all shortstops in the KBO. He had three other 20-homer campaigns and two se
asons in which he finished with 19. Defensively, he was considered an athletic fielder but not on an elite level.

“Honestly, I think when we scouted Ha-seong and brought him to San Diego, I think we thought he was going to be a solid defender and a very good offensive player,” Preller said. “Obviously in the KBO, we saw his progression over the years and becoming a really good offensive player. And I think pretty early on when he got to spring training in Arizona that first year, I think we realized we probably underestimated his defensive ability that he had a chance to be one of the better defenders, not just on our team but maybe in the league. And every year he keeps getting better and better in all aspects of his game.”

The Padres will play the first Major League Baseball regular season games in South Korea against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ahead of the two-game Seoul Series, the Padres will play exhibitions versus the Korean national team and then the LG Twins of the KBO.

“I think it’s really special
anytime you get a chance to represent your city and Major League Baseball, and we take that serious and have a lot of pride,” Preller said. “We’re big supporters of the KBO and Korean baseball. So to come here and get a chance to play, we take a lot of pride in it.”

The Padres added a second South Korean player to their roster in January by signing former Twins closer Go Woo-suk. Whereas Kim’s place in the lineup is secure, Go is trying to crack the Opening Day roster of 26 this week.

He is part of the 31-man traveling squad but five players will have to be cut by 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Go has been among the best closers in the KBO over the past handful of years but has a 12.46 ERA in 4 1/3 innings so far in his first spring training.

According to Preller, Go had told the Padres that his preparation for the new season would begin later than previous campaigns, because he had pitched into November for the Twins’ run to the Korean Series title.

“He was straightforward with us just saying he’s probably starting
a little bit,” Preller said. “We made a commitment and this is for hopefully for a long time. We want to make sure that we get him right.”

Preller said the Padres know what to expect from Go as far as his adjustment process, having seen Kim experience the same thing in his early years.

“We also knew there’s going to be a learning curve just like with Ha-seong that first year,” Preller said. “He had to get used to the major style of the game. Obviously, it’s a very talented league and I think Go’s going through that but he’s shown us the ability that he’s shown here in the KBO, and now I think he’s just seeing that on a more consistent basis.”

And the Padres would be thrilled if Go can develop into the talented and popular big leaguer that Kim is today.

“Obviously we have a lot of great players on our team and a lot of super talented players and he’s as popular as anybody on our team,” Preller said of Kim, who often draws “Ha-Seong Kim!” chants from the San Diego faithful. “I think it’s his ability and his
talent and just like what he’s about. Every single day, he works really hard. He wants to be a great player and I think the fans relate to the fact that he just brings it every day in terms of energy and passion and a desire to win. I think they see the way he goes about it every single day, and it makes him one of the most popular Padres for sure.

Source: Yonhap News Agency