As depressing as this may be, I'll run down what has happened with the Tigers since I left off on April 14th, Black Day, my birthday.

April 14th - SNOWED out! Can you believe that?

April 15th - Yoon Suk Min got the start. I was sure he'd get his second win on my birthday! That woulda been a good birthday gift for sure! He did very well the day after, however, going 7 1/3 giving up just 6 hits, 3 walks and 2 runs. As usual I thought he was pulled too early but he had the lead when he exited. His relief Kwag Jung Cheol did what Son Young Min usually does: blew any chance at him getting the win. Yoon had allowed 2 guys to reach base and with a walk and a base-clearing double Kwag notched both of those runs to Yoon's record and one to his own tying the game up at 3. Yoo Dong Hoon kept the game tied long enough for the Tigers to score in their half of the 8th inning and get the win for him. Shoulda been Yoon's. Only 5 hits for the Tigers but one was a Kim Sang Hyun 3-run shot and one was a dramatic Lee Jong Beom homer that won it. It was a fun game to watch except for Kwag's pitching. Final - Kia 4 Doosan 3.

April 16th - The first game for the new foreigner, pitcher Matt Wright. Not sure if I'm spelling that right/wright/. He only gave up one hit in 5 innings of work while striking out 7 LG Twins. However, he walked 5 and 2 miraculously made it around to score. But I can only guess it was his 109 pitches that caused the coaches to pull him. His slider was deadly and although he threw lots of pitches in the dirt he didn't look tired. I suppose they were being their usual cautious selves. Lotsa good that did them! Son Young Min came in and did okay giving up 2 hits in an inning and 1/3 but then Kwag came continued where he left off the night before giving up 5 hits and 4 runs in his inning and 1/3. Two more pitchers came in and looked awful. One was the former starter Jeon Tae Hyun who gave up two runs in his one inning. The Tigers outhit the Twins 10-9 including a 3/4 night for Choi Hee Seop, but were outscored 8-4. This will become familiar so long as the coaching staff continues to play so cautiously in every way. Final LG 8 Kia 4.

April 17th - Lopez went 7 innings and gave up 8 hits and a couple of walks. That's not bad at all. Unlike the Tigers, who need about 3 hits for every run they get, LG managed to get 5 runs off of Lopez before he left. It was a tight game at 5-4 before the bullpen untightened it. Kim Hee Geol faced one guy and gave up a hit, a run and probably cashed in someone for Lopez. Then Son Young Min looked like last year's version of himself giving up a walk, hitting a guy, and surrendering a 3 run homerun to the four batters he faced. Jung Yong Oon finished off the last inning and 1/3 and only gave up 4 more runs. Brutal effort by the bullpen! LG got 13 runs on 14 hits. That's efficiency! The Tigers managed 4 runs from 8 hits and 4 walks. That's NOT good efficiency! But I was at the game cheering for a 9 run comeback in the bottom of the 9th. It didn't happen. Final LG 13 Kia 4.

April 18th - This rain-out means we got swept by LG!

April 20th - The Tigers needed good news. They pulled into Pusan after winning only one of the games in a six game homestand. Two were cancelled but that might have been elemental mercy for all we know. Lotte was hot shutting out Nexsen twice and losing a couple close ones to the Bears to go 3 and 3 in their last 6. Kia sent their steadiest pitcher of the early season to the mound: Yang Hyun Jong. He was just that. Steady. He gave up a few runs in 6 1/3 innings but struck out 6. Kia was up 6-3 when he left. Jeon Tae Hyun and Lee Dong Hyun were, (I can't believe I'm gonna write this), solid in relief giving up zero hits and zero runs! I have to say I like the looks of Jeon Tae Hyun as a reliever better than a starter. The Tigers bashed out 10 hits and got 10 runs. Now you're thinking, HEY, good production! But the Lotte pitching staff walked 10, hit one and added a couple wild pitches for good measure. The Tigers have been a very careful hitting team since I've been a fan. They take a lot of walks. That's an admirable skill! But once they get on base they usually don't go anywhere because of more careful baseball. Baserunners all night long and the Tigers got a grand total of 1 stolen base. And, of course, no hit and runs. Kim Sang Hoon had another good night going 3/4, Kim Sang Hyun went 2/4 with a homer and 5 RBI's, and An Chi Hong went 2/5 batting in 3. The final should have been 20 - 3 but it was only Kia 10 Lotte 3.

April 21st - I was hoping the Tigers didn't waste all their offense in the blowout the night before. Save some for Yoon! He NEVER gets run support from his team for some reason. It's partially because he's usually up against the best pitcher on the other squad but even still the Tigers usually look like pussycats at the plate when Yoon is pitching. Well tonight was different. Yoon didn't have his greatest performance giving up 4 runs and 9 hits over his 6 innings of pitching. But he struck out 5 and mangaged to leave the game with a 5-4 lead. Then, (deja vu), on comes Son Young Min. He faced 4 guys and gave up 3 hits and a run and in no time another win for Yoon was obliterated by the opposing pitcher on his own team, Son Young Min. Kwag Jung Cheol looked a lot better than his previous two starts holding off the Giants until the top of the 11th inning when Choi Hee Seop busted out of his homerun slump and blasted a grand slam. An Chi Hong went 3/5, Kim Weon Seop was 3/5 and Big Choi got 6 RBI's. Yoo Dong Hoon gave up one in the bottom of the 11th and didn't look very good but the final was Kia 9 Lotte 6.

April 22nd - Kia was trying to sweep the Giants in their own massive stadium. Newcomer Matt Wright got his second start. He threw 104 pitches in 4 innings giving up 4 hits and 3 runs. He struck out 5 but he walked 4, hit two and threw a lot of balls into the dirt. He's not yet sharp but he's got a devastating slider that froze some batters on the day. The Tigers got only 6 hits, the highlight being the second homerun in as many games for Choi Hee Seop. Lee Myung Woo was amazing for Lotte walking NObody, striking out 6 and basically pitching the whole game. That'll happen now and then. Final Lotte 4 Kia 1.

April 23rd - Kia travelled to Mok Dong to play the Nexsen Heroes. Lopez took the mound and was in command for 7 2/3 innings. He gave up an early run but scattered 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 6. When a guy pitches like that you just HAVE to win it for him! But this is a great game to watch if you want to know why the Tigers just can't do that. It was an ugly game. Lopez had the 2-1 lead in the 8th. Then he walked the leadoff hitter. Next guy sac bunted. I'm not sure but I think they put the next guy on so they could get the double play. And Lopez induced a double play ball. Unfortunately An Chi Hong got the guy out at second but threw the relay over Choi's head on first so the guy at second came all the way around to score on the error. 2-2. But in extra innings Lee Jong Beom lead off with a hit. They DIDN'T sac bunt because Choi was up next. What do you know, wild pitch! Lee Jong Beom moves over to second. Just ANOTHER better way to get him there than sac bunting. Then Choi hits a soft grounder which is an out but advances Lee to 3rd. Next guy up Park Ki Nam gets a hit and it's 3-2. Why? Because they DIDN'T sacrifice bunt. But then in the Nexsen half of the same inning the leadoff guy got aboard and THEY sac bunted him to second. Then the next guy got a hit, the runner was NOT held up at third and he scored. 3-3. THIS is how the sacrifice bunt is designed to work. It has worked this way for the Kia Tigers exactly ONE TIME this season. Every other time they've tried they've messed it up. But they just keep on doing it. Jo Beom Hyun probably thinks the sac bunt worked twice for the Heroes but it was really just bad defence by the Tigers that got those two guys in. Anyway, a walk, steal and two wild pitches sealed the Tigers' fate. Terrible game! Lopez did some garbage can kicking when he left the game. I don't blame him. Heroes 4 Kia 3.

April 24th - Seo Jae Eung just keeps getting better! He had a great outing in this one but like the other starters for the Tigers he must be wondering what he has to do to get a win. 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 run. It was 1-1 when he left. Kwag Jung Cheol was terrible in the 9th. Nexsen got a hit, sac bunt pop-out, stolen base, walk, hit and bloop single to win the game in the bottom of the 9th. Where, one might ask, was Yoo Dong Hoon? Tigers got 6 hits, two by Na Ji Weon and two by Lee Hyun Gon. Final Heroes 2 Kia 1.

April 25th - This is a landmark game in the Tigers' season. If the coaches don't learn from this they'll never learn. Yang Hyun Jong had a decent outing going 6 1/3 and giving up 3 runs on only 5 hits. Son Young Min was GOOD in relief for the rest of regulation giving up only one hit and no runs. Then in the 10th inning Kia broke the 3-3 tie with a leadoff walk, sac bunt, and the runner at second came around to score on a ground ball that bounced off the shortstop's glove and way up into the air. You can say the sac bunt worked here but errors don't count. Nexsen tied it up and I think they were poised to win it when Clark got called out on strikes on a ball that was just over his shoelaces. Anyway, in the 11th the leadoff hitter got walked again! Then stole second because the next batter WASN'T sac bunting. He did end up striking out but the next guy walked and then came the hit. For once the base coach didn't hold the runner at third and waved him in. It was close at the plate but An Chi Hong was called safe and that won it for the Tigers. THAT is smallball! And that's how the Tigers have to win. Will it continue? We'll see. Final Tigers 6 Heroes 4.

April 27th - Yesterday. A depressing loss that caused my last post here. Yoon Suk Min's curse continues. The score was 0-0 for a long time in the game although I think SK really scored in the 3rd inning. I think there were 2 out when a guy got a hit. Then he tried to steal second base. The throw from Kim Sang Hoon was wild and went into center field so the runner advanced to third. Then a ball was hit to Park Ki Nam who was playing 3B instead of Kim Sang Hyun. He didn't charge the ball and his throw to first was late but luckily for the Tigers the ump wasn't wearing his glasses and called him out or the guy from third would have scored and it would have been 1-0 SK. Listen to this: 6 1/3 innings pitched, 2 hits, 2 walks and 10 strikeouts. That's how well Yoon Suk Min was doing until the 7th inning. Then SK got a slow grounder and because the infield was playing too deep it ended up as a hit. Next guy got a solid hit, (not a sac bunt), and they had runners on 1st and third with one out. The next batter hit a ball to Park Ki Nam at third and he booted it. What should have been a double play to keep the game tied ended up as a run scored and runners at 2nd and 3rd. Then the next guy, who probably shouldn't have come up, got a hit and it was 3-0. That's how things happen for Yoon. The other pitcher, Kadokura, who already has 5 wins this year, was pitching well but he got outpitched by Yoon Suk Min and still managed to win the game. Both teams got 7 hits but one of the teams got 4 runs off their 7 hits. How do you suppose that happened? Final score SK 4 Kia 0.

It's raining today so it doesn't look like there will be baseball tonight. But I'm still happy because I think my Thursday classes might be cancelled tomorrow and maybe even next week too! It's sports week around here. Maybe I'll go to the game tomorrow. I sure hope the Tigers coaching staff stops playing this chicken ball or it's going to be a long season.

The Curse of Yoon Suk Min

I'm watching my favourite pitcher pitch tonight: Yoon Suk Min. He always has close games and usually when he gets yanked, (too early), by Jo Beom Hyeon, the coach of the Tigers, he's either ahead or tied. Then the bullpen blows it for him. He's got one win this year but a combination of bad bullpen and defensive errors cost him another two. At this time he's just finished the 5th inning and he's cruising along. Has 7 or 8 strikeouts and has given up only two hits. But as usual he's up against a strong pitcher on the other club and the Tigers aren't giving him much offensive support. They've got 3 hits for him and the opposing pitcher, Kadokura is also doing well.

There's a reason why Kia never wins these close games for Yoon Suk Min and it has nothing to do with the players. It's the strategy. Last inning Kim Weon Seop got on to lead off the inning. Automatically the next batter was told to sacrifice bunt. There's absolutely no thought put into it. Happens almost all the time. I have watched every game the Tigers have played this year and this strategy has worked exactly ONE time. That is, the person bunted to second scored and would not have scored if he hadn't been bunted over. ONCE! That's all. Yet the strategy has been employed every time they get a guy on first with nobody out unless the next batter is Choi Hee Seop or Kim Sang Hyun. Why do the coaches of the Kia Tigers continue to do it? It's a mystery to me. They did it last season too. They're bunting the Tigers into mediocrity.

Just now it's the bottom of the 5th. Kia's leadoff hitter, Kim Sang Hoon got a single. So immediately the next batter squares for the sac bunt. He pops it up and gets out. I have seen games this year where sac bunts have resulted in pop outs and even double plays MORE than once in a game for the Tigers. This is exactly what they are trying to avoid when they call the sacrifice bunt. If they are so scared of the double play why don't they steal? I mean with Kim Weon Seop on first it's essentially a free base! He's been caught stealing ZERO times this season. But the coaching staff NEVER calls a steal of second when there's nobody out. They take away every chance for the runner to get to second WITHOUT an out. They hospitably hand the other team the free out or two with the sac bunt. This is not just costing the Tigers runs but games.

Here's the killer: the batter after Kim Weon Seop missed two bunt attempts then flied out so K.W.S. remained on first. The guy after Kim Sang Hoon popped out on the bunt. But both Kim Weon Seop and even Kim Sang Hyun ended up stealing second AFTER the Tigers had surrendered the requisite out. Later two slow grounders were hit and KWS never made it past second base. Any well coached team like SK or Doosan gets a leadoff single, stolen base and two grounders and they're gonna have a run on the board. Kia has to work a lot harder for their runs because of poor coaching.

The SK Wyverns got THEIR leadoff hitter aboard in between these two innings I'm writing about and they did NOT sacrifice bunt. They didn't score but at least the coach gave his team the opportunity. You'd think sooner or later Jo Beom Hyeon would learn from better coaches in the league. But he doesn't seem to.

His strategy has been erroneously called "small ball" by most people in and around the KBO. Small ball uses the bunt but it is a very small part of small ball and there are far more bunts used offensively than as a sacrifice. A bigger part of smallball is aggressive base running. The Tigers have the legs for it but not the coaching staff. They are CONSTANTLY holding guys up who are rounding third base when they should be waved. They don't steal enough. With the speedsters and good contact hitters the Tigers have it's a crime Jo Beom Hyeon only uses the hit-and-run when there are two outs and the batter has 3 balls and 2 strikes against him. Then it really isn't the hit-and-run.

Last game the Tigers tied things up in an inning where the leadoff hitter got aboard and Choi Hee Seop came up next. So Jo didn't call the automatic sac bunt. They scored a run because of it. Do you hear what I'm saying? The guy on first got home! That has happened only ONCE this whole season because of a bunt and just last game, (and many other times), it happened because they DIDN'T bunt. And then in extra innings the Tigers got the go-ahead run by waving the runner home instead of holding him at third. The play at the plate was close but An Chi Hong was called safe and Kia won. But amazingly, Jo Beom Hyeon doesn't even seem to learn from HIS OWN coaching. This game and the many others the Tigers have played this year that clearly illustrate the shortcomings of Jo's strategy go unnoticed by him.

A smart coaching staff would see these things happening regularly and make adjustments so that the team could manufacture more runs and win a few more of these close, low scoring games. But the Tigers coaches have been playing this chicken ball as long as I've been watching them. They get the lowest run production for their hits in the league. That's all on the coaches. There needs to be a change.

I feel sorry for Yoon Suk Min. If he played for, say, the Lotte Giants he'd get more wins. Lotte is a worse team than the Tigers but they have better coaching. As I type this the SK Wyverns have scored a run and it's now 1-0. My feed was cut off so I didn't see how it happened. But Yoon still has only given up 5 hits. What do you want to bet it was good coaching by SK that got them the run? Or bad defence by the Tigers. A missed double play or something. Yoon just has terrible luck! Now it's 3-0. The Tigers will continue playing scared and won't manage to come back. Another loss Yoon probably didn't deserve!

Black Day

It's April 14th. My birthday and Black Day here in Korea. So while I eat birthday cake and Jajang Myun I'll run down the week that was for the Kia Tigers.

April 6th- Yang Hyun Jong spakled against the dreaded SK Wyverns going 6 2/3 striking out 6 while giving up only 1 run and 5 hits. Kim Sang Hoon is looking awfully good this year and he was the offensive star of this game with 2 walks and 2 hits. Lee Jong Beom got 2 hits and batted one in. Final score: Kia 3 SK 1.

April 7th- Seo Jae Eung followed Yang's performance with a good one of his own. He went 6 innings giving up 7 hits and 3 runs but he struck out 5. Pretty good. The Tigers gave him some good run support with Kim Sang Hoon as the hero for the second game running. I say that but in reality they had pretty crappy production for the amount of hitting they were doing. However KSH went 2/4 with 3 RBI's. Choi Hee Seop was 2/3 with 2 walks. Final score: Kia 5 SK 3.

April 8th- The impossible dream of every Tiger fan: to sweep the Wyverns. It could have happened on this day. The starter was Lee Dong Hyun? Wait a minute while I check my Tiger fanbook. I dunno who he is but I guess this'll happen. You gotta get the young guys some innings. He pitched 3 2/3 giving up 6 hits and 2 runs. Meh. Then on came Kim Hee Geol who I DID remember being unispired by in spring training. He pitched 3 1/3 giving up 6 hits and 2 runs. Jung Yong Oon was good in relief. I think this guy is a solid pitcher and I'd like to see more of HIM. Anyway it didn't matter much who pitched. The Tigers only banged out, (or should I say "tapped" out), 5 hits. It's hard to win like that. Final score: SK 5 Kia 2.

April 9th- Yoon Suk Min, who I thought would finish the sweep of SK, started this day against the Lions. He had a bad 5th inning but otherwise he was dominant. 6 1/3 8 hits, 4 runs and 9 K's. When he left he had a 5-4 lead. I was praying for ANYone but Son Young Min to relieve him. He has a habit of blowing Yoon's leads. But on he came and sure enough, one batter, one homer, game tied 5-5. Gwag Jung Cheol and Yoo Dong Hoon held the tie for a while but for 7 straight innings Samsung kept Kia off the board. Even in the 12th inning when the Tigers loaded the bases with nobody out. They HAVE to score a run. In fact they loaded the bases with 3 straight hits! How can you NOT score a run with 3 straight hits? In this game I saw 3 runners held at third that should have been waved home and all three died on third without scoring. Kim Sang Hyun and An Chi Hong both struck out with the bags juiced and then the umpire got into the spirit of the drama and called Lee Jong Beom out on a third strike that was a foot outside. Since it was the 12th inning the Tigers could only get a tie at best, which counts as a loss really. But the Lions weren't finished. They scored the winning run on a botched double play that would have ended the game. Yoon didn't take the loss but the Tigers should have won this one. Final score: Samsung Lions 6 Kia Tigers 5 in 12 innings.

April 10th- Jeon Tae Hyun had a rocky start to this one giving up 3 runs on 2 homers in the 1st inning but I was impressed with the youngster's moxie holding a good hitting Lions club off the board for the next 5 innings. He gave up 8 hits and 2 walks but did okay. And Kim Hee Geol was decent in relief but the three runs were all the Lions needed as the Tigers managed only 5 hits and 1 run. Final score: Samsung 3 Kia 1.

April 11th- Lions going for the sweep. Yang Hyun Jong was okay going 5 1/3 giving up 5 hits, 5 walks 7 K's and 2 runs and Gwag Jung Cheol was great finishing the game with 3 2/3 innings, 2 hits, no runs and 6 strikeouts. Lee Jong Hwan got a couple of hits but the hero yet again was Kim Sang HOON, (not Hyun), getting 2 more RBI's for the club. If he wasn't forced to sac bunt so often he'd probably be up there with the league leaders in RBI's. He's been Mr. Clutch this year so far. Final score: Kia 3, Samsung 2.

April 13th- I'll bring us right up to date. I went to the game yesterday. It was FREEZING cold but the Tigers were up against the first place Bears. Seo Jae Eung took the mound and was at his best. He went 6 innings and only gave up 3 hits. Unfortunately two of them were homers so Doosan got 3 runs off Seo. But he struck out 5 and only walked 2. Inexplicably after only 91 pitches and again 3 hits, (vs the best hitting team in the league!), he was yanked in favour of Son Young Min. Son faced 4 batters, gave up a walk and three hits, one of which was a homerun and just like that Seo's 5-3 lead evaporated. Kim Hee Geol was no better. He gave up 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk. So between them they pitched one inning and gave up 7 hits 2 walks and 6 runs. There's the Kia bullpen I know and love! Half the fans went home but I hung around to cheer on the club now down 9-5 in the 8th inning. And they started hitting! They made it all the way back to 9-8 in the 8th inning and Na Ji Weon hit a liner to right field that looked like it could tie the game but it was caught. That turned out to be the final score. Kim Weon Seop got 2 hits and Kim Sang Hyun did too but I thought the hero was YET again Kim Sang Hyun who had a hit and 2 more RBI's. I wasn't disappointed in this loss at all! Doosan 9 Kia 8.

It wasn't a good week for the Tigers but yesterday I saw some VERY encouraging things! I think it was in the 2nd inning Kia got guys on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. This is usually an automatic bunt for Jo Beom Hyun, the Kia coach. But he didn't call the bunt even though his favourtie bunter, Kim Sang Hoon, was up. And the result? Kim Sang Hoon got a base hit up the middle and ANOTHER RBI and there were STILL runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. But the score was 3-1 now instead of 3-0. So what does Jo do? He tells Lee Hyun Gon to bunt!!! WTF? I was yelling and screaming from the seats to let him hit but they just wouldn't listen to me. He ended up missing his 2 bunt attempts and hitting into a double play and the next guy got out stranding a runner at 3rd.

BUT, later in the game there were guys on 1st and 2nd I think. And HALLELUIAH!!! the HIT-AND-RUN! I think it was Kim Sang Hoon again. He hit what would have been a double play ball but with the runners going Kia got the man to 3rd and the man to 2nd. The only out was Kim Sang Hoon at 1st. THAT'S small ball! That's what they have to start doing ALL the time! I sure hope I see more of that! They almost beat the first place team because of it.

So tonight it's Lee Dong Hyun in the Black Day game vs. the Bears. I hope he does better than his last outing. Win one for me on my birthday boys!

Into April

The Tigers finished off March with a win. March 31 they played the Samsung Lions in Gwangju. It had rained all day and it was probably even colder than the day before when I had sat in the stands with Min Ha and his co-workers on opening day teeth all a-chattering. There's no definitive way of knowing if the game will be played or not except going to the stadium. And then who knows if it'll rain the second you get there? So I stayed home and surprisingly they played the game. It was the only game that wasn't a rain-out on the day. I watched on naver.com as the 1, 2, and 3 hitters for Kia picked Samsung apart. Lee Yong Gyoo, Kim Weon Seop and Na Je Weon went 6/9 with a HR, 3 RBI's and 4 runs. The pitcher was Seo Jae Eung and he did a good job. He went 5 innings giving up 7 hits and a run while striking out 7 batters and only walking one. Final: Kia 4 Samsung 2. First win of the season goes to reliever Son Young Min.

The April 1st game was rained out. So we settled for a split with Samsung. Then on Friday April 2nd I went to the stadium to watch my favourite player Yoon Seok Min get his first start. I heard from Kim Joo Il, the Tiger M.C. that Yoon had been sick. He looked fine and dandy on this day pitching 6 innings and spreading out 6 hits and a walk. He gave up one run but struck out 4 guys. But as usual the Tigers bats were quiet for Yoon and when he came out Son Young Min came in. This usually spells disaster and Son went right to work giving up a run. But luckily he wasn't bad enough to cost Yoon the win. The Tigers only got 4 hits on the day but Kim Sang Hoon got two of them and batted in 2 runs. Final score Kia 3 Lotte 2. WHEW!

April 2 - I went to Saturday's game as well. It was a sunny day. I didn't get there early enough so I sat on the 3rd base side of the stadium. That's the sunny side so I ended up getting a sunburn even though I'd brought my sunscreen. Lopez was the starter today and he had a good outing. In 7 innings he gave up only 4 hits, a walk and 2 runs. Struck out 5. Kim Sang Hyun was 3/4 with a homer; An Chi Hong was 3/4 with an RBI; Kim Weon Seop was 2/4 with a two-run homer. Final score: Kia 4 Lotte 2.

April 3 - I checked a couple websites for the time of Sunday's game. They both said 2 PM so I walked to the game and ended up getting there a bit before 12:30. Then I found out the game wasn't until 5 PM. I should have done something else but instead I just stayed around the ball park playing catch with some kids and wandering around. It was another sunny day. The wait was too long. After about 3 hours of walking around or standing in line I got into the stadium and claimed my favourite seat just above the main entrance on the rail. Some chicks who had also come early brought their own tape and taped off about 15 seats around me. If I hadn't been there so early they would have reserved MY seat too. I can't believe the nerve of people here. What's the limit? Could I reserve an entire section? Anyway, my friends Guns and Joey watched with me. Jeon Tae Hyun is still in the second spot in the rotation. I don't know why. He didn't do badly today though giving up 6 hits and one run in 4 1/3 innings. He also struck out 6. But is he really good enough to be the #2 starter on Kia? I guess time will tell. An Chi Hong had three hits on the day and scored both runs for the Tigers. Kim Weon Seop and Lee Yong Gyoo each had 2 hits. But in the 12th inning when Lotte pulled off the 3-2 win I had been at the ball park for over 9 straight hours. I think I got too much sun on the day too. I was dehydrated, sunburnt and saddened by the loss when I made my way home.

However, before the game Kim Joo Il brought about 9 people out onto the field for a pitching contest. There was a metal board with hole cut into it and a tiger painted on it. The square hole was not very big. I don't think it was a big as a standard strike zone. But if you threw the ball through the hole you could win a prize. I was up ninth and after telling everybody in Gwangju my age and where I worked, then asking Yoon Suk Min to get 20 wins this year I had two chances to get a ball through the hole. Or so I thought. I threw the first one high and wide right. Didn't even hit the metal. Then the second one hit the left side of the square. If the square was a strike zone it would have been a strike. But it didn't go into the hole. Joo Il gave me another ball. So I wound up and hit the top of the square. Again it would have been a strike but it didn't go through the hole. Finally Joo Il moved me really close, (age advantage he said), and I was able to toss it through. The prize was two tickets to Everland. Woohoo! So I'd say it was worth the long long wait.

Pre-season, A whole different ballgame!

For those of you who, like me, didn't even know there were games going on until the pre-season of the KBO was well underway, I'll give you a bit of a rundown on how the Tigers did. But remember not to put too much stock in the numbers because like the title of this entry says, it's really not the same.

Mar 6- YES they were playing back then. In Gwangju! Who knew? And to show the things that happen in spring training Samsung got a one-hitter. I say "Samsung" because the starting pitcher was pulled after 5 innings of no-hit ball. (no walks either that means perfect!) Three others and him combined for the win. Kia managed to manufacture one run on one hit. Final 4-1 for the Lions.

Mar 7- This was a Kia win. Yang Hyun Jong pitched 5 innings and got 7K's. Lee Jong Beom got a home run! Final 5-2 over the Lions.

Mar 9- The first appearance of Jeon Tae Hyun. He did well. 4I.P., 2H, 2BB, 5K's. Choi Hee Seop was 2/2. Cha Il Mok had 2 RBI's and 2BB's. Final 9-3 Kia over the Hanhwa Eagles.

Mar 11- Kia played the Nex Sen Heroes. Glad they got a sponsor! Seo Jae Eung pitched 3 innings and gave up 3 hits and a run. Then Lee Dae Jin pitched 3 innings and gave up 5 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs. Lee Jong Beom was 2/3 with 2 RBI's and Lee Hyun Gon went 2/3. Final score: 4-2 for the Heroes.

Mar 12- Kia beat the Heroes by the same score. Rodriguez gave up 3 hits, no runs and struck out 5. No walks either in his 5 innings. Lee Jong Beom got his second homer of pre-season going 2/3 with 2 RBI's. Kim Sang Hyun was 1/3 with a homer and 2 RBI. Final: 4-2 Tigers.

Mar 13- High scoring affair with the Giants. Lopez went 6 innings giving up a respectable 6 hits but a not-so-respectable 5 runs. He did strike out 5 though. Yoon Suk Min was perfect IN RELIEF! I sure hope Jo Bum Hyun doesn't make this a habit again. Lee Yong Gyoo was 3/3, An Chi Hong was 3/3 with 2 RBI and Kim Sang Hyun was 2/4 with 2 RBI. Lee Hyun Gon had a good day too with 2 hits and 2 runs. Final score: 8-6 for the Lotte Giants.

Mar 14- Good news for Tigers fans! Yang Hyun Jong pitched 7 innings and struck out 6. He gave up only 4 hits and one run. Chae Jong Beom was 1/1 with an RBI and Kim Sang Hyun went 1/4 and got the other RBI. Final score was 2-1.

Mar 16- I went to this game. It was pure luck that I got to see my favourite pitcher Yoon Suk Min. He hurled 5 innings of magic giving up only 4 hits and a walk but fanning 6. And he must have had two strikes on another 6. He looked fine and dandy! But it came to me as no surprise that the Tigers only managed 4 hits on the day. Most of them were NOT for Yoon. I don't know why but he just can't buy run support. Releif pitching was no relief and the Tigers lost. Final score 4-2 for the SK Wyverns.

Mar 17- I went to this game too. What a roller coaster! Kia was up 8-0 but still managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. But for two reasons I didn't feel too badly. First of all it was the young Jeon Tae Hyun pitching. He went 5 innings and gave up 5 hits. Not bad. But add 2 walks and a hit batter and a lot of bad luck and it turned into 4 runs. Then Lee Dong Hyun gave up 3 hits and 3 runs. MAN this SK team gets good return on their hitting dollar! Or "weon" I guess. BUT we were still winning 8-7! Then in comes Son Young Min. He was really bad last year but near the end of the year he pulled up his socks and in spring training he was looking good. Until this game. 4 hits and 3 runs in one inning of work. The second reason I didn't feel bad about this game was that Kim Sang Hyun and Choi Hee Seop looked like Mark McGuire and Jose Canseco. The Kia bash brothers combined for 3 HR's, 6 RBI, 5 runs and even 2 walks. Hope to see more of that this year! Final score: an unbelievable 10-9 loss to the SK Wyverns.

Mar 18- Seo Jae Eung was okay again. Not sterling but good enough for a win. He pitched 5 innings gave up 5 hits, 4 walks and 3 runs. Struck out 4 though. Really bad relief pitching in the last two innings almost lost it for the Tigers but they squeaked out a win. Lee Jong Hwan, #67, a kid to watch, banged out 4 hits including a homer and got 2 RBI. Another youngster, Baek Yong Hwan, got a 3-run homer. Final score: 7-6 Kia over the Bears.

Mar 19- I wasn't impressed with Kim Hee Geol in the preseason. He's young so I'm not ready to give up on him but in this outing he lasted only 3 innings. He gave up 6 hits, 6 runs, 2 walks and he hit 3, count 'em, 3 Bears. Kia hit well. Baek Yong Hwan got his second homer in as many days, a two-run shot this time. Both Kim Sang Hyun and Kim Sun Bin went 3/3. If not for, (again), some bad relief pitching they woulda won. Final: 8-7 loss to Da Bears.

Mar 21- The last day of spring training. Kia sent two big guns to the mound. Lopez and Yang Hyun Jong. Lopez pitched 4 innings gave up 3 hits, no runs and struck out 3. Yang pitched 3 innings, gave up 3 hits, 3 walks and 2 runs. But they got good relief pitching and good run support. Lee Yong Gyu went 3/5, Kim Sang Hyun, Lee Hyun Gon and the ageless Lee Jong Beom all got homers. Lee Jong Beom's was a 3-run shot for his 3rd in spring training! He only hit 6 all year last year! Maybe he's been pumping iron in the off season. Final: 7-2 Kia over the LG Twins.

Some of these stats, maybe MOST of them, should be taken with a grain of salt but I think I saw some good things in pre-season.