Is this the end of the road for Lee Seung-yeop? The Korean slugger of the Orix Buffaloes is in one of the worst slumps of his career in his seventh spell at the Japanese top-division baseball league. It is still early in the 2011 season, but the opening games saw the veteran hitter struggle to connect on pitches, picking up just two hits in the past seven games. On Tuesday, Lee went 0 for 3 in ...

One-run games on the rise in Korean baseball league Games decided by the smallest of margins in South Korea’s top baseball league have been on the rise in the early going of the season, a trend that experts say has been exciting for fans but distressing to managers. In the first 52 games in the Korea Baseball Organization through Sunday, 18 games, or 35 percent, have been decided by a single ru...

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Grady Sizemore never heard the crowd’s roar. Striding to the plate for his first at-bat in 11 months on a surgically repaired left knee, Sizemore’s mind raced. His thoughts drowned out a welcoming ovation from fans who couldn’t wait to see him back in Cleveland’s leadoff spot and roaming center field. As he stepped into the box, the noisy ballpark went silent. “There was a lot...

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Orlando Cabrera senses something special happening to the Cleveland Indians. In 13 major league seasons, he’s seen this before. With each quality start, clutch hit and win, the Indians’ confidence grows. Cabrera sees a young team blossoming into a quality one. “I think we have what it takes,” he said. To do what? “To win,” he said. “I don’t like to compete. I like to win.” T...

Choo Shin-soo’s fourth-inning single only hit for Cleveland ANAHEIM, California (AP) ― Dan Haren pitched a one-hitter, allowing only Choo Shin-soo’s clean single in the fourth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 2-0 Tuesday night to snap the Indians’ eight-game winning streak. Haren (3-0) struck out eight and walked two in his third major league shutout. Choo’s single to center fi...

SEATTLE (AP) ― Asdrubal Cabrera has never been considered a power hitter. His career high for a season is six home runs Barely a week into the 2011 campaign, Cabrera already has three homers and the surging Indians are the surprise leaders of the AL Central. Cabrera welcomed Erik Bedard back to Safeco Field with a solo shot and the Indians beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 on Sunday for their seven...

Korean right fielder rips season’s first home run in win CLEVELAND (AP) ― After popping out, David Ortiz lingered at home plate and stared into the distance as if in disbelief. Yep, Big Papi, it’s true. The built-to-win Red Sox still haven’t won. One of baseball’s big spenders, the Red Sox dropped their fifth straight to open the season on Wednesday night with an 8-4 loss to the Cleveland Ind...

The new baseball season began with good momentum over the weekend with completely full stadiums in its opening games. The Korea Baseball Organization drew a record 5.92 million spectators last season, and this year, marking the 30th anniversary of the league’s launch, it has set a new target of 6 million fans. The start was good. In Jamsil, where the Doosan Bears squared off with their Seoul ri...

KBO champions SK Wyverns to face strong challenge in their bid to repeat The SK Wyverns, which have won three of the past four championships in South Korean baseball, are once again considered a strong favorite. Led by the disciplinarian of a manager, Kim Sung-keun, they are a team built on pitching, defense and just enough hitting to put runs on the board. Though they haven’t made much improve...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Barry Bonds’ former mistress testified Monday that he blamed a 1999 elbow injury on steroid use, and that the body and behavior of baseball’s home run king changed during their nine-year relationship. Called by prosecutors to the witness stand, Kimberly Bell choked up as she recalled Bonds once threatening “to cut my head off and leave me in a ditch,” an outburst prosecutors...

Baseball, South Korea's most popular professional sport, will launch its 30th season this weekend, with all eight clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in action across the nation. The 2011 KBO season starts Saturday with four games starting at 2 p.m. in four cities. The defending champion SK Wyverns will open at home against the Nexen Heroes in Incheon, west of Seoul. The Kia Tigers wi...