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!