Lotte Giants defeat NC Dinos to stay alive in baseball postseason

The Lotte Giants stayed alive in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason on Friday with a 7-1 victory over the NC Dinos on the road.

Son A-seop smacked a pair of home runs, while Lee Dae-ho and Jeon Jun-woo also hit one homer apiece at Masan Stadium in Changwon, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as the Giants evened their best-of-five first round series at two games apiece.

Lotte starter Josh Lindblom struck out 11 in eight dominant innings, holding the Dinos to a run on five hits while walking none for his first postseason victory.

The deciding Game 5 will start at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Giants' home, Sajik Stadium in Busan, some 50 kilometers east of Changwon.

Son, the best Lotte hitter in the series, broke the scoreless deadlock with a solo shot in the top of the fourth off NC starter Choi Keum-kang. The Dinos tied the score in the home half of that inning on Kwon Hee-dong's RBI single, but the Giants broke the game open in the top fifth.

Andy Burns chased Choi from the game with a one-out double to the left-center gap. Burns moved to third on a groundout against new pitcher Won Jong-hyun, and No. 9 hitter Shin Bon-ki plated the go-ahead run with a swinging bunt down the third base line.

After another infield single, Son blasted a three-run jack to stake the Giants to a 5-1 lead.

Son, who hit a career-high 20 home runs in the regular season, flashed some opposite field power on Friday, as both of his homers landed in left-center seats.

The Giants piled on in the top sixth, as Lee Dae-ho, who had batted 6-for-13 in the series but without a homer or an RBI in it, jumped on Won's first pitch and sent it over the center field wall for a 6-1 lead

The Giants got another break in the seventh. They won a replay challenge after Jeon Jun-woo's two-strike swing on a pitch in the dirt, initially ruled a whiff, was called a foul tip. Given a reprieve, Jeon launched a solo home run to right field to put the Giants up 7-1.

Handed a comfortable lead, Lindblom settled in nicely. The right-hander, in his second start of the series, fanned two in the fifth and struck out the side in the sixth.

Lindblom had another three-up, three-down inning in the seventh, and he retired 12 batters in a row in one stretch.

Lindblom wasn't the original starter for Game 4, which would have been played on Thursday if not for heavy rains. The postponement afforded the right-hander an extra day of rest, and he tossed 112 pitches to save the taxed bullpen.

Son went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored to back Lindblom. Jeon also had two hits, including the seventh inning homer, and scored twice.

With a berth in the next round at stake, the Giants will send right-hander Park Se-woong to the mound in Game 5.

Park was 12-6 with a 3.68 ERA in the regular season, and 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA against the Dinos in three regular season starts.

The 21-year-old faltered badly in the second half, and was just 0-2 with an unseemly 9.42 ERA in his three September starts. Park's last appearance was Sept. 26. He would have started Game 4 if it had been played as scheduled on Thursday.

The Dinos will counter with right-hander Eric Hacker. He had a no-decision after limiting the Giants to a run in seven innings in Game 1 last Sunday. Over his last three starts, spanning 21 innings, he has an 0.86 ERA. (Yonhap)

The LBPRC will play 'playball' in January

With a short tournament of 21 games per team, the Professional Baseball League Roberto Clemente said today at a press conference that they will sing 'playball', but a bit later than usual.

The 2017-2018 season will actually be held in the new year starting Saturday, January 6 with a doubleheader at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in the capital, San Juan.

Only four of the five teams originally planned will participate in the abbreviated season, an emergency move that the agency had to use in the wake of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, including damage to the country's sports infrastructure.

Together with the defending champion, Criollos de Caguas, Santurce and Carolina will participate in the contest. The Aguadilla Sharks will not participate as a franchise but their players will merge with the Mayagüez Indians' organization and play on behalf of the western region, said LBPRC president Hector Rivera Cruz.

With the presence of representatives of some of the franchises, such as Justo Moreno, Santurce, Juan Antonio Flores Galarza for Mayagüez and Raúl Rodríguez for Caguas, the league also announced that only daytime games will be held due to the lack of electricity and for the structural damage suffered by some stadiums. That could change if the stadiums are energized within three months and the damage can be corrected.

In addition, games will only be played on weekends. The games on Thursdays and Fridays will begin at 1:30 in the afternoon, while Saturday and Sunday there will be double headers starting at 1:00 pm. In the case of double headers, games will be played to seven innings.

The team that arrives in first place during the regular phase, will go directly to the final series to dispute the championship. The fourth will be eliminated, while the second and third will play a sudden death duel to define the other finalist.

Then the final series will be played in a 3-5 format. According to Rivera Cruz, everything was planned for the tournament to conclude on January 31, in time to travel on January 1 to Guadalajara, Mexico, host of the 2018 Caribbean Series since February 2, 2018.

Although not yet defined, it is expected that the games may be televised by Channel 40 of the Ana G. Méndez Foundation, as an agreement that had been reached under the original date of the tournament, initially scheduled for November 15.

The LBPRC called on the Puerto Rican Major League players to support the project and participate in at least some of the games as a gift to the people of Puerto Rico.

The directors of the league praised the sports spirit that the citizens have an opportunity to have an alternative of recreation to the crisis that they face after the hurricane.

Arizona Fall League
Sean Brady (SP): 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 1 BB, 5 K. After impressing in his late-season return from Tommy John surgery, Brady continued his success in his first Fall League start of the offseason pitching three dominant innings while giving up only a hit and a walk and striking out five. In 10 combined starts between rookie league, Lake County and Lynchburg, the left-hander went 4-1 with a 2.89 ERA.

Francisco Mejia (DH): 2-4. After his brief stint in the majors, Mejia has gotten right back to his hitting ways in Fall League batting .333 over his first three games, including his first multi-hit performance of the offseason on Saturday. So far, the Dominican native has yet to see time at third base as planned as all three of his games so far have been played at DH.

Argenis Angulo (RP): 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R/ER, 3 BB, 0 K. Angulo's second appearance in Fall League didn't go as smoothly as his first as the right-hander gave up two runs on two hits while walking three. Despite his struggles, Angulo still recorded a hold. During the regular season in Lynchburg, the Venezuelan native saved 15 games while going 5-2 with a 2.29 ERA over 41 appearances.

Venezuelan League
Luis Lugo (SP, Cardenales de Lara): 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 2 WP. Command was an issue for Lugo on Friday as he walked two and threw two wild pitches in just two innings of work. Over 26 outings in Akron, the southpaw went 8-7 with a 4.35 ERA while walking 55 and striking out 93 in 134.1 innings.

Dominican League
Ronny Rodriguez (2B, Aguilas Cibaenas): 0-3, 1 K. Rodriguez cooled off in his second game in the Dominican after going 4-for-6 in his winter ball debut. On Saturday, the Tribe infield prospect went 0-for-3 with a strikeout as he is coming off an impressive Triple-A campaign where he batted .291 with 17 homers and 64 RBI's in 117 games for the Clippers.

Willi Castro (SS, Leones del Escogido): 1-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K. Castro showed an impressive display of getting on base in his winter ball debut on Saturday going 1-for-3 with two walks, a strikeout and a run scored. The Dominican shortstop is coming off a career year posting a .290/.337/.424 slash line with 11 homers and 58 RBI's in 123 games for the Hillcats.

[Leading prospects Vladimir Guerrero junior, Franchy Cordero and Wili Castro made their league debut for the Lions. Guerrero contributed a double with two RBIs, Cordero connected two singles, while Castro a base hit, run, and two walks.]

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese baseball player Shohei Otani will have right ankle surgery on Thursday.

The reigning Pacific League MVP, in his fifth season with the Nippon Ham Fighters, is prized as both a pitcher and hitter. He is likely to leave Japan and sign with a Major League Baseball team through the posting system in the off-season.

The 23-year-old Otani initially injured his ankle while running the bases during the Japan Series last October, and ended up having to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic in March.

Otani says "I want to be in perfect condition for the new season."

Otani played in only 65 games this season, batting .332 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs. As a pitcher, he was 3-2 with a 3.20 ERA and 29 strikeouts.

i'll post the BA featured lines in the minor league folder.

Eagles edge Hawks for 2nd win of series

Two games into the final stage of the Climax Series, the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles are hardly looking like the same team that finished 15½ games behind the Pacific League-champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the regular season.

Light-hitting Motohiro Shima delivered a tiebreaking double in the seventh inning and the Eagles held on to edge the Hawks 2-1 on Thursday night, giving them a 2-1 lead in the series at Fukuoka Yafuoku! Dome that the hosts began with a one-win head start.

Eagles starter Wataru Karashima allowed four hits and one run over 5⅓ innings and four relievers held the Hawks to two hits the rest of the way. Sung Chia-hao picked up the win, while Yuki Matsui earned the save.

The Eagles took the lead against Hawks starter Kodai Senga in the first inning on an error, and the Hawks’ Seiichi Uchikawa tied it in the fourth by homering for the second straight game.

In the seventh, Shima came up with one out, a runner on second and less than high hopes. He had batted .199 in the regular season from the No. 8 or 9 spots in the batting order, and had been hitless in 10 plate appearances in the Climax Series.

But he laced a low fastball from Senga into the left-center field gap to give the Eagles the lead. “I’m glad I got in a hit at a good time,” Shima said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile in the Central League series, Toshiro Miyazaki went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Yokohama DeNA BayStars to a 6-2 win over the host Hiroshima Carp, cutting the CL champions’ lead to 2-1.

Rakuten rides power surge past SoftBank

The Climax Series final stage openers got under way on Wednesday night with the Central League champion Hiroshima Carp defeating the Yokohama DeNA BayStars 3-0 in a game called after five innings because of rain.

The Carp, who began the CLCS with a one-win advantage, took a 2-0 series lead.

In the Pacific League, the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles powered their way to a 3-2 win over the PL-winning Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to even that series at 1-1.

Rakuten prevailed in a close game on Wednesday thanks to three solo homers. Following a solo shot from leadoff man Eigoro Mogi, Japhet Amador went deep in the second inning. and Zelous Wheeler hit one out in the fourth to give the team a boost.

“I only thought about swinging really hard,” Mogi said about his blast, which set the tone.

He took the third pitch, a high fastball, into the stands in left-center field.

Meanwhile, Hiroshima scored three runs all in the bottom of the fifth inning, right before the game was called, Kosuke Tanaka plated two with a single and Ryosuke Kikuchi had a clutch hit for the other run. It was the first time a game has been called because of rain in both the CL and PL since the Climax Series began in 2007.

Tanaka came up with the bases loaded and two outs after his team finally created a chance to score.

He was patient and stayed in the batter’s box by fouling outside pitches, hitting the sixth offering into center.

The Carp, who began the CLCS with a one-win advantage, took a 2-0 series lead.

As a reward for winning the division, that team gets an automatic win in Game 1.

Doosan Bears win slugfest to even baseball postseason series

The Doosan Bears beat up on the NC Dinos 17-7 to even their Korea Baseball Organization postseason series at one game apiece on Wednesday, prevailing in a slugfest for the ages.

Doosan's designated hitter Choi Joo-hwan pounded a go-ahead grand slam in the eight-run sixth inning at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, and cleanup Kim Jae-hwan crushed a pair of three-run jacks in the wild affair.

The Bears exacted revenge after getting beat up 13-5 on Tuesday. Game 3 is 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Dinos' home, Masan Stadium in Changwon, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

It was a battle of home runs on the cool, rainy night in the nation's capital, with the two clubs launching four homers apiece to set a record for most homers in a postseason game.

The previous mark was seven, set in 1999 and matched in 2007.

he Bears also came up one run shy of matching their own record for most runs by a team in a postseason game.

For the second straight night, the Bears scored the first run of the game, as Park Kun-woo blasted a solo home run off NC starter Lee Jae-hak in the bottom of the first.

The ball went off the batter's eye and hit a spot just above the yellow line -- painted to help umpires distinguish home run balls -- before coming back into the field. Park reached third for what at first appeared to be a triple, but the Bears asked for a review and won the challenge to get the home run call.

And for the second straight night, the Dinos responded right away.

Second baseman Ji Seok-hun, he of six regular season home runs in 121 games, hit a towering solo shot off Doosan starter Chang Won-jun over the left field fence to tie the game at 1-1.

After Son Si-hyun reached on an error by third baseman Hur Kyoung-min, No. 8 hitter Kim Seong-uk, who also had just six homers in the regular season, made the Bears pay with a two-run shot to left, putting the Dinos up 3-1.

Kim was then lifted for Kim Jun-wan in center field to begin the top third. His left spike cut into his right foot when he tried to make a play on Park's home run in the first inning.

The Dinos added to their lead on Xavier Scruggs' RBI double to right-center gap in the top third.

But the Bears, who ranked second in the regular season with 849 runs scored and 178 home runs, simply had too much firepower to just bow out.

In the bottom third, they eked out two singles with two outs, and cleanup Kim Jae-hwan crushed a three-run shot to knot the score up at 4-4.

But in the top fifth, the Dinos went ahead again with -- what else -- a home run. Following a leadoff single, Na Sung-bum drove the first pitch slider from Chang way over the center field wall and gave the Dinos a 6-4 lead.

And it was once again home runs that altered the course of the game in a hurry.

The Bears loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom sixth, with three consecutive walks -- the first two by Koo Chang-mo and third by Jeff Manship. Then Choi Joo-hwan took Manship's 1-0 fastball over the left field fence for the grand slam that staked the Bears to an 8-6 lead.

The Bears never looked back.

Manship retired the next batter but was chased after a single by Hury Kyoung-min. New NC pitcher, Won Jong-hyun, hit a batter to put two men on board.

Won struck out Ryu Ji-hyuk but Park Kun-woo delivered an RBI single for a 9-6 cushion.

That set the stage for Kim Jae-hwan, who took Won over the right field for another majestic three-run blast.

Down 12-6, the Dinos got a run back on Scruggs' solo home run in the top seventh, but Hur Kyoung-min's double in the bottom seventh restored a six-run lead for the Bears.

There were some tense moments in the seventh, as NC pitcher Choi Keum-kang hit two straight batters, the latter with the bases loaded as the Bears made it 14-7. These pitches came after Oh Jae-won's two steals with a five-run lead.

Kim Jae-hwan then picked up his seventh RBI of the night with a sacrifice fly later that inning.

If there were any remaining doubts of an NC comeback, Jo Soo-haeng put that to rest with a two-run double in the bottom eighth that made it 17-7 Bears.

Doosan manager Kim Tae-hyung said after both starters struggled early, it came down to the offense.

"We were able to win this one because our bats got hot," Kim said. "We just had to go power against power, and we managed to get out on top."

Kim Jae-hwan, who led the team with 35 home runs and 115 RBIs in the regular season, led the onslaught with two homers and seven RBIs.

Park Kun-woo had three hits while driving in three and scoring three runs.

Chang Won-jun, usually a big-game pitcher, instead suffered through a dismal outing, though his offense bailed him out. Chang allowed six runs -- one unearned -- on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. He only struck out one batter.

Prior to Wednesday, Chang carried a 6-1 record and a 3.61 ERA in 11 postseason appearances. He had also given up just four home runs in 57 1/3 career postseason innings before getting touched for three long balls.

The postseason woes for Lee Jae-hak continued on Wednesday. The 2013 Rookie of the Year was making his first postseason start in three years, but lasted just three innings, in which he allowed four runs on five hits, including two home runs.

He now has a career postseason ERA of 14.85, with 11 earned runs in 6 2/3 innings.

But Lee was the least of the Dinos' problems, as their bullpen was absolutely destroyed.

Right-hander Lee Min-ho held the Bears scoreless for two innings after Lee Jae-hak's departure. But they needed five pitchers just to survive the eight-run sixth inning.

Both teams will send American starters to the mound in Game 3.

Doosan will have right-hander Michael Bowden. He's coming off an injury-plagued regular season in which he only made 17 starts, going 3-5 with a 4.64 ERA. He faced the Dinos once in the regular season, and held them to two earned runs in six innings.

NC will match up with Eric Hacker, a fifth-year KBO veteran. He was the MVP of the first round series against the Lotte Giants, after limiting the opposition to a run in 13 1/3 innings. He went 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA against the Bears in the regular season. (Yonhap)

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE (LVBP)

D.J. Brown (Tigres de Aragua, RP) - 1 IP, perfect - Brown's perfect eighth inning was the highlight of an otherwise nondescript night for Indians minor leaguers in fall/winter leagues. Brown has not allowed a run this offseason, allowing only two hits in 5.1 innings in four outings with one strikeout and no walks.

Is that really the logo for the Tigres?

I like this one better!

The logos are league ones, not those of the teams.

Venezuelan League (LVBP):

Luis Lugo (RP, Cardenales de Lara) 2.1 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER. Lugo was able to take the sting out of the opponent’s bats, and recorded all seven of his outs from groundballs. He looked much sharper than his first outing where he walked a pair and gave up an earned run over two innings. He has allowed one earned run over 4.1 innings in his two appearances this fall.

Yonathan Mendoza (PR-3B, Cardenales de Lara) BB. Mendoza entered the game as a pinch runner in the 6th inning, and would draw a walk in his lone plate appearance. He has appeared in five games so far, and his hitless in seven at-bats.

Dominican League (LIDOM):

Ronny Rodriguez (2B, Aguilas Cibaenas) 1-4. Rodriguez got the nod in the leadoff spot Friday, and responded with a relatively quiet night. After his big four hit season debut, he has gone just 2-15 in his last four games to follow-up the breakout performance.

Willi Castro (SS, Leones del Escogido) 3-3, R, HR, 2 RBI. Castro launched a solo bomb in the fifth inning to give him his first home run of the fall. He has shown some pop in the bat connecting for 11 home runs and 24 doubles last season at Lynchburg. He is now hitting .421 and has a hit in all five games.

Mayers and Castro lead Lions win over Eagles

SANTO DOMINGO.- Mike Mayers shone from the mound and Willi Castro hit a two-run homer in the 3-1 victory of Escogido against the Cibaeñas Eagles on Friday in a game played at the Estadio Quisqueya for the fall-winter ball tournament dedicated to Pepe Busto.

Mayers completed six innings, one earned run, one walk and five strikeouts, four of them in a row, to clinch his first win of the season. From his end Castro finished 3-3 and his home run was not only his first in the tournament, but also for the Lions.

After a solo home run by Zoilo Almonte in the first inning, the Lions tied the action in the fifth on Castro's home run. Francisley Bueno would complete his five innings of work on four hits and three strikeouts.

The advantage for the Reds came in the sixth when Willy Garcia drove in Pablo Reyes who had been on base on the error by the shortstop Luis Gonzalez. In that same inning Castro hit a simple driving in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from second.

After the departure of Mayers the scarlet bullpen conceded only one hit against the Cibaeños in the rest of the way. Juan Sandoval and Dayan Diaz pitched the seventh and eighth respectively, while Rob Scahill relieved in the ninth for his second save. The defeat went to Castro (0-1).

For the Lions, in addition to Mayers and Castro, receiver Wilkin Castillo stood out with three hits in three at bats in his first game as a starter. For the Eagles, Almonte was 1-3 with his second homer of the year.

The next game of the Lions (3-2) will be this Saturday against Estrellas at 4:00 pm in the Estadio Quisqueya.

Yandy Diaz Waits Permission to Play with Lions

CARACAS The major leaguer Yandy Díaz is eager to wear the uniform of the Leones del Caracas . However, the versatile Cuban player still waits for the Cleveland Indians to allow him to travel to Venezuela.

Diaz, who finished second in the fight for the batting title of the Venezuelan circuit last season, has been following the games of the Lions of Caracas on the Internet and learning about the incidences of the team in social networks.

Last season he batted .371 with 56 hits and 10 RBIs in 40 games .

"When Yandy arrives he will be the team's third baseman," said manager Mike Rojas recently.

Diaz made his debut this year in the majors, hitting for .263 in 49 games. After hitting .350 in 85 games in triple A.

Team Rubio strengthens friendship after Hurricane Maria

The communication by the group of players through the chat created during the World Baseball Classic has strengthened after the passage of the hurricane

New York - When Carlos Beltrán was offered by the owner of the Houston Astros to provide two planes to take supplies to Puerto Rico and remove cancer patients after Hurricane Maria, the slugger immediately thought of "chat."

He wanted to alert other Puerto Rican players and coaches of the Astros and other Major League teams that one of the planes was available if they wanted to transfer relatives to the United States due to the lack of commercial flights.

Beltran was referring to the chat group in the WhatsApp application that receiver Yadier Molina conceived prior to the last World Baseball Classic.

Six months after being runners-up in the Classic, the solidarity and friendly ties between Puerto Rican players have only been strengthened through that chat, a communication channel that explains the success of the team. If they visit Cleveland on a tour, Javier Báez, Carlos Correa and José Berríos will surely end up eating at the home of Francisco Lindor, the Indian shortstop.

"We are always in touch and we are always supporting each other despite what we are going to face during the season," said Beltran. "The fact that you are on another team does not mean that at the end of the day we do not take pride in seeing other Puerto Ricans succeeding. This has been a beautiful year because many have had excellent seasons, but the tragedy has also brought us closer together."

The communication between the group has strengthened everyone after the hurricane that hit the island on September 20. The devastating storm killed at least 48 people, leaving millions without electricity, potable water or telephone service. It is estimated that reconstruction could take months.

"With what is happening on the island, we are closer than ever," said Báez, Cubs second baseman. "After the Classic, communication was not lost, there are so many of us who are close, like brothers, we write and we tell ourselves the things one needs."

It was what Beltran did after the hurricane by raising $ 1.3 million and sending 300,000 pounds of supplies to Puerto Rico. But he had to get that help, and it was then that the owner of the Astros Jim Crane appeared with the two private planes.

"Unlimited generosity," said Beltran.

He was also able to remove his parents residing in Manatí, a town in the north of the island and with whom he could not be contacted until five days after the hurricane. The parents accompanied him in Houston until last weekend.

Over the past month, the Astros' designated hitter has had to focus his attention on two fronts: helping his home island and keeping track of his team looking for a World Series championship. The same was the case with other Puerto Rican players in the majors.

In the case of Correa, shortstop of the Astros, his relatives did not want to leave Puerto Rico, so he sent them electric generators for their home, as well as sending supplies to his native Santa Isabel, in the south of the island.

"Concentrating on baseball in the early days was very hard, a week without hearing from your family," Correa said. "But when I got to know about them, I've been very focused on my work."

Beltrán unfurled a Puerto Rican flag when he stepped onto the field for the players' introduction prior to the third game in New York during the AL championship series against the Yankees.

"I wanted to show support and make it known that a very difficult situation is happening in the country," Beltran said. "As a player, the first week was difficult, but you have to find a way to focus on your work, that you have a responsibility, despite the current reality in Puerto Rico and that we have relatives there."

And they can count on the chat.

Báez highlighted Molina, the "leader" of the chat, and who has spent several weeks on the island involved in relief work. His St. Louis Cardinals were out of the postseason, but he sent a messages to those who did make the playoffs, wishing them luck.

" Molina is the one who created the chat group. He joined us and is always there, "said Báez. "All Puerto Ricans have a respect for him, the veterans, especially Yadier and Beltran, who always keep us on the right track."

[ OUR PRESIDENT GIVES HIMSELF AND FEMA A 10 IN THE RECOVERY EFFORTS (SHAME! SHAME!). I GIVE THESE PUERTO RICAN PLAYERS, ALL THE CELEBRITIES, AND ALL THE VOLUNTEERS A 1000 FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN THE RECOVERY PROCESS. ]