KBO Roundup: Pitching, offense and Dixon Machado strikes again

The first four days of the Korean Baseball Organization’s schedule is in the books and so far this brand of baseball has been a fun one. After an opening day that saw two former Tigers shine, there is still plenty left to interest even the most casual Detroit fan as the league continues to roll along despite the novel coronavirus shutdown in most parts of the world.

These past couple of days have seen both brilliant pitching performances and impressive offensive outbursts, with plenty of action in every game. Today’s KBO roundup features at least one familiar name — who also made the cut last Wednesday — as well as others that will eventually become more recognizable as the season unfolds.

May 7: Dinos crush Lions, Eagles shred Wyverns

NC Dinos 8, Samsung Lions 2

The Dinos charged past the Lions on Thursday behind a sparkling effort by starting pitcher Koo Chang-mo. The 23-year-old lefty struck out eight while allowing two hits, two walks and no runs in six inning pitched. He struck out the first two batters of the game as well as the last two he faced in the sixth inning en route to the win. Second baseman Park Min-woo led off the order and also led the team with a 3-4 effort including a double with two runs scored and two RBIs.

Hanwha Eagles 8, SK Wyverns 4

The Eagles’ starter Jang Shi-hwan also put up a notable performance on the mound, though more for his elusiveness than command over the game. The veteran righty dodged in and out of trouble the entire outing, allowing 9 hits and only one walk but also hitting two batters; his six strikeouts was a big reason he only allowed two earned runs. The offensive player of the game comes from the Wyverns, with right fielder Han Dong-min going 4-4 with a double and an RBI in the losing effort.

Other results:

Lotte Giants 7, KT Wiz 3

W: Oh Hyun-taek; L: Kim Min-soo

Doosan Bears 9, LG Twins 3

W: Chris Flexen; L: Jung Chan-heon

Kiwoom Heroes 5, Kia Tigers 8

W: Byun Si-won; L: Lee Young-joon

May 8: Giants slug Wyverns, Lions tame Tigers

SK Wyverns 8, Lotte Giants 9

This extra-inning affair played out like a heavy weight boxing match as each team punched and jabbed its way through the first nine innings, with the game culminating in the bottom of the tenth on a run-scoring wild pitch. Both of the starters got hit pretty hard, though SK’s Moon Seung-won managed to strike out seven in 5²⁄₃ innings despite giving up four earned runs. Former Detroit Tiger Dixon Machado came up big for the Giants, crushing a game-tying solo home run in the bottom of the eighth en route to a 3-5 performance with two RBIs and one run scored.

Kia Tigers 0, Samsung Lions 5

Samsung’s Choi Chae-heung got his team off to a good start with a productive — yet shaky at times — performance in the win over Kia. The 25-year-old lefthander threw five innings, striking out five and allowing one hit but also a troublesome five walks on the day. His opponent Drew Gagnon, who pitched for the New York Mets last season, fared much worse, giving up four runs in 5¹⁄₃ innings in the losing cause. MLB veteran Tyler Saladino led the offensive effort for the Lions, going 2-4 with his first career KBO home run and two RBIs.

Other results:

Hanwha Eagles 3, Kiwoom Heroes 5

W: Oh Ju-won; L: Kim Bum-soo; SV: Jo Sang-woo

KT Wiz 12, Doosan Bears 3

W: So Hyeong-jun; L: Yu Hui-kwan

SK Wyverns 8, NC Dinos 9

W: Koo Seung-min; L: Kim Joo-han

Coming up:

Saturday, May 9

Hanwha Eagles vs. Kiwoom Heroes (4:00 a.m. ET)

Kia Tigers vs. Samsung Lions (4:00 a.m. ET)

KT Wiz vs. Doosan Bears (4:00 a.m. ET)

LG Twins vs. NC Dinos (4:00 a.m. ET)

SK Wyverns vs. Lotte Giants (4:00 a.m. ET)

You can watch all of the games live or on delay using the Twitch app. Click here a the link to the channel.