Many baseball fans rejoiced with the return of a live contest on ESPN early Tuesday morning. For staunch supporters of the MLB, perhaps the KBO will not be for you, but sports in any form during this pandemic represents hope. In an effort to recap today’s results, the Round Up will cruise through the box scores mining the tangible bits of information. First, check out Opening Day in the KBO:

With seven of the ten starting pitchers being imports, some familiar names surfaced in the results. As for offense, playing with a reduced flight baseball the Kiwoom Heroes racked up 11 runs in a win over the Kia Tigers with the LG Twins scoring eight runs and the Lotte Giants seven while two teams suffered shutouts (SK Wyverns, Samsung Lions).

Starting Pitcher Spotlight

Off to a strong start to the season, Warwick Saupold (Hanwha Eagles) tossed a complete game shutout needing only 101 pitches. He limited the SK Wyverns to two hits with two strikeouts and issued one walk in an efficient effort KBO teams crave from their rotation. Plus:

In a no-decision, Dan Straily (Lotte Giants) logged 5.2 innings on 97 pitches giving up three hits, two earned runs and three walks with four strikeouts. Opposing him, Odrisamer Despaigne (KT Wiz) shined in his KBO debut working six innings yielding four hits, one earned run and striking out eight on 83 pitches. Despaigne may fare well in early outings versus new teams but comes with inherent risk since he can implode at any time. For DFS though, he’s a terrific target for tournaments.

Another import, Drew Rucinski (NC Dinos) garnered his first win of 2020 tossing six shutout innings, allowing three hits and four walks with six strikeouts. Rucinski could put together another solid year for the Dinos if his slider stays this nasty:

Last, but not least, Korean born Woo-chan Cha went six innings giving up three hits, one earned run, and two walks with seven strikeouts on 101 pitches for the LG Twins in their win over the defending champion Doosan Bears. Here’s a look at Cha’s curve:

Hitter Highlights

In an effort to streamline the game action, here’s each team’s players of interest by runs scored in descending order from Cinqo de Mayo:

Kiwoom Heroes (11 runs)

  • Byung-ho Park (1B) picked up where he left off last year hitting his first home run among his three hits, scored two runs and drove in two for the Heroes.
  • Jung-hoo Lee (OF) went 1-for-3 with two runs, a double, two RBI and walked twice. 
  • Ha-seong Kim (SS) launched his first home run, scored two runs and walked.

LG Twins (8 runs)

Some may remember Hyun-Soo Kim from his days with the Orioles:

  • Kim (OF) hit his first home run on Opening Day for the LG Twins, and also doubled driving in three runs. 
  • Import Roberto Ramos (1B) fared well in his debut with two hits in three at-bats along with a walk. He is an intriguing play for tournaments in DFS. 
  • Min-sung Kim (3B) went 2-for-3 with a run, double, RBI and a walk. 

Lotte Giants (7 runs)

Speaking of familiar faces in new places, Dixon Machado paid immediate dividends to the Giants in his KBO debut:

Plus, hit teammate Jun-woo Jean showcased his bat flipping capabilities which come with the territory in the KBO:

  • Jun-woo Jean (OF) drove in two runs with his first home run of the season helping pace the Giants offense to a win over the KT Wiz. 
  • Machado (SS) drove in four runs on two hits in four at-bats. 

NC Dinos (4 runs)

Needing a team to adopt during this KBO affair, it’s going to be tough to resist the Dinos mascot:

Loaded with a potent offense, the Dinos could be fun to root for.

  • Sung-bum Na (DH) homered among his two hits and walked in four plate appearances. 
  • Eui-ji Yang (C) paid off for the do not fade Yang crowd with a run and a double in four at-bats. 
  • Suk-min Park (3B) launched his first home run. 
  • Chang-min Mo (1B) recorded a 3-for-4 day with a run, double, home run and two RBI. 

Hanwha Eagles (3 runs)

  • Kwan-min Song (3B) led the way for the Eagles going 3-for-4 with two runs and a double. 
  • Ju-suk Ha (SS) went 1-for-3 with two RBI. 

KT Wiz (2 runs)

  • Baek-ho Kang (1B) hit a solo shot in three at-bats and he also walked. 

Both the Samsung Lions and the SK Wyverns suffered shutouts in their season openers.

News from the Yonhap News Agency, both Casey Kelly and Tyler Wilson of the LG Twins will not start in the opening series due to quarantine rules during the KBO’s shutdown. They project to return this weekend when the Twins face the NC Dinos on the road.

For a sneak peek at travel in the KBO, check out the Dinos team bus:

No one suggests anyone needs to track or watch the KBO, but it’s fun featuring bat flips and for the baseball purists, it provides a glimpse of better days to come for the MLB.

Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm and ahead of the competition.

Statistical Credits:
myKBOstats.com
Yonhap News Agency