Awwww. Well the winning streak stalls at 11 games. I'm not too upset though. It was a good run. And I was a bit nervous about Lee Dae Jin being the pitcher. However, they lost to my second favourite team and the big blow as well as the save were scored by my two pals on the team, Garcia and Atkins respectively. So it coulda been worse.
And tonight they're back to their winning ways with Guttormson. I think the more impressive stat is only 4 losses in their last 24 games! That's gonna get you up the rankings. And, by Jove, look where they are! First place. Awesome! I couldn't be happier with their play.
Well.... I wouldn't go that far. I've harped on this before but tonight in the 6th inning the first batter, Lee Hyun Gon got a single. With a guy on first and no out what is Jo Bum Hyun's knee-jerk reaction? Of course - sacrifice bunt. Even though the score was 6-2 for Kia at the time. That's right even with a four run lead and 12 outs left in the game, Jo decided to hand one of those outs over to the Samsung Lions. The final score was 9-2 so in hindsight it was obviously the wrong thing to do but that won't phase Jo. He'll do it again tomorrow. He does it once or twice a game. Like clockwork.
What I want to do is try to explain why this strategy is so bad. I'm going to get into more detail and leave absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind that it's a losing strategy. But I'm afraid THIS won't phase Jo either. There are reasons for that that we'll get into later. But for now look at this.
Anyone know what that is? It's what they call an "expected run matrix." Stats have been kept in baseball for eons and these numbers are backed up by so many stats in so many games that they won't likely change a 10th of a percent in the next hundred years, no matter what happens in the game. They are as close to scientific numbers as you can get in baseball. Hard, fast, facts. And what they say is the percentages of getting a run with no outs and a guy on first are 0.8968. When you make a perfect sacrifice bunt, give up an out and move the guy over to second the percentages of scoring DROP to 0.6911. That's not just a little drop. If you figure these numbers as baseball averages it's like taking 210 points off a guy's average. That's a huge drop!
These, remember, are just probability that the guy will score. These numbers don't take into account all the OTHER things that can happen that instantly make the sacrifice bunt a waste. For instance, (and this happens a LOT to the Tigers), if the guy after the bunter walks, the sac. bunt is nullified because the guy on first would have been forced to second on the walk anyway. Same thing if he gets hit by a pitch or gets any kind of hit that doesn't advance the runner from second to third.
Also if the next batter hits a homerun or a triple the bunt was a waste because even without it the guy on first would have scored. You could even include a double in some cases.
But all these are speculative so are not considered reason enough for people to believe the bunt isn't effective. We can't say for certain if the person who sacrificed would have achieved the same success. That's the argument.
Okay then let's look at some of the possible reasons for sac. bunting. The big fear is that with a guy on first your chances of the next guy hitting into a double play go up. Well of course they go up infinitely since you can't hit into a double play with NObody on base. You may laugh but this IS the reasoning that makes the sac. bunt so attractive to some coaches. Painfully obvious though it is.
Again they've kept stats and although I don't have them handy, here's an oversimplified version of what I'm talking about and I have no reason to doubt that the results would be very similar over a larger sample. Even including the double play possibility, letting the batter hit had a 2.5 times greater run value than the sac. bunt.
But to understand why it's so much better, let's look at the details. Let's THINK about it instead of assuming that the people who use it have done the thinking for us. ANY coach, in fact anyone who knows anything about baseball would rather have an extra out than an extra base. A monkey could do that reasoning. An extra base can get you a maximum of one extra run and the stars all have to be correctly alligned for that to happen. An extra out can bring 12 more guys to the plate and score you a DOZEN extra runs. A sacrifice bunt trades an extra base for an out. This is why it's called a "sacrifice" bunt. It's a BIG sacrifice!
What else is sacrificed. Not just the out. There are easily 10 similar or better things that could happen to a batter who is swinging away to get him on base or advance the runner on first that are infinitely less likely to happen to the successful sac. bunter. 1. a hit 2. a walk 3. hit by pitch 4. wild pitch 5. passed ball 6. stolen base 7. strikeout + stolen base when catcher misses the ball 8. pitcher balk 9. hit and run 10. any error by the fielding team 11. you can foul off 25 pitches and tire out the pitcher 12. an out advancing the runner. Okay there's an even dozen.
There are bad things that can happen to a hitter like a strikeout, hitting into a double play or getting out without advancing the runner but these things can and DO happen to the sacrifice bunter too.
And one final thing a lot of people don't think about: if a batter's average is .300 that just means he has a 30% chance of getting a hit. His chances of hitting or having something better happen than a sacrifice bunt go up significantly when you consider none of those things on the list of 12 figure into a players batting average. So telling a guy with a .300 average like Kim Weon Seop to sacrifice bunt is taking away at least a 40% chance, (probably closer to 50%), that something will happen equal to or better than a sac. bunt and throwing it away on about a 10% chance that the sac. bunt will work.
This is so obviously bad strategy that you might think, (like me), that there is NEVER a good time to do it. And you'd be right. But some people think that in certain situations late in the game when you are down by a run and you only need ONE run, or when a low average hitter is up like a pitcher, it's smart. Here in Asia they don't need any of that. When the first batter gets on it's a surprise if the next guy DOESN'T bunt. And, yes, that is just plain bad strategy. But there are some reasons why it happens.
I think possibly the best way to stop Jo Bum Hyun from doing it might be to tell him that it's a very Japanese thing to do. They do it even more in Japan. It drives foreign baseball fans crazy. But Japanese fans sometimes even CHEER for it! Like many things in Japan it has to do with "face" I'm told. You see to get a player into "scoring position", (second base), even if it's bad strategy, it saves the manager face with fans ensuring them that he tried to give them a better chance of scoring. Even though empirically he vastly lowered the player's chance of scoring. The facts are inconsequential in matters of face.
I have a feeling that in Korea, where I have found over the years that appearance is in many areas FAR more important than reality, it's similar. In fact there's a Gilette commercial played between innings when you watch the games that has a Korean guy who can't be more than 14 years old scraping shaving cream off his face that has never had, and in all likelihood never WILL have whiskers. But it sure looks like a smooth shave!
Maybe the coaches think the fans don't know it's a stupid strategy and WANT them to sacrifice bunt. I haven't heard anyone but myself booing the sac bunt at Kia Tigers games. So there might be something there.
Or maybe it's just another part of the huge mythology of Asia. There is so much crap happening here that is based solely on faith and inexplicably a lot of foreigners' faith is stronger than the Asians. One extreme example would be the many North Koreans who believe that Kim Jong Il got god-like results his first time on the golf course. Including 5 holes-in-one! Now I don't expect a lot of people outside North Korea believe that but there are loads of people who trust in Asian myths for the mere reason that so many Asians BELIEVE they are true.
I'm not going to give too many examples but if you come here you will see them. I once believed the Asians had superior education systems. That was, in baseball parlance, WAY out in left field. And Asians believe the way to beat the larger, faster, more powerful western baseball players is to play "smallball." This is supposedly a more strategic, thinking man's game. But as we can see, there's no substance at all to THIS part of it.
But I suppose it's one thing we'll have to get used to even though it hurts the team. It doesn't matter that much to me as long as the Tigers keep on winning. But it sure is frustrating to watch!
Anyway, keep it up Tigers. Win despite the smallball myth. Go Cats go!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Back From Vacation - Kia FIRST PLACE!!!
I'm not one to toot my own horn but... TOOT TOOT TOOT! Let me draw your attention to the bottom of my first post here where I wrote that the Tigers will go on a long winning streak and move into first place. Lo and behold it happened. They are as hot as a firecracker right now! AND in first place. Too bad this all happened while I was in Thailand and Cambodia. :(
I am watching the game today on my computer. I had some stuff to do today, being my first day back from vacation, so couldn't go to the stadium. Kim Sang Hyun just got his second homer of the game. He's now leading the league in RBI's too. And if I may draw your attention to my previous statement that he'll be the M.V.P. this year, allow me to indulge once more: TOOT TOOT! :)
I also saw a few other things that were sights for sore eyes: Lee Yong Gyu is back in the leadoff hitter position. GREAT to see him back! I saw Yoon Suk Min's picture on the Tiger website and he got a victory the other day. VERY nice to see. And I'm not sure if Kia finally got rid of that dead weight coach Jo but I've seen a few camera views of some new guy wearing a Tiger uni. An older guy. Coaching age. Is Jo sick, on temporary leave or did the owners finally shitcan him? I sure hope it's the latter! And that would CERTAINLY explain their recent success. Because, if I can draw your attention to a few other entries in which I explained how a team that doesn't like its coach behaves and suggested the Tigers might just BE one of those teams, ahem, TOOT TOOT TOOOOT! :D
I'm gonna watch the rest of this game. Surprise, surprise, the Tigers are winning! And I'm gonna eat some mashed potatoes and Shake n' Bake chicken. I brought some of that back from Thailand.
I am VERY happy to see the Tigers where they belong. Hope they can continue this great play all the way to V-10!!! GO CATS GO!!!
I am watching the game today on my computer. I had some stuff to do today, being my first day back from vacation, so couldn't go to the stadium. Kim Sang Hyun just got his second homer of the game. He's now leading the league in RBI's too. And if I may draw your attention to my previous statement that he'll be the M.V.P. this year, allow me to indulge once more: TOOT TOOT! :)
I also saw a few other things that were sights for sore eyes: Lee Yong Gyu is back in the leadoff hitter position. GREAT to see him back! I saw Yoon Suk Min's picture on the Tiger website and he got a victory the other day. VERY nice to see. And I'm not sure if Kia finally got rid of that dead weight coach Jo but I've seen a few camera views of some new guy wearing a Tiger uni. An older guy. Coaching age. Is Jo sick, on temporary leave or did the owners finally shitcan him? I sure hope it's the latter! And that would CERTAINLY explain their recent success. Because, if I can draw your attention to a few other entries in which I explained how a team that doesn't like its coach behaves and suggested the Tigers might just BE one of those teams, ahem, TOOT TOOT TOOOOT! :D
I'm gonna watch the rest of this game. Surprise, surprise, the Tigers are winning! And I'm gonna eat some mashed potatoes and Shake n' Bake chicken. I brought some of that back from Thailand.
I am VERY happy to see the Tigers where they belong. Hope they can continue this great play all the way to V-10!!! GO CATS GO!!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A pretty decent week
I'm a day late with my post although there's no way to tell yet since this is only the second week but I had planned on doing one post on Monday every week to run down the week that was. So here goes:
Tuesday the 9th was a fantastic win for the Tigers that got rained out, (as I have documented), and the next night the Tigers, (wouldn't you know it!!!), lost 4-2. Yoon Suk Min gave up 7 hits and 2 runs but struck out 7. As usual he didn't lose but as usual he didn't get enough run support to win. In fact it's a testament to his awesomeness that he didn't lose a game in which his team only provided him with 3 - count 'em - one - two - three - hits.
But Thursday's game was bizarre in that it was almost a carbon copy of the rained out game on Tuesday. On Tue. it was 8-5 in the 4th and on Thu. it was 9-6 and In between was Yoon Suk Min. Against ALL odds, 9-6 was the way the game stayed to its completion. Hong Sae Weon went 3/5 with 2 RBI's, Jang Sung Ho was a perfect 4/4 and Kim Sang Hoon got a HR and 4 RBI's. A sight for sore eyes, Seo Jae Eung came back from injury to fill out the deadliest starting rotation in the KBO and got the win! So Kia was 1-1 for the week.
I went to Weonju on Friday to meet some friends and do a little visiting. My good buddy Kasia and I went to the Outback Steakhouse downtown because she said they usually show the game. We got there a bit after the game started. If I'm not mistaken it was 10-3 Kia when we started watching. Kia had a 7 run first inning! ANd we missed it! DANG! After some beef fajitas and cheese fries we were booted out of the restaurant before the game even ended but the final was an amazing 16-6 for the Tigers. If only they could score runs like that for Yoon Suk Min! Jang Sung Ho was 4/6 and Kim Sun Bin was 4/5. Na Ji Weon got 2 HR's and 6 RBI's. Kim Sang Hyun had ONLY 4 RBI's. I'm telling you that guy's gonna get MVP.
Saturday's game was back in Gwangju but ironically enough I was in Cheongju, the home of the Hanhwa Eagles. That's the team the Tigers played. I could have watched the game if I was home or if it had been a road game for the Tigers while I was in Cheongju. Neither was the case and I missed it. Unfortunately it was the first time in a long time Ricky Guttormson has looked less than stellar. He gave up 7 hits and 6 runs for the loss. But he DID get 6 K's. Son Young Min was off, facing 4 guys and giving up 2 hits, a walk and 2 runs. You just never know with that guy. It seems to be either feast or famine. Far too much famine for my taste yet. The only bright spot was a 3 run HR for Hong Sae Weon and a 2/3 day for the hot hitting Kim Sun Bin.
So we had a .500 week going into Sunday. The SK Wyverns were having a week in which Kia could have made up some ground on them but the Doosan Bears were CLOBBERING their opponents all week. So we needed a win. And we had just the guy to get it for us jogging out to the mound: Yang Hyun Jong. Not Kia's best but probably their steadiest pitcher. He leads the league in ERA, (by a lot), and he's up there in strike outs. It's always a boring game when he pitches. But that's good. I personally don't think he's been as good as Guttormson but he's been great. He gave up 7 hits and 2 runs but struck out 11 and got the win 5-2. Han Ki Joo got the save and looked better than ever this season. See what happens when these guys get to play baseball?
So we went 3 wins and 2 losses with one rain out that woulda been a win. Not too shabby. The game tonight? Well, okay I'll tell you about it early.
Lopez was pitching. He's been very surprising to me since he's never been a real horse in ANY league until now. He was a 1 or 2 inning guy all his career. He has been surprisingly great for the Tigers. In fact I saw a stat flashed on the screen tonight while watching the game on TV that showed his E.R.A. in relation to his pitches and statistically speaking he gets BETTER as his pitch count gets higher. There's something Jo Bum Hyun might want to investigate! As I've been saying for AGES, Jo pulls his starters far too soon. I think the stat said that AFTER 100 pitches Lopez's ERA dropped to 1.90. Just another argument to leave the starters in longer. Something Jo don't know.
But tonight it was a game against the first place team and feared opponents of the Tigers, the Doosan Bears. They were coming off a DOMINANT week of thrashing the other team scoring 15, then 17 runs in a couple of the games. Their record against the Tigers has been dominant this year too. Something like 9-2-1. I'm not sure. Anyway, out comes Lopez. I'm watching real time updates on naver.com at home and in the 2nd inning Lee Jong Beom and Kim Sun Bin knock in a couple of runs for Kia. I decided to go to the bar and watch. When I got there it was 2-1 for Kia.
I'll start a new paragraph because this was a MONUMENTAL coaching game for Jo! There was only one pitcher tonight. I can't tell you how happy that made me! Jo let Lopez do his thing for the entire 9 innings. And as his record would indicate he just got harder and harder to hit. The final was 2-1. And I HAVE to say KUDOS to Jo for leaving Lopez in!
But I just wouldn't be me if I didn't bust Jo a little for bad coaching. It's the 9th inning for Kia. Choi Hee Seop was the leadoff hitter and he hits one of his game high two hits. A screamer down the right field line. Looked like he might have pulled a ham or something cuz he didn't even try for the double. So automatically when your leadoff hitter gets on in the 9th and you're only leading by one and your name is Jo Beom Hyun you bunt, RIGHT? Hallelujiah, NO! Mr. clutch, Kim Sang Hyun is the man who follows Choi in the lineup and it would be almost a waste to tell him to bunt. The guy who probably has the highest average with runners on in the league. To my SHOCK, Jo let him hit. What happened? He didn't get a hit. He hit a soft ground ball to the shortstop, WHO BOOTED IT! Men safe at first and second and nobody out! SEE? SEE? No, I guess not. With men at first and second and nobody out, with a 2-1 lead, it was too big a temptation for Jo to try to get some runs by BUNTING!
I have a theory that I hope you'll indulge. Since I've been here in Korea forever and since I've known and taught Koreans since 1996, I feel like I have the authority to say something like this: Koreans are in love with the idea of clever acquisition as opposed to simply getting things the old fashioned way: EARNING THEM. This is a very nice way to say they cheat like madmen at almost everything they do. I'm in the education racket and I've never seen people so compulsively inclined toward cheating. Even if we are playing a game in class with no prize for the winners SOMEBODY, (and usually more than one), is GONNA cheat. It's even worse with business as any Korean will tell you. My theory is that the bunt, or more accurately, the sacrifice bunt has the unavoidable attraction to Korean coaches of being kind of a way to CHEAT at baseball. It literally leads to "unearned" runs doesn't it? Here anything "unearned" is twice as sweet.
So anyway back to the game. Jo had the hot hitting Na Ji Weon up. Remember he's the guy who got two homers and 6 RBI's a few days before. And he's the guy I posted about before bunting into a double play when Jo called the bunt then hitting a homerun later in the game when he DIDN'T call the bunt. Well he called the bunt and although Na Ji Weon didn't bunt, the runner at second, An Chi Hong started for 3rd thinking he'd connect with the bunt. He got caught in a rundown. The end result was no runs after getting the first two runners on with good baseball and wasting them with chicken baseball. It's gonna be a LONG process to wheen Jo off the beloved cheat/bunt. But I have faith it could happen if Kia keeps playing the way they are. On the bright side, THIS time it didn't cost them. BECAUSE Jo redeemed himself by NOT calling in Son Young Min or Han Ki Joo to screw the game up. Sorry to those two but that's probly what woulda happened. And it was a classy thing to do to let Lopez get the COMPLETE game victory over the first place team that he'd earned.
Watch out Doosan and SK, Kia's comin!
Tuesday the 9th was a fantastic win for the Tigers that got rained out, (as I have documented), and the next night the Tigers, (wouldn't you know it!!!), lost 4-2. Yoon Suk Min gave up 7 hits and 2 runs but struck out 7. As usual he didn't lose but as usual he didn't get enough run support to win. In fact it's a testament to his awesomeness that he didn't lose a game in which his team only provided him with 3 - count 'em - one - two - three - hits.
But Thursday's game was bizarre in that it was almost a carbon copy of the rained out game on Tuesday. On Tue. it was 8-5 in the 4th and on Thu. it was 9-6 and In between was Yoon Suk Min. Against ALL odds, 9-6 was the way the game stayed to its completion. Hong Sae Weon went 3/5 with 2 RBI's, Jang Sung Ho was a perfect 4/4 and Kim Sang Hoon got a HR and 4 RBI's. A sight for sore eyes, Seo Jae Eung came back from injury to fill out the deadliest starting rotation in the KBO and got the win! So Kia was 1-1 for the week.
I went to Weonju on Friday to meet some friends and do a little visiting. My good buddy Kasia and I went to the Outback Steakhouse downtown because she said they usually show the game. We got there a bit after the game started. If I'm not mistaken it was 10-3 Kia when we started watching. Kia had a 7 run first inning! ANd we missed it! DANG! After some beef fajitas and cheese fries we were booted out of the restaurant before the game even ended but the final was an amazing 16-6 for the Tigers. If only they could score runs like that for Yoon Suk Min! Jang Sung Ho was 4/6 and Kim Sun Bin was 4/5. Na Ji Weon got 2 HR's and 6 RBI's. Kim Sang Hyun had ONLY 4 RBI's. I'm telling you that guy's gonna get MVP.
Saturday's game was back in Gwangju but ironically enough I was in Cheongju, the home of the Hanhwa Eagles. That's the team the Tigers played. I could have watched the game if I was home or if it had been a road game for the Tigers while I was in Cheongju. Neither was the case and I missed it. Unfortunately it was the first time in a long time Ricky Guttormson has looked less than stellar. He gave up 7 hits and 6 runs for the loss. But he DID get 6 K's. Son Young Min was off, facing 4 guys and giving up 2 hits, a walk and 2 runs. You just never know with that guy. It seems to be either feast or famine. Far too much famine for my taste yet. The only bright spot was a 3 run HR for Hong Sae Weon and a 2/3 day for the hot hitting Kim Sun Bin.
So we had a .500 week going into Sunday. The SK Wyverns were having a week in which Kia could have made up some ground on them but the Doosan Bears were CLOBBERING their opponents all week. So we needed a win. And we had just the guy to get it for us jogging out to the mound: Yang Hyun Jong. Not Kia's best but probably their steadiest pitcher. He leads the league in ERA, (by a lot), and he's up there in strike outs. It's always a boring game when he pitches. But that's good. I personally don't think he's been as good as Guttormson but he's been great. He gave up 7 hits and 2 runs but struck out 11 and got the win 5-2. Han Ki Joo got the save and looked better than ever this season. See what happens when these guys get to play baseball?
So we went 3 wins and 2 losses with one rain out that woulda been a win. Not too shabby. The game tonight? Well, okay I'll tell you about it early.
Lopez was pitching. He's been very surprising to me since he's never been a real horse in ANY league until now. He was a 1 or 2 inning guy all his career. He has been surprisingly great for the Tigers. In fact I saw a stat flashed on the screen tonight while watching the game on TV that showed his E.R.A. in relation to his pitches and statistically speaking he gets BETTER as his pitch count gets higher. There's something Jo Bum Hyun might want to investigate! As I've been saying for AGES, Jo pulls his starters far too soon. I think the stat said that AFTER 100 pitches Lopez's ERA dropped to 1.90. Just another argument to leave the starters in longer. Something Jo don't know.
But tonight it was a game against the first place team and feared opponents of the Tigers, the Doosan Bears. They were coming off a DOMINANT week of thrashing the other team scoring 15, then 17 runs in a couple of the games. Their record against the Tigers has been dominant this year too. Something like 9-2-1. I'm not sure. Anyway, out comes Lopez. I'm watching real time updates on naver.com at home and in the 2nd inning Lee Jong Beom and Kim Sun Bin knock in a couple of runs for Kia. I decided to go to the bar and watch. When I got there it was 2-1 for Kia.
I'll start a new paragraph because this was a MONUMENTAL coaching game for Jo! There was only one pitcher tonight. I can't tell you how happy that made me! Jo let Lopez do his thing for the entire 9 innings. And as his record would indicate he just got harder and harder to hit. The final was 2-1. And I HAVE to say KUDOS to Jo for leaving Lopez in!
But I just wouldn't be me if I didn't bust Jo a little for bad coaching. It's the 9th inning for Kia. Choi Hee Seop was the leadoff hitter and he hits one of his game high two hits. A screamer down the right field line. Looked like he might have pulled a ham or something cuz he didn't even try for the double. So automatically when your leadoff hitter gets on in the 9th and you're only leading by one and your name is Jo Beom Hyun you bunt, RIGHT? Hallelujiah, NO! Mr. clutch, Kim Sang Hyun is the man who follows Choi in the lineup and it would be almost a waste to tell him to bunt. The guy who probably has the highest average with runners on in the league. To my SHOCK, Jo let him hit. What happened? He didn't get a hit. He hit a soft ground ball to the shortstop, WHO BOOTED IT! Men safe at first and second and nobody out! SEE? SEE? No, I guess not. With men at first and second and nobody out, with a 2-1 lead, it was too big a temptation for Jo to try to get some runs by BUNTING!
I have a theory that I hope you'll indulge. Since I've been here in Korea forever and since I've known and taught Koreans since 1996, I feel like I have the authority to say something like this: Koreans are in love with the idea of clever acquisition as opposed to simply getting things the old fashioned way: EARNING THEM. This is a very nice way to say they cheat like madmen at almost everything they do. I'm in the education racket and I've never seen people so compulsively inclined toward cheating. Even if we are playing a game in class with no prize for the winners SOMEBODY, (and usually more than one), is GONNA cheat. It's even worse with business as any Korean will tell you. My theory is that the bunt, or more accurately, the sacrifice bunt has the unavoidable attraction to Korean coaches of being kind of a way to CHEAT at baseball. It literally leads to "unearned" runs doesn't it? Here anything "unearned" is twice as sweet.
So anyway back to the game. Jo had the hot hitting Na Ji Weon up. Remember he's the guy who got two homers and 6 RBI's a few days before. And he's the guy I posted about before bunting into a double play when Jo called the bunt then hitting a homerun later in the game when he DIDN'T call the bunt. Well he called the bunt and although Na Ji Weon didn't bunt, the runner at second, An Chi Hong started for 3rd thinking he'd connect with the bunt. He got caught in a rundown. The end result was no runs after getting the first two runners on with good baseball and wasting them with chicken baseball. It's gonna be a LONG process to wheen Jo off the beloved cheat/bunt. But I have faith it could happen if Kia keeps playing the way they are. On the bright side, THIS time it didn't cost them. BECAUSE Jo redeemed himself by NOT calling in Son Young Min or Han Ki Joo to screw the game up. Sorry to those two but that's probly what woulda happened. And it was a classy thing to do to let Lopez get the COMPLETE game victory over the first place team that he'd earned.
Watch out Doosan and SK, Kia's comin!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Rain Rain Go Away!!!
Well if I could change my name right now I'd change it to I. R. Pissed! I'm not a happy camper. I'm fit to be tied. I'm beside myself. Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry. You choose the cliche about anger, and throw it right in here! I need to go back in time a little to explain what brought this on.
You see, I used to have a TV in my room with SOME of the cable channels that are available to the average Korean for free. I could watch Kia Tiger games if they were on E! or MBCESPN. I couldn't watch them if they were on a couple of the other sports channels here like KBS Sports or whatever. But I lived with it. At least I got to watch SOME of the Kia Tiger road games. The rest I just watched real time updates or highlights on naver.com.
Well then last week my TV decided to blow up. Second time in two years for me. That's like getting hit by lightning twice. I wish my luck was like that for sports teams, women, jobs, lottery tickets, but no I get the astronomical luck in the category of exploding TV's. Sigh.
So tonight I decided to look around for a bar that has a TV and beer on tap. I would ask them nicely to change the channel to the Tigers game and drink a few beers. Like I would anyway while watching at home. I ventured outside with my umbrella to a very nearby bar that had like 5 tables and a tiny TV. Only two people were there; the owner and a friend of hers. I asked if they could hook me up and she appologized for the size and volume of the TV. I knew I was in the right place.
The game was already at 1-0. Kia was ahead of the Heroes. The Heroes are a team without a sponsor this season. They play their home games in Seoul. In the Mok Dong area. I think the name of the stadium is Mok Dong Stadium too. Last year they were the Woori Heroes but this year they are just waiting for some big company to buy them. I wish I had the dough. I saw first inning of the game on naver live updates on my computer at home. Choi Hee Seop walked and Mr. Clutch Kim Sang Hyun wasn't gonna miss an opportunity like that. He hit a double. Teams around the league haven't realized yet that Choi Hee Seop isn't the burly, porky, Rubenesque player he was last year. They HAVE realized that he's beaten everybody in the league to 14 home runs. So they pitch around him. Another thing they haven't realized yet is that this is a big mistake. The day the other teams started pitching around Choi was the day Kim Sang Hyun started moving into first place in RBI's. Not just because Kim can and DOES get the hits with runners in scoring position, but when that runner is Choi, he can leg out an extra base and score! So Kim added to his total in the second inning. With two out I might add. He's MONEY! He hit a double and Choi chugged all the way around to score.
Then in the 3rd inning EVERYBODY got into the act. I had an inkling this sort of thing might happen with the emotional end to the last game. That's the way long winning streaks start. It seemed like NObody wanted to be the last out. Lee Hyun Gon walked, then with one out Kim Jong Gook got a double scoring Lee Hyun Gon. Lee Jong Beom got out but Kim moved to 3rd. Choi Hee Seop walked for the second time. You know what that means. Up comes Kim Sang Hyun with two outs and a man on AGAIN! He hits a double for two MORE RBI's. So now it's 4-0. Hong Sae Weon gets up and hits a homerun before the TV channel can make it back from commercial. It's now 6-0! Na Ji Weon hits a single and steals a base but Cha Il Mok gets out. WHAT AN INNING!
THAT took a long time. For that reason and because the skies are getting darker and the rain is getting bigger, you want to hurry this game along. We're only in the bottom of the 3rd and it's not official till the 5th is done. For these reasons you'd think the pitcher, Aquilino Lopez, would throw strikes. And he DID. But the other team must have been expecting that. 4 homeruns and a walk later it's 6-5. I'm NOT kidding!!!
But these are the kind of games I love! When the weather is good. THAT took a long time too! We're just finishing the 3rd inning and other games around the league, (who are all experiencing rain also. Korea's not that big.), are settling into their 5th innings. Kim Weon Seop and Lee Hyun Gon both manage to get on and in. Lee Jong Beom batted in the last RBI to make it 8-5. I was LOVING this. Then they stopped it on account of rain.
A thousand things are going thru my mind now. They all came back to one simple question: Why the hell do they stop baseball because of rain? I mean say what you will about soccer players being divers and sissies but at least they play in the rain. Football players, rugby players, they LOVE the rain. Even golfers! YES golfers are tougher than ball players I guess. They only stop if there's lightning. The only sport that stops, (and I believe rightly so), is tennis. Have you tried playing in the rain? The ball doesn't bounce it skids. Tennis is a good sport to stop playing when it rains. But NOT baseball. Need I remind anyone that the ball gets wet, the bats get moist, the dirt gets mucky and the grass gets soggy? SO? Don't both teams have to deal with the same dirt, balls, bats and grass? I think they do.
So there I was at a bar for the first time drinking two extra beers HOPING the game would start again. And finally the umpires ordered the ground crew to take the plastic off the infield. So I ordered ANOTHER beer, happy the game was going to continue and hopeful it would make it to the 6th inning and become official. But before the ground crew could get the tarps off the field the umpires looked at the skies and decided to cancel the game! FAAAARRRGGG!!!!
So I finished my last beer, collected my umbrella and left. I got outside the bar and opened my umbrella but, wouldn't you know it, there wasn't a drop of rain falling. I walked all the way home without once opening my umbrella. And all three of the other games were completed. EVEN LG vs Doosan. I mention this because the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears are the other two teams based in Seoul. Both play their home games in Chamshil Stadium right across town from Mok Dong stadium!
So WHAT THE HELL happened here? Am I to believe there was a big cloud over Mok Dong that somehow missed the rest of Korea? And brought one of the most exciting games of the year to a grinding halt? DAMMIT!!!!
Oh well, on the optimistic side, do you know what this means? Make-up games!!! I just hope the double-header is in Gwangju!
You see, I used to have a TV in my room with SOME of the cable channels that are available to the average Korean for free. I could watch Kia Tiger games if they were on E! or MBCESPN. I couldn't watch them if they were on a couple of the other sports channels here like KBS Sports or whatever. But I lived with it. At least I got to watch SOME of the Kia Tiger road games. The rest I just watched real time updates or highlights on naver.com.
Well then last week my TV decided to blow up. Second time in two years for me. That's like getting hit by lightning twice. I wish my luck was like that for sports teams, women, jobs, lottery tickets, but no I get the astronomical luck in the category of exploding TV's. Sigh.
So tonight I decided to look around for a bar that has a TV and beer on tap. I would ask them nicely to change the channel to the Tigers game and drink a few beers. Like I would anyway while watching at home. I ventured outside with my umbrella to a very nearby bar that had like 5 tables and a tiny TV. Only two people were there; the owner and a friend of hers. I asked if they could hook me up and she appologized for the size and volume of the TV. I knew I was in the right place.
The game was already at 1-0. Kia was ahead of the Heroes. The Heroes are a team without a sponsor this season. They play their home games in Seoul. In the Mok Dong area. I think the name of the stadium is Mok Dong Stadium too. Last year they were the Woori Heroes but this year they are just waiting for some big company to buy them. I wish I had the dough. I saw first inning of the game on naver live updates on my computer at home. Choi Hee Seop walked and Mr. Clutch Kim Sang Hyun wasn't gonna miss an opportunity like that. He hit a double. Teams around the league haven't realized yet that Choi Hee Seop isn't the burly, porky, Rubenesque player he was last year. They HAVE realized that he's beaten everybody in the league to 14 home runs. So they pitch around him. Another thing they haven't realized yet is that this is a big mistake. The day the other teams started pitching around Choi was the day Kim Sang Hyun started moving into first place in RBI's. Not just because Kim can and DOES get the hits with runners in scoring position, but when that runner is Choi, he can leg out an extra base and score! So Kim added to his total in the second inning. With two out I might add. He's MONEY! He hit a double and Choi chugged all the way around to score.
Then in the 3rd inning EVERYBODY got into the act. I had an inkling this sort of thing might happen with the emotional end to the last game. That's the way long winning streaks start. It seemed like NObody wanted to be the last out. Lee Hyun Gon walked, then with one out Kim Jong Gook got a double scoring Lee Hyun Gon. Lee Jong Beom got out but Kim moved to 3rd. Choi Hee Seop walked for the second time. You know what that means. Up comes Kim Sang Hyun with two outs and a man on AGAIN! He hits a double for two MORE RBI's. So now it's 4-0. Hong Sae Weon gets up and hits a homerun before the TV channel can make it back from commercial. It's now 6-0! Na Ji Weon hits a single and steals a base but Cha Il Mok gets out. WHAT AN INNING!
THAT took a long time. For that reason and because the skies are getting darker and the rain is getting bigger, you want to hurry this game along. We're only in the bottom of the 3rd and it's not official till the 5th is done. For these reasons you'd think the pitcher, Aquilino Lopez, would throw strikes. And he DID. But the other team must have been expecting that. 4 homeruns and a walk later it's 6-5. I'm NOT kidding!!!
But these are the kind of games I love! When the weather is good. THAT took a long time too! We're just finishing the 3rd inning and other games around the league, (who are all experiencing rain also. Korea's not that big.), are settling into their 5th innings. Kim Weon Seop and Lee Hyun Gon both manage to get on and in. Lee Jong Beom batted in the last RBI to make it 8-5. I was LOVING this. Then they stopped it on account of rain.
A thousand things are going thru my mind now. They all came back to one simple question: Why the hell do they stop baseball because of rain? I mean say what you will about soccer players being divers and sissies but at least they play in the rain. Football players, rugby players, they LOVE the rain. Even golfers! YES golfers are tougher than ball players I guess. They only stop if there's lightning. The only sport that stops, (and I believe rightly so), is tennis. Have you tried playing in the rain? The ball doesn't bounce it skids. Tennis is a good sport to stop playing when it rains. But NOT baseball. Need I remind anyone that the ball gets wet, the bats get moist, the dirt gets mucky and the grass gets soggy? SO? Don't both teams have to deal with the same dirt, balls, bats and grass? I think they do.
So there I was at a bar for the first time drinking two extra beers HOPING the game would start again. And finally the umpires ordered the ground crew to take the plastic off the infield. So I ordered ANOTHER beer, happy the game was going to continue and hopeful it would make it to the 6th inning and become official. But before the ground crew could get the tarps off the field the umpires looked at the skies and decided to cancel the game! FAAAARRRGGG!!!!
So I finished my last beer, collected my umbrella and left. I got outside the bar and opened my umbrella but, wouldn't you know it, there wasn't a drop of rain falling. I walked all the way home without once opening my umbrella. And all three of the other games were completed. EVEN LG vs Doosan. I mention this because the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears are the other two teams based in Seoul. Both play their home games in Chamshil Stadium right across town from Mok Dong stadium!
So WHAT THE HELL happened here? Am I to believe there was a big cloud over Mok Dong that somehow missed the rest of Korea? And brought one of the most exciting games of the year to a grinding halt? DAMMIT!!!!
Oh well, on the optimistic side, do you know what this means? Make-up games!!! I just hope the double-header is in Gwangju!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Monday is off day
Today is Monday. That's off day in the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization). It's also a day off for me so it's a perfect time to sum up the week that was for the Tigers. Why not do it in an orderly fashion. I'll start with last Tuesday.
Last Tuesday was the first game in June for Kia. June 2nd it was. After a good month of May in which they went 16-11, (really 16-9-2 but for some reason ties count as losses for both teams in the KBO. I hate that), I am looking forward to June. The Tigers went from 6th to 3rd in May too. Can they climb up one more spot in June? Could they maybe even challenge for first? Who would they be challenging, the SK Wyverns or the Doosan Bears? These were the sort of questions dancing like sugarplums in my head while awaiting the first pitch on June 2nd. I was there with three of my physiotherapy students. That's just their major, it's not what I teach them. Yang Hyun Jong was pitching. He's been the 2nd best starting pitcher for the Tigers this year. 5 wins and 2 losses. Only Guttormson is better so far at 7 and 1. He pitched pretty well against the Doosan Bears who I think have the best hitting lineup in the league. When Yang left the score was tied at 3. Unfortunately he was only kept in for 5 innings. He had only pitched 98 pitches. I think the number 100 figures largely in Jo Bum Hyun's idea of how long he's gonna leave pitchers in this year. Strange since their rotation is 6 deep and they play 6 games a week. That means pitchers have a week to recover from 100 pitches. Shouldn't be playing ball if that's not long enough. Again, I wish Jo would leave the starters out longer because Kia's bullpen is not good. So on comes Son Young Min. I was worried. But on this night Son was pitching well. So well that Jo yanked him out after the 8th. Doosan got 6 runs in the 9th inning off Im Joon Hyuk. I like Im Joon Hyuk and don't like Son Young Min but even I was wondering why the change was made on this night. Lee Jong Beom, Lee Hyun Gon and this year's MVP candidate Kim Sang Hyun all had 2 hits for the Tigers in a losing cause. Final score 9-3 Doosan.
This was us all hopeful and hungry before the game.
On Wednesday June 3rd Lopez pitched 7 2/3innings, (118 pitches), giving up 6 hits and 2 runs. A solid outing. He's surprising me this year with his durability. And I was also surprised that Jo left him in past his usual yanking time, the start of the 7th inning. The guy who looks as though he'll be replacing Yoon as the closer, Yoo Dong Hoon, pitched 1 1/3 and got the save. Kim Weon Seop, Lee Jae Joo and Na Ji Weon all got two hits but it was the old man of baseball Lee Jong Beom who made the difference with 2 RBI's. Final score was 5-2 Kia.
I went to the rubber match of the Doosan series excited to see Yoon Suk Min back as a starter. He didn't pitch his best giving up 9 hits and 4 runs in 6 innings. But he got 10 strike outs. He had a 4-3 lead but gave up a run in the 6th. So the game was tied at 4 when Son Young Min came in. A hit a walk and a run made it 5-4 Doosan and that's all she wrote. Another hard luck outing for Yoon. And another bad game for Son. Lee Jong Beom had another solid game going 2/3 with an RBI. An Chi Hong and Kim Sang Hyun had homers. Final score 5-4 Doosan.
Here's Yoon leaning into one. What a pitcher! What a picture!
Samsung came to Gwangju on Friday. They were a welcome sight after the Doosan Bears, Kia's Nemesis this season. Samsung is right behind Kia in 4th place so the Tigers were looking to put some distance between them and maybe sneak up on SK or Doosan. Kwag Jung Cheol pitched the first game of the series. He's 4-1 this year but has had some bad outings. This was NOT one of them. He pitched 7 innings giving up 4 hits and 0 runs. Yanked after only 100 pitches. No idea why. Park Kyung Tae came in for two batters. Got them both. Then Han Ki Joo also came in for two batters. He gave up a home run and a walk. Luckily in that order. He's been terrible this year. But Yoo Dong Hoon closed things down for another save. Lee Jong Beom and Choi Hee Seop both had 2 hits. And Lee Jong Beom stole his 500th base. He's had a phenomenal career! Final score was 3-1 Kia.
I went to game two of the series on Saturday. It was a special day to remember soldiers who died. Possibly Memorial Day. I couldn't get a difinitive translation. Anyway there were no female cheerleaders at the game for that reason. Kim Joo Il, the male MC was still there though. He's a friend of mine so I sat right at the cheerleader stage to chat with him. I ended up talking mostly with Rick Guttormson's brother and another guy named Phillip. I'm not going to sit there again though. It's just too noisy. The game was pretty good. Guttormson was cruising along having given up only 2 hits in the first. But after 101 pitches coach Jo decided to give the Samsung Lions a chance I suppose. Why else do you pull a guy after 6 innings of 2-hit ball including 5 straight innings with NO hits?!?! Out comes Son Young Min and I told Guttormson's brother that he might mess up a great night of work for Rick. He faces 5 guys and gives up 3 hits and a run. It's now 2-1. But Yoo Dong Hoon closed things down for another save. WHEW! Lee Hyun Gon got 2 hits and Mr. Clutch Kim Sang Hyun got the 2 RBI's for the Tigers with a first inning hit. Final score 2-1 Kia.
This is Kim Sang Hyun, my vote for Kia MVP so far. He was talking to Kim Joo Il the Tigers MC.
Sunday's game was a beauty for the team! First they were going for the sweep against the club that's right behind them in the standings; second they had their number two pitcher Yang Hyun Jong on the mound for them; and third this game ended with a dramatic walk-off hit and ensuing pile-up of players that is just what the doctor ordered for team and fan unity. Yang was solid. He went 7 innings giving up 6 hits and only one run on a homer to Samsung's Park Suk Min. He left with a 2-1 lead that held up till the 9th when Han Ki Joo gave up the tying run. He didn't have a bad night but he just always seems to do enough to lose. So the game went all the way to the 12th inning. The last in Korea. If nobody wins it's a tie, which is really a loss for both clubs. Jung Sung Cheol faced 3 guys giving up 2 walks and one hit. The score was 3-2 Samsung. Last bats for the Tigers. Kim Jong Gook got the winning RBI's.
Kim Jong Gook is somewhere at the bottom of this pile. It was a great week for the Tigers and their fans!
Last Tuesday was the first game in June for Kia. June 2nd it was. After a good month of May in which they went 16-11, (really 16-9-2 but for some reason ties count as losses for both teams in the KBO. I hate that), I am looking forward to June. The Tigers went from 6th to 3rd in May too. Can they climb up one more spot in June? Could they maybe even challenge for first? Who would they be challenging, the SK Wyverns or the Doosan Bears? These were the sort of questions dancing like sugarplums in my head while awaiting the first pitch on June 2nd. I was there with three of my physiotherapy students. That's just their major, it's not what I teach them. Yang Hyun Jong was pitching. He's been the 2nd best starting pitcher for the Tigers this year. 5 wins and 2 losses. Only Guttormson is better so far at 7 and 1. He pitched pretty well against the Doosan Bears who I think have the best hitting lineup in the league. When Yang left the score was tied at 3. Unfortunately he was only kept in for 5 innings. He had only pitched 98 pitches. I think the number 100 figures largely in Jo Bum Hyun's idea of how long he's gonna leave pitchers in this year. Strange since their rotation is 6 deep and they play 6 games a week. That means pitchers have a week to recover from 100 pitches. Shouldn't be playing ball if that's not long enough. Again, I wish Jo would leave the starters out longer because Kia's bullpen is not good. So on comes Son Young Min. I was worried. But on this night Son was pitching well. So well that Jo yanked him out after the 8th. Doosan got 6 runs in the 9th inning off Im Joon Hyuk. I like Im Joon Hyuk and don't like Son Young Min but even I was wondering why the change was made on this night. Lee Jong Beom, Lee Hyun Gon and this year's MVP candidate Kim Sang Hyun all had 2 hits for the Tigers in a losing cause. Final score 9-3 Doosan.
This was us all hopeful and hungry before the game.
On Wednesday June 3rd Lopez pitched 7 2/3innings, (118 pitches), giving up 6 hits and 2 runs. A solid outing. He's surprising me this year with his durability. And I was also surprised that Jo left him in past his usual yanking time, the start of the 7th inning. The guy who looks as though he'll be replacing Yoon as the closer, Yoo Dong Hoon, pitched 1 1/3 and got the save. Kim Weon Seop, Lee Jae Joo and Na Ji Weon all got two hits but it was the old man of baseball Lee Jong Beom who made the difference with 2 RBI's. Final score was 5-2 Kia.
I went to the rubber match of the Doosan series excited to see Yoon Suk Min back as a starter. He didn't pitch his best giving up 9 hits and 4 runs in 6 innings. But he got 10 strike outs. He had a 4-3 lead but gave up a run in the 6th. So the game was tied at 4 when Son Young Min came in. A hit a walk and a run made it 5-4 Doosan and that's all she wrote. Another hard luck outing for Yoon. And another bad game for Son. Lee Jong Beom had another solid game going 2/3 with an RBI. An Chi Hong and Kim Sang Hyun had homers. Final score 5-4 Doosan.
Here's Yoon leaning into one. What a pitcher! What a picture!
Samsung came to Gwangju on Friday. They were a welcome sight after the Doosan Bears, Kia's Nemesis this season. Samsung is right behind Kia in 4th place so the Tigers were looking to put some distance between them and maybe sneak up on SK or Doosan. Kwag Jung Cheol pitched the first game of the series. He's 4-1 this year but has had some bad outings. This was NOT one of them. He pitched 7 innings giving up 4 hits and 0 runs. Yanked after only 100 pitches. No idea why. Park Kyung Tae came in for two batters. Got them both. Then Han Ki Joo also came in for two batters. He gave up a home run and a walk. Luckily in that order. He's been terrible this year. But Yoo Dong Hoon closed things down for another save. Lee Jong Beom and Choi Hee Seop both had 2 hits. And Lee Jong Beom stole his 500th base. He's had a phenomenal career! Final score was 3-1 Kia.
I went to game two of the series on Saturday. It was a special day to remember soldiers who died. Possibly Memorial Day. I couldn't get a difinitive translation. Anyway there were no female cheerleaders at the game for that reason. Kim Joo Il, the male MC was still there though. He's a friend of mine so I sat right at the cheerleader stage to chat with him. I ended up talking mostly with Rick Guttormson's brother and another guy named Phillip. I'm not going to sit there again though. It's just too noisy. The game was pretty good. Guttormson was cruising along having given up only 2 hits in the first. But after 101 pitches coach Jo decided to give the Samsung Lions a chance I suppose. Why else do you pull a guy after 6 innings of 2-hit ball including 5 straight innings with NO hits?!?! Out comes Son Young Min and I told Guttormson's brother that he might mess up a great night of work for Rick. He faces 5 guys and gives up 3 hits and a run. It's now 2-1. But Yoo Dong Hoon closed things down for another save. WHEW! Lee Hyun Gon got 2 hits and Mr. Clutch Kim Sang Hyun got the 2 RBI's for the Tigers with a first inning hit. Final score 2-1 Kia.
This is Kim Sang Hyun, my vote for Kia MVP so far. He was talking to Kim Joo Il the Tigers MC.
Sunday's game was a beauty for the team! First they were going for the sweep against the club that's right behind them in the standings; second they had their number two pitcher Yang Hyun Jong on the mound for them; and third this game ended with a dramatic walk-off hit and ensuing pile-up of players that is just what the doctor ordered for team and fan unity. Yang was solid. He went 7 innings giving up 6 hits and only one run on a homer to Samsung's Park Suk Min. He left with a 2-1 lead that held up till the 9th when Han Ki Joo gave up the tying run. He didn't have a bad night but he just always seems to do enough to lose. So the game went all the way to the 12th inning. The last in Korea. If nobody wins it's a tie, which is really a loss for both clubs. Jung Sung Cheol faced 3 guys giving up 2 walks and one hit. The score was 3-2 Samsung. Last bats for the Tigers. Kim Jong Gook got the winning RBI's.
Kim Jong Gook is somewhere at the bottom of this pile. It was a great week for the Tigers and their fans!
First post
I decided there was too much Kia Tiger reporting, griping, dissecting and the like finding its way into my regular blog and to keep the tens of readers of my Korean Chronicles blog from abandoning it for that reason... TA DA!!! The Terrible Tigers!
This blog will be about the Kia Tigers baseball club. I chose the name because at times the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization can and DO inspire terror in opposing teams and at other times, they're just terrible.
There is a pretty decent foreign following of Korean baseball and if anything the recent Korean success at World Baseball Championships and Olympics has increased it. Sadly I don't think it has done much for the popularity of baseball in Korea. The Korean people all still seem to be suffering from that opium-like addiction that for reasons as yet not understood has escaped Canada and the U.S. Even its name has escaped only us as far as I know. It's called football to most, soccer north of Mexico. Korea's improbable 2002 run to the semi-finals in the World Cup of Soccer they co-hosted with Japan, marked three firsts for Korea: the first time the World Cup was co-hosted, the first World Cup in Asia and the first Asian team to make it to the semis. Before 2002 baseball was the most popular sport over here but ever since then this has been a soccer country! I don't think any of those accomplishments are bigger than the Korean gold medal in Olympic baseball in Beijing in 2008, but it seems the rest of the world, aside from those two aforementioned countries, might disagree with me. Even calling it the World Cup (of Soccer) is like when Asians say, "(ice) hockey." The World Cup of Soccer is the World Cup. Ice hockey is hockey. Incidentally I am pretty sure that (ice) hockey being a faster, more entertaining version of soccer is the reason soccer is insufferably dull to Canadians and Americans. No fights either! Still that doesn't explain the Swedes, Germans, Czechs, Russians and other countries who love both.
But that's WAY more than enough about soccer! I'm a baseball guy and this is a baseball blog. To be fair baseball is only my second favourite sport. Being from Canada I love hockey, but since I was always better at baseball than hockey, because you don't have to wear skates to play it, I have played more baseball and learned the finer points about it. And since there is, as near as makes no difference, no hockey to be found in Korea, I have become a bigger baseball fan. And for the past 7 years or so, since they BECAME the Kia Tigers, I have been a fan of them.
All I will tell you as a history of the Kia Tigers is that I haven't yet experienced the joy of seeing them win. As the Haitai Tigers the team won a record 9 KBO championships but since becoming the KIA Tigers in 2001 they've only been in the playoffs twice finishing 3rd in the league twice and last twice. Never 2nd, never 1st. That's a pretty sadsack record in a league with only 8 teams, but hey, I'm a Vancouver Canuck fan. I can take the disappointment. However, THIS year I believe things will be different. Barring any unforseen disasters. Kia has a pretty good team. Better than pretty good. They SHOULD win. Here's a rundown of the team I posted on my OTHER blog early this season. It's remarkably accurate if I do say so myself, although there ARE a few things that need updating.
The lead-off hitter and last year's MVP Lee Yong Gyu went back for a catch against the wall and jumped against the wall twisting AND BREAKING his ankle. That was during the third game of the season. I was there. It sucked. In my opinion two things caused it: Lee's overaggressive nature, which I don't mind at all, and bad positioning. The coaches seem to move the infield and outfield around almost randomly. Their positioning has little to do with what's happening. At any rate, Kim Weon Seop has performed VERY well in Lee's absence. Maybe as good or better than Lee would have! He leads the team in average and hits and has for a while.
Coach Jo has been bad. His only really massive mistake has been moving Yoon Suk Min to the bullpen and using him as closer/long relief. But he's been playing chickenball with a team that should be aggressive. Pulling starting pitchers without any hint of a reason why. Last game I went to Ricky Guttormson was pulled after 6 innings of 2-hit ball. And if I remember correctly both hits were given up in the 1st inning. 101 pitches. No earthly reason to pull him. He came out with a 2-0 lead and, predictably, Son Young Min quickly went to work on blowing that lead. He gave up a run but luckily Park Kyung Tae and Yoo Dong Hoon shut things down the rest of the way. Coach Jo is absolutely in LOVE with the bunt and has overused it to the point of distraction. But worst of all he STILL doesn't understand the hit and run. In a lot of situations he almost FORCES the other team to kill Kia with it by playing the infield deep with one out. That allows any players on base to get huge leads and make it to the next base easily on the hit-and-run. It certainly DOESN'T allow Kia to get an inning ending double play. That is why when the infield is shallow it's called "double-play depth". But Jo don't know. Here are some details about some of the things Jo don't know.
If you think I'm being tough on old Jo, I HAVE been seeing encouraging signs that he's starting to show. He is bunting less. Still ALMOST every game he bunts when he shouldn't but he's doing it less. And, YES, he HAS called a hit-and-run or two. Or at least his players have done it without it being called. No way of knowing really. Also he's moved Yoon Suk Min back into the starting rotation. The results have been easy to see. Players seem happier and the team batting average has skyrocketed. Now pitchers only need to be average to get wins. And oh by the way, Kia is challenging for second place in the league right now!
I don't always complain about the team. There will be some positive posts here I'm sure. Like some kudos to Jo I posted after a recent victory. I have also commented on the resurgence of power hitter Choi Hee Seop this year. He reached 14 homers before anyone in the league and lead the team in RBI's after a really hot start. Since then he has cooled off though. He's been stuck on 14 home runs forever now. But he's still not the rally killer of 2008 and even though he strikes out a lot, his eye at the plate has improved. Besides, a power hitter will usually strike out frequently.
The big news of the season so far though has been a new player acquired from the LG Twins named Kim Sang Hyun. He has been hitting behind big Choi and taking full advantage of that sweet spot in the order. He leads the team with 43 RBI's right now. Choi has 34.
When injured stars Seo Jae Eung and Lee Yong Gyu come back Kia will have a deadly line-up! I wouldn't be surprised if they went on a long winning streak and even won it all this year. It's gonna be fun blogging about it all the way.
This blog will be about the Kia Tigers baseball club. I chose the name because at times the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization can and DO inspire terror in opposing teams and at other times, they're just terrible.
There is a pretty decent foreign following of Korean baseball and if anything the recent Korean success at World Baseball Championships and Olympics has increased it. Sadly I don't think it has done much for the popularity of baseball in Korea. The Korean people all still seem to be suffering from that opium-like addiction that for reasons as yet not understood has escaped Canada and the U.S. Even its name has escaped only us as far as I know. It's called football to most, soccer north of Mexico. Korea's improbable 2002 run to the semi-finals in the World Cup of Soccer they co-hosted with Japan, marked three firsts for Korea: the first time the World Cup was co-hosted, the first World Cup in Asia and the first Asian team to make it to the semis. Before 2002 baseball was the most popular sport over here but ever since then this has been a soccer country! I don't think any of those accomplishments are bigger than the Korean gold medal in Olympic baseball in Beijing in 2008, but it seems the rest of the world, aside from those two aforementioned countries, might disagree with me. Even calling it the World Cup (of Soccer) is like when Asians say, "(ice) hockey." The World Cup of Soccer is the World Cup. Ice hockey is hockey. Incidentally I am pretty sure that (ice) hockey being a faster, more entertaining version of soccer is the reason soccer is insufferably dull to Canadians and Americans. No fights either! Still that doesn't explain the Swedes, Germans, Czechs, Russians and other countries who love both.
But that's WAY more than enough about soccer! I'm a baseball guy and this is a baseball blog. To be fair baseball is only my second favourite sport. Being from Canada I love hockey, but since I was always better at baseball than hockey, because you don't have to wear skates to play it, I have played more baseball and learned the finer points about it. And since there is, as near as makes no difference, no hockey to be found in Korea, I have become a bigger baseball fan. And for the past 7 years or so, since they BECAME the Kia Tigers, I have been a fan of them.
All I will tell you as a history of the Kia Tigers is that I haven't yet experienced the joy of seeing them win. As the Haitai Tigers the team won a record 9 KBO championships but since becoming the KIA Tigers in 2001 they've only been in the playoffs twice finishing 3rd in the league twice and last twice. Never 2nd, never 1st. That's a pretty sadsack record in a league with only 8 teams, but hey, I'm a Vancouver Canuck fan. I can take the disappointment. However, THIS year I believe things will be different. Barring any unforseen disasters. Kia has a pretty good team. Better than pretty good. They SHOULD win. Here's a rundown of the team I posted on my OTHER blog early this season. It's remarkably accurate if I do say so myself, although there ARE a few things that need updating.
The lead-off hitter and last year's MVP Lee Yong Gyu went back for a catch against the wall and jumped against the wall twisting AND BREAKING his ankle. That was during the third game of the season. I was there. It sucked. In my opinion two things caused it: Lee's overaggressive nature, which I don't mind at all, and bad positioning. The coaches seem to move the infield and outfield around almost randomly. Their positioning has little to do with what's happening. At any rate, Kim Weon Seop has performed VERY well in Lee's absence. Maybe as good or better than Lee would have! He leads the team in average and hits and has for a while.
Coach Jo has been bad. His only really massive mistake has been moving Yoon Suk Min to the bullpen and using him as closer/long relief. But he's been playing chickenball with a team that should be aggressive. Pulling starting pitchers without any hint of a reason why. Last game I went to Ricky Guttormson was pulled after 6 innings of 2-hit ball. And if I remember correctly both hits were given up in the 1st inning. 101 pitches. No earthly reason to pull him. He came out with a 2-0 lead and, predictably, Son Young Min quickly went to work on blowing that lead. He gave up a run but luckily Park Kyung Tae and Yoo Dong Hoon shut things down the rest of the way. Coach Jo is absolutely in LOVE with the bunt and has overused it to the point of distraction. But worst of all he STILL doesn't understand the hit and run. In a lot of situations he almost FORCES the other team to kill Kia with it by playing the infield deep with one out. That allows any players on base to get huge leads and make it to the next base easily on the hit-and-run. It certainly DOESN'T allow Kia to get an inning ending double play. That is why when the infield is shallow it's called "double-play depth". But Jo don't know. Here are some details about some of the things Jo don't know.
If you think I'm being tough on old Jo, I HAVE been seeing encouraging signs that he's starting to show. He is bunting less. Still ALMOST every game he bunts when he shouldn't but he's doing it less. And, YES, he HAS called a hit-and-run or two. Or at least his players have done it without it being called. No way of knowing really. Also he's moved Yoon Suk Min back into the starting rotation. The results have been easy to see. Players seem happier and the team batting average has skyrocketed. Now pitchers only need to be average to get wins. And oh by the way, Kia is challenging for second place in the league right now!
I don't always complain about the team. There will be some positive posts here I'm sure. Like some kudos to Jo I posted after a recent victory. I have also commented on the resurgence of power hitter Choi Hee Seop this year. He reached 14 homers before anyone in the league and lead the team in RBI's after a really hot start. Since then he has cooled off though. He's been stuck on 14 home runs forever now. But he's still not the rally killer of 2008 and even though he strikes out a lot, his eye at the plate has improved. Besides, a power hitter will usually strike out frequently.
The big news of the season so far though has been a new player acquired from the LG Twins named Kim Sang Hyun. He has been hitting behind big Choi and taking full advantage of that sweet spot in the order. He leads the team with 43 RBI's right now. Choi has 34.
When injured stars Seo Jae Eung and Lee Yong Gyu come back Kia will have a deadly line-up! I wouldn't be surprised if they went on a long winning streak and even won it all this year. It's gonna be fun blogging about it all the way.
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