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.