Day: March 17, 2024

With the South Korean national baseball team set to face two Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs in exhibitions in Seoul, manager Ryu Joong-il wants his players to remember that they are still playing a kids’ game.

“We will see how the game plays out today but I hope the guys will have fun out there,” Ryu said before South Korea took on the San Diego Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Sunday.

The Padres will next play the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at noon Monday, and then face the Los Angeles Dodgers for two games in the historic Seoul Series on Wednesday and Thursday. Those will be the first MLB regular season games in South Korea.

Ryu had said Saturday he considered himself lucky to be managing games against MLB teams, with South Korea scheduled to play the Dodgers at 7 p.m. Monday. He called on his players to cherish this rare opportunity, too.

“I think our young players should be able to come away from these games feeling better about themselves,” Ryu said. “They’re playing
against the best players of the world. When are they going to have an opportunity like this again? Regardless of how well or poorly they play, this is a huge experience for them.”

Ryu’s counterpart for the Padres, Mike Shildt, said he was eager to find out more about the South Korean style of baseball.

“I’m looking forward to seeing it. They play a lot of different ways,” he said. “It’s a fundamentally sound way of playing baseball. I expect to see, you know, every facet of the game on display potentially depending on what the game calls for, from bunting and running and so forth in play.”

South Korea will start Moon Dong-ju, the hard-throwing righty for the Hanwha Eagles in the KBO. Moon won the 2023 KBO Rookie of the Year award and in April last year, he became the first South Korean pitcher in KBO history to touch the magical 160 kilometers per hour with his signature fastball.

Shildt said his players will be ready for the 20-year-old.

“We hear he’s got a nice arm and we’re prepared to compete,” he sa
id. “And I always want guys, regardless of who we compete against, to make sure we get a good pitch and put a good swing on him.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency

The San Diego Padres eked out a 1-0 win over the South Korean national team in their first exhibition game in Seoul on Sunday.

The Padres scored their only run on a wild pitch by South Korean starter Moon Dong-ju in the top of the first inning at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

South Korea outhit the Padres 5-4, but squandered some late scoring opportunities against the Padres bullpen.

Kim Ha-seong, the South Korean shortstop for the Padres, batted 1-for-4 in his homecoming in front of 12,497 fans. He spent the final five seasons of his seven-year Korea Baseball Organization career with Gocheok as his home park.

The Padres will next play the LG Twins, the 2023 Korean Series Champions, at noon Monday. They will then battle the Los Angeles Dodgers for two games in the season-opening Seoul Series on Wednesday and Thursday. These will be the first Major League Baseball regular season games ever in South Korea.

The Padres scored their run without the benefit of a hit.

South Korean starter Moon Dong-ju walked the
bases loaded. And after retiring the next two batters, Moon threw a wild pitch that allowed Xander Bogaerts to come home.

Moon settled down and had a three-up, three-down second inning. And four pitchers that followed held the Padres to just four hits and a walk the rest of the way.

South Korea could have pulled off an upset with some timely hits.

Moon Bo-gyeong’s one-out double in the seventh didn’t amount to anything. South Korea pieced together two straight singles with two outs in the eighth, but No. 3 hitter Kang Baek-ho hit a weak grounder back to the mound.

Padres closer Robert Suarez gave up a single and a walk to start the top of the ninth. But then Park Seong-han popped out to third base and Choi Ji-hoon bounced into a game-ending double play.

The Padres’ one other South Korean player, reliever Go Woo-suk, did not see action Sunday.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

Billed as the next big thing in South Korean baseball, right-hander Moon Dong-ju showcased some electric stuff in an exhibition game against the San Diego Padres in Seoul on Sunday.

The problem was Moon didn’t always know where his blazing fastballs were going.

Moon, starter for the Hanwha Eagles in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), got the starting nod for the national team against the Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. It was the first of two exhibitions scheduled for the Padres before they play the Los Angeles Dodgers in a two-game Seoul Series on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Dodgers will play “Team Korea” on Monday.

Moon won the 2023 KBO Rookie of the Year award behind his signature fastball. Last April, Moon threw a fastball clocked at 160.1 kilometers per hour, or 99.5 miles per hour (mph), the hardest pitch thrown by a South Korean hurler in KBO history.

The 20-year-old pitcher, perhaps trying too hard to impress Major League Baseball players and scouts on hand, sat around the mid-90s mph w
ith his fastball in the first inning Sunday. Moon hadn’t been throwing that hard for the Eagles during spring training, while building up in time for the start of the regular season Saturday.

Moon walked the first three batters he faced and issued four free passes in total in that inning, in addition to a wild pitch that struck home plate umpire Jansen Visconti in the mask.

That pitch, thrown with Jurickson Profar at the plate, was clocked at 96.2 mph.

Later in the same at-bat, Moon threw a 96.4 mph fastball that missed the zone. He made 31 pitches in the first inning but only 10 went for strikes.

Moon was lucky to escape the inning after allowing only a run on that wild pitch.

He started taking rein in his fastball in the second inning, and it worked to great effect.

Moon retired the side in order on just seven pitches, getting a flyout and a couple of infield pop outs. His fastball in that inning topped out at 93.6 mph.

Moon did not give up a hit in his two innings of work, and was charged with a run
on four walks.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

After his San Diego Padres pulled out a 1-0 squeaker over the South Korean national team Sunday, manager Mike Shildt came away impressed with the opposition pitching.

The Padres only managed four hits against five South Korean pitchers in their exhibition game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. Their only run came off a wild pitch by starter Moon Dong-ju in the first inning, and the Padres didn’t really threaten to score again the rest of the way.

Shildt said South Korea’s pitching “really stood out for me.”

“The starter had a nice arm, settled down after a little bit of overthrowing, and got out of that first inning,” Shildt said of Moon’s adventurous first inning, when he issued four walks but still just gave up one run.

Shildt said his players were also effusive about the team’s second pitcher, Won Tae-in, who threw two scoreless innings and struck out three.

“Everybody came back (to the dugout) and said, ‘What a changeup this guy’s got,'” Shildt said, citing Jake Cronenworth and Fernando Tatis Jr. as two
players who marveled at Won in particular. “The composure, the pitching was really good. Obviously, they’re fundamentally sound, played the game right, played the game clean. Just a good baseball game.”

With the Padres playing another exhibition game, against the LG Twins on Monday, and then jumping into the regular season with a two-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Wednesday, the dearth of offense against South Korean pitching could be a cause for concern.

Shildt, though, said his team still played “a nice ballgame.”

“We had our opportunities, couldn’t cash in. You’re going to think I’m crazy but I kind of didn’t mind it,” he said. “Big atmosphere, first-time guys looking to do too much maybe. It’ll be way better. Guys will be just fine.”

Shildt said he enjoyed the loud cheering of over 12,000 South Korean fans at the dome, and was especially heartened by the warm reception for his South Korean shortstop Kim Ha-seong in his homecoming.

Kim batted 1-for-4 hitting out of the No. 5 hole an
d played clean defense at shortstop.

“He’s not made it bigger than it is but clearly it’s a really big deal,” the manager said. “He’s gone about it as you would expect, in a mild, easy way about him. But he’s clearly excited about it and it’s good to see the admiration that the fans have for him. It’s a fun atmosphere for him.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency

Billed as the next big thing in South Korean baseball, right-hander Moon Dong-ju showcased some electric stuff in an exhibition game against the San Diego Padres in Seoul on Sunday.

The problem was Moon didn’t always know where his blazing fastballs were going.

Moon, starter for the Hanwha Eagles in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), got the starting nod for the national team against the Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. It was the first of two exhibitions scheduled for the Padres before they play the Los Angeles Dodgers in a two-game Seoul Series on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Dodgers will play “Team Korea” on Monday.

Moon won the 2023 KBO Rookie of the Year award behind his signature fastball. Last April, Moon threw a fastball clocked at 160.1 kilometers per hour (kph), or 99.5 miles per hour (mph), the hardest pitch thrown by a South Korean hurler in KBO history.

The 20-year-old pitcher, perhaps trying too hard to impress Major League Baseball players and scouts on hand, sat around the mid-90s
mph with his fastball in the first inning Sunday. Moon hadn’t been throwing that hard for the Eagles during spring training, while building up in time for the start of the regular season Saturday.

Moon walked the first three batters he faced and issued four free passes in total in that inning, in addition to a wild pitch that struck home plate umpire Jansen Visconti in the mask.

That pitch, thrown with Jurickson Profar at the plate, was clocked at 96.2 mph.

Later in the same at-bat, Moon threw a 96.4 mph fastball that missed the zone. He made 31 pitches in the first inning but only 10 went for strikes.

Moon was lucky to escape the inning after allowing only a run on that wild pitch.

He started taking rein in his fastball in the second inning, and it worked to great effect.

Moon retired the side in order on just seven pitches, getting a flyout and a couple of infield pop outs. His fastball in that inning topped out at 93.6 mph.

Moon did not give up a hit in his two innings of work, and was charged with
a run on four walks. But the run from Moon’s wild pitch turned out to be the game’s only run, with the Padres eking out a 1-0 win.

Asked after the game what had transpired between the first and the second innings, Moon said it helped to have a short memory.

“I’ve forgotten all about the first inning. I am only remembering the good second inning I had,” Moon said with a grin. “Things didn’t go the way I wanted in the first inning, but I wasn’t all that nervous. In fact, I think I should have been a bit more nervous.”

Before Moon joined the national team, his Eagles teammate and former major leaguer Ryu Hyun-jin had jokingly said he didn’t want Moon to throw anything over 150 kph or the youngster would hear about it when he came back.

Ryu had wanted to make sure the prized ace wouldn’t overthrow, but Moon insisted his in-game transformation had nothing to do with Ryu’s advice.

“I just tried to get back to the way I normally throw,” Moon added.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

The San Diego Padres eked out a 1-0 win over the South Korean national team in their first exhibition game in Seoul on Sunday.

The Padres scored their only run on a wild pitch by South Korean starter Moon Dong-ju in the top of the first inning at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

South Korea outhit the Padres 5-4, but squandered some late scoring opportunities against the Padres bullpen.

Kim Ha-seong, the South Korean shortstop for the Padres, batted 1-for-4 in his homecoming in front of 12,497 fans. He spent the final five seasons of his seven-year Korea Baseball Organization career with Gocheok as his home park.

The Padres will next play the LG Twins, the 2023 Korean Series Champions, at noon Monday. They will then battle the Los Angeles Dodgers for two games in the season-opening Seoul Series on Wednesday and Thursday. These will be the first Major League Baseball regular season games ever in South Korea.

The Padres scored their run without the benefit of a hit.

South Korean starter Moon Dong-ju walked the
bases loaded. And after retiring the next two batters, Moon threw a wild pitch that allowed Xander Bogaerts to come home.

Moon settled down and had a three-up, three-down second inning. And four pitchers that followed held the Padres to just four hits and a walk the rest of the way.

South Korea could have pulled off an upset with some timely hits.

Moon Bo-gyeong’s one-out double in the seventh didn’t amount to anything. South Korea pieced together two straight singles with two outs in the eighth, but No. 3 hitter Kang Baek-ho hit a weak grounder back to the mound.

Padres closer Robert Suarez gave up a single and a walk to start the top of the ninth. But then Park Seong-han popped out to third base and Choi Ji-hoon bounced into a game-ending double play.

The Padres’ one other South Korean player, reliever Go Woo-suk, did not see action Sunday.

South Korean pitchers mostly kept the Padres at bay but manager Ryu Joong-il refused to make much of it.

“The gap in quality between our leagues is pretty big,” R
yu said. “Major league players are still ramping up for the season and maybe their timing was a little bit off.”

South Korea will next play the Dodgers at 7 p.m. Monday, and the task will be even more difficult for Ryu’s pitchers against a trio of MVP winners at the top of the Dodgers lineup: Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.

“I just hope our pitchers will throw as well as they did today,” Ryu said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency