Tag: KBO

Former Tiger excited for new adventure in Korea

A former Clemson standout is headed to Korea. Former Tiger and former Minnesota Twins lefthanded pitcher Charlie Barnes signed with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization on Thursday. Barnes, who pitched at Clemson from 2015-17 and was …

A former Clemson standout is headed to Korea.

Former Tiger and former Minnesota Twins lefthanded pitcher Charlie Barnes signed with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization on Thursday.

Barnes, who pitched at Clemson from 2015-17 and was a third-team All-ACC selection in 2017, was drafted by the Twins in the fourth round (No. 106 overall pick) of the 2017 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Barnes made his Major League Debut during the 2021 season on July 17, when he pitched 4.2 innings against the Detroit Tigers and yielded just one run on four hits with one strikeout and one walk.

The 26-year-old native of Sumter, S.C., pitched in nine games overall for the Twins in 2021 (eight starts), recording a 5.92 ERA and 1.63 WHIP with 20 strikeouts, 16 walks and 46 hits allowed across 38 innings pitched.

In four minor league seasons in the Twins organization, Barnes had a 3.71 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with 316 strikeouts and 141 walks in 373.2 innings pitched.

At Clemson, Barnes had a 12-11 record and 3.85 ERA over 44 appearances (34 starts) and three seasons from 2015-17, during which he allowed 221 hits (.259 opponents’ batting average) and racked up 220 strikeouts against just 54 walks in 220.0 innings pitched.

Barnes took to Twitter on Friday to thank the Twins and express his excitement for the new opportunity in the KBO.

“I would like to thank the Minnesota Twins organization for 5 incredible years!” Barnes wrote. “… I am embracing this new opportunity with Lotte and Sydne, Campbell and I are looking forward to a new adventure with a storied franchise in Korea. Let’s go Giants!”

Christmas is right around the corner.  Once again Clemson Variety & Frame is ready to make it a special holiday for your favorite Tiger.

Order today to make sure your gift arrives in time for Christmas.

 

 

The KBO’s NC Dinos won the Korean Series and were awarded a magnificent sword

This is one of the coolest (and most dangerous) championship trophies around.

The NC Dinos defeated the Doosan Bears 4-2 in Game 6 of the Korean Series to win the organization’s first KBO championship, and the team’s owners created a very unique (and potentially dangerous) alternative trophy to celebrate the occasion.

The NC Dinos – a recent expansion franchise that only just joined the KBO in 2013 – are owned by NCSoft, a Korean video game company well known for massively multiplayer online role-playing games such as Guild Wars and Lineage. According to Kotaku, NC Soft made a replica of the Execution Sword, an extremely valuable in-game item from Lineage, to present to the team for the victory – and it looks incredible. I just hope they tucked it away safely once the champagne started flowing in the clubhouse.

 

Here’s a look at the actual Korean Series trophy.

Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images

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Gators News: July 8, 2020

Not a whole lot has changed over the past 24 hours as the summer spike of coronavirus cases continues to threatened organized sports.

Welcome to another humpday edition of Gators News!

Not a whole lot has changed over the past 24 hours as the summer spike of coronavirus cases continues to threatened organized sports at all levels here in North America.

Meanwhile, the show goes on in Korea and Japan, where live baseball is being played on a daily basis despite the COVID-19 outbreak, which has been kept mostly in check in the eastern Asian nations thanks to citizen compliance in using face masks and practicing social distancing.

Here is the news from the Gator Nation.

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

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Why won’t ESPN’s KBO broadcast talk about KBO?

The KBO coverage on ESPN serves as more of a sad reminder MLB is gone than an appreciation of KBO.

This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.

This morning I woke up early and caught a Korea Baseball Organization game between the KT Wiz and the Kiwoom Heroes. Well, I watched the game — but I actually heard very little about it.

For the first two and a half innings, the ESPN presenters spent I’d estimate 90% of the time NOT talking about the game I was watching.

They were talking about Major League Baseball.

That was pretty much it. They brought on Buster Olney and talked about the current union negotiations with team owners regarding a return to the league in the time of coronavirus. They talked about former players and what they were up to.

One of the few times they spoke for more than a few seconds about a player on the Kiwoom Heroes, it was merely to evaluate him as a prospect who could perhaps make it … in Major League Baseball.

In the bottom of the third, with Kiwoom scoring a few runs, they started calling the game a bit. But after I had watched two and a half innings, and I could not tell you a single thing about either team or any players on the team, except for the fact that one might one day make it as a decent MLB player and “looked like Travis Hafner.”

This isn’t unique among these two and a half innings, by the way. It’s been a common refrain from fans that they’ve had to mute KBO games because they were tired of listening to the announcers refuse to even acknowledge what was happening on the field.

I don’t even blame the announcers here. It’s tough to speak with authority on topics you don’t know much about, and these guys clearly are much more comfortable with MLB, so that’s what they’re going to discuss.

But why not bring in an expert or two, or have a different color commentary option, who can actually illuminate things about the league?

For starters, this will make for a better viewing experience: You know, actually letting people understand what it is they’re watching, as opposed to having them essentially listen to an MLB podcast while a separate, different baseball game just happens to be playing in the background. This will make it more fun to watch.

But it also makes more business sense. ESPN paid for the rights to the KBO, but by refusing to bring in experts to announce the game, they aren’t letting fans connect with any of the players, teams, narratives, or storylines.

Fans need that. Sports don’t just work in a vacuum. If you don’t know who anyone is, if you don’t understand context, if you don’t buy into narratives, it’s just people smacking a ball around.

ESPN is, in effect, cheating itself out of a fanbase that could perhaps buy into this league in a big way. I understand the network has MLB analysts just sitting around and wants to put them to work, but a KBO broadcast right now doesn’t feel like a special appreciation of KBO … it feels like a disappointing reminder that MLB isn’t back yet.

Friday’s Big Winner: Bill Belichick

(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Belichick exploited a rule loophole last year, had that same loophole used against him in the playoffs, and now the league has a fancy new rule correcting that loophole that will forever be known as the Belichick Rule. I want a rule named after me. That seems like fun.

Quick hits: NASCAR and ripped James Conner

– NASCAR is BACK and things are happening, including Kyle Busch of all people consoling Chase Elliott after “heartbreak.”

– You can hear Elliott’s reaction after that heartbreak at the Coca-Cola 600.

– And then would you look at that, Elliott went and won on Thursday night.

– James Conner remains ripped.

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La KBO utilizó a un niño en una burbuja gigante para un primer pitch con sana distancia

La Korean Baseball Organization arrancó oficialmente su temporada 2020 el martes. Y aunque la transmisión es a media noche para todos los que estamos en el continente americano, los juegos le están dando a los fans ávidos de deporte lo que quieren, …

La Korean Baseball Organization arrancó oficialmente su temporada 2020 el martes. Y aunque la transmisión es a media noche para todos los que estamos en el continente americano, los juegos le están dando a los fans ávidos de deporte lo que quieren, algunas carreras, flips y, claro, competencia en vivo.

El primer pitch ceremonial en uno de los juegos también fue muy memorable — no solo porque no hubo fans en las gradas celebrando el inicio de la temporada, que tuvo que posponerse varias semanas debido a la pandemia por COVID-19.

Antes del juego de los KT Wiz contra los Lotte Giants el martes, un niño hizo el primer pitch desde una gran burbuja transparente. El globo gigante estaba decorado como una pelota de beisbol y su avance fue el “lanzamiento” como tal.

Fue diferente, pero definitivamente algo bastante creativo dadas las circunstancias. Así describió Reuters la escena:

Lee Raon, un fan del beisbol de nueve años de edad, se paró en el montículo. Pero en vez de lanzar la pelota, el niño, dentro de una pelota gigante, caminó hacia el catcher en lo que fue llamado un “primer pitch con distanciamiento social”.

Así es exactamente como se vio:

Este pitch ceremonial no se compara con las acrobacias, coreografías o bolas de fuego que hemos visto antes en la KBO. Pero dadas las condiciones actuales, con el mundo entero cerrado y manteniéndose a salvo mientras se intenta traer de vuelta los deportes, será bastante inolvidable.

Artículo traducido por Gabriela Enríquez

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What opening day of the KBO in South Korea tells us about the likelihood of a college football season this fall

I, as well as many others across the country, stayed up until the early hours of the morning last night to watch ESPN’s broadcast of…

I, as well as many others across the country, stayed up until the early hours of the morning last night to watch ESPN’s broadcast of the Samsung Lions against the NC Dinos, the first live sporting telecast in what seemed like years.

The two teams are part of South Korea’s Korean Baseball Organization, a 10-team league with a rich history of sending players overseas to play in the MLB.

ESPN’s broadcast of the game is the first broadcast of one of the four major sports– baseball, basketball, hockey and football–and was a welcome sight for sports fans nationwide.

There are three main takeaways from the broadcast related to how likely it is that a college football season will happen in some capacity this fall.

First, the demand for live sports is there more than it’s ever been, even if it’s played without fans.

The first pitch of the game last night was at 1:30 a.m. EDT, well past a normal time for sports to start and well past the time most of America is fast asleep.

Nevertheless, people stayed up to watch the spectator-less baseball game and for the first time in months sports Twitter was running at full force as people came together to share an experience for the first time in a long time of watching live sports.

In a study published by ESPN yesterday 76 percent of 1004 respondents said they would welcome a return of sports even if it had to occur without fans in attendance.

Last night’s broadcast supported their findings as I’m sure sports fans across America will find team allegiances and become big-time KBO fans until American sports are able to return to our lives.

So, if health experts decide that a college football season can happen only if there are no fans in attendance at first it’s clear that the news won’t stop consumers nationwide from supporting the return of football and making the spectator-less broadcast worthwhile for the teams involved and the television networks airing the games.

The second takeaway from the event is that masks in the dugouts and on the faces of umpires were required, and it didn’t take anything away from the product on the field.

Picture a scenario where Paul Chryst, Jim Leonhard, the rest of the team employees and the officials are wearing masks during the contest. Yes, it looks weird and will make for interesting television. But in all it didn’t take anything away from the product on the field and the broadcast of the game.

Football is obviously a much different sport than baseball with a lot more human contact and moving parts. But, if health experts decide that it is okay to have a college football season from a health perspective but require those not in action to wear masks on the sidelines, it won’t be something that has a drastic effect on the product on the field and the broadcast of the game.

The third takeaway from last night is the fact that the KBO is having their season occur with the players getting their temperature tested twice per day.

Yes, South Korea is way ahead of the United States in terms of virus response and health experts declaring their country ready to open their economy. But there are still four months before the college football season is supposed to begin and by that time, hopefully, we as a country will be in a similar position to where South Korea is now in terms of what our health experts allow to happen.

The KBO season starting now both gives officials around the college football world loads of time to create a plan for how they will monitor the players and coaches when the season is able to begin and also gives them a possible blueprint as to how to operate their season safely.

Many things obviously have to fall in line for the 2020 college football season to get underway in the fall. Overall, though, the start of the KBO season and its broadcast on ESPN is great news for the prospects of the football season and hopefully will become the first domino of many to fall in the restarting of the sporting world.

 

KBO team uses a boy in a bubble for a socially distanced first pitch

Different, but certainly creative under the circumstances.

The Korean Baseball Organization officially kicked off its 2020 season Tuesday, and, despite being broadcast in the middle of the night for anyone stateside, the games are already offering starved-for-sports fans what they want with home runs, wild bat flips and, you know, live competition.

The ceremonial first pitch at one of the games was awfully memorable too — and not just because there were no fans in the stands celebrating the start of the season, which was scheduled to begin March 28 but was delayed several weeks because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Before KT Wiz’s game against the Lotte Giants on Tuesday, a young boy delivered a socially distanced first pitch from inside a large, clear balloon. The balloon itself also seemed to serve as the first-pitch ball because it was decorated like a baseball, and the boy, obviously, didn’t literally throw or hand the catcher anything. (They high-fived.)

Different, but certainly creative under the circumstances. Here’s how Reuters described the scene:

Lee Raon, a nine-year-old baseball fan, stood on the mound. But instead of throwing the ball, the boy, inside a giant clear balloon, walked towards the catcher in what was called a “socially distant first pitch” for South Korean club KT Wiz on Tuesday.

And you can see for yourself what exactly that looked like…

This ceremonial first pitch doesn’t quite compare to the acrobatics, choreography or literal ball-of-fire first pitches the KBO has seen before. But — especially given the times with the world shut down and trying to stay safe while simultaneously bringing sports back — this one is still pretty unforgettable.

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Lions fans have an easy rooting interest in the Korea Baseball Organization

Lions fans have an easy rooting interest in the Korea Baseball Organization

The sports landscape is nearly barren these days. With social distancing the new normal, all American sports league schedules on an uneasy hiatus and not even youth sports to watch, folks are starved for legitimate sporting competition.

Enter the KBO.

The Korea Baseball Organization fired up its schedule this week, playing in empty ballparks in South Korea. Detroit Lions fans can quickly pick up which team they will root for in the KBO, too.

The Samsung Lions make for an easy rooting interest for desperate Detroit fans. Even the team colors are a familiar silver and blue, just like the Ford Field faithful. Based in Daegu, the team has been quite successful. These Lions won KBO league titles every year from 2011-2014.

We’ve got our first bat flip of the KBO season and it is glorious

Mo Chang-min smashed a dinger for the NC Dinos in their win over the Samsung Lions.

Professional baseball is BACK. It’s the KBO and it’s playing in the middle of the night here, but who cares? We’ve got pro sports to watch, and we’re going to celebrate that. And why not, in the meantime, celebrate some big ole dingers and bat flips?

A quick caveat just because it’s important: South Korea has successfully limited the spread of COVID-19 due to society-wide testing and strict social distancing measures, which is why they’re able to be back playing pro sports there. We … aren’t that close here in the United States.

Anyway, this highlight comes to us from the opening day of action, when the NC Dinos got their season started off right with a 4-0 win over the Samsung Lions.

The biggest highlight of the game came off back-to-back home runs from the Dinos’ Park Sok-min and Mo Chang-min. The first home run was good, the second — from Mo Chang-min — was an absolute bomb that included a spectacular bat flip.

LOOK UPON IT!

While the announcers were a bit too eager to call it, I’ll admit, it’s exciting. The swing was gorgeous, the home run a certified tater, and the bat flip demonstrative. Sports are BACK!

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What you need to know about the KBO on ESPN

The Korean Baseball Organization will broadcast six games a week on ESPN. Here’s some basics to know.

The past two months have been bleak and barren with no professional sports to keep us company. That changes early Tuesday morning as ESPN has reached a deal with the Korea Baseball Organization to broadcast one game a day from the KBO.

First reported by Jee-ho Yu of the Yonhap News Aency and later confirmed by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the first pitch of the KBO is at 1 AM ET Tuesday, May 5th and will feature the NC Dinos take on the Samsung Lions.

It’s not the MLB,  but it’s still going to be pretty cool to watch.  If you’re not familiar with the KBO, don’t worry, FTW has it covered.  Here’s everything you need to know before the first pitch.

Please fill me in on KBO basics!

The KBO was formed in 1982 with six original teams. There are now 10 teams in 8 cities across South Korea. The KBO is the country’s most popular baseball league, and each team plays 144 games in the regular season. The 10 teams play each other 16 times. Games also can not go on indefinitely. In 2009, the league passed a rule limiting regular season play to 12 innings. Playoff games are limited to 15 innings.

What are the teams?

Unlike MLB teams, KBO teams are named after the business that own them. The 10 teams are:
Doosan Bears
Hanwha Eagles
Kia Tigers
Kiwoom Heroes
KT Wiz
LG Twins
Lotte Giants
NC Dinos
Samsung Lions
SK Wyverns

If you want a more detailed breakdown of the teams, try Yahoo’s guide which also notes which teams have ex-MLB players.

How is it different from the MLB

There are significant differences, but overall the KBO features a lot more offense. According to this wonderful summary by the Baseball Brit, there’s a universal designated hitter rule, the top 5 teams qualify for a playoff spot and the top three teams get buys for the opening rounds of the playoffs. Per Yahoo Sports, at the end of 2018 the KBO league-wide batting average was .286, so get ready for some dingers. If you’re a person that cares a lot about respecting the game, well, I have some bad news for you. The KBO loves bat flips, because bat flips are dope.

I’m a stat nerd, where can I get KBO stats?

Most people seem to dig MyKBOStats but the KBO also keeps stats in English.

What teams are good?

The Doosan Bears seem to be one of the league’s best, along with the SK Wyverns and Kiwoom Heroes.

What team should I root for?

I can not stare into your heart and let you know where it truly beats, but if you like winners start with the Doosan Bears, who are the league’s defending champions. The Kia Tigers have won 11 KBO championships overall, but they look to be in a rebuilding phase, so you may want to skip them.

If you like the underdog that might win, go with the NC Dinos, who, in addition to having a baller nickname, have won ZERO championships, but are expected to be pretty good this year.

If you like some history with your teams, go with the LG Twins, who are one of the OG6 teams of the KBO.

If you’re rooting based purely on jersey design and want a little more ‘Murica in your baseball, try the Hanwha Eagles.

If you’re rooting based on mascot alone, take Mine Kimes’ advice and go with the KT Wiz. https://twitter.com/minakimes/status/1257326616348254210

Seriously, these mascots look wild.

They do indeed.
Here are the Doosan Bears robot mascots dancing.

The SK Wyverns have a mythical dragon that breaths fire.

And just look at these KT Wiz monsters, Vic and Ddory,

Truly, there’s so much to get excited about, even if it means staying up way past bedtime. KBO on ESPN kicks off Tuesday, May 5th at 1am EST.