South Korean Baseball Dynasty Unlucky with Foreign Players

A South Korean baseball dynasty team named Samsung Lions unlucky with the acquisitions of their foreign players.

On Wednesday, the infielder Aaron Baldiris left the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to undergo a surgery on his ankle in the United States. The Venezuelan national had appeared in 44 out of 115 games of the Samsung Lions including 266 batting, eight home runs and 33 RBIs.

Samsung Lions have now lost the three foreign players they signed before the start of the season. The KBO teams can sign up to three foreign players and at least one must be a position player.

Before Baldiris left, the starters Collin Balester and Allen Webster were both released.

In June, Webster was 4-4 with a 5.70 ERA in 12 games when he went down with a calf injury that forced his departure. While Balester went 0-3 with a 8.03 ERA in three starts when he was taken off the roster in May.

Webster had settled down over his next three starts, holding the opponents to four earned runs in 19 innings after allowing 29 earned runs in 18 innings in his first four starts in May.

The Samsung Lions are stuck in the ninth place in the 10-team league because their foreign players are not contributing much and can be considered 'unlucky' for the Lions.

The replacements for Balester and Webster haven't got any better. Arnold Leon, who replaced Balester, pitched in only two games, with a 0-1 record and an 11.25 ERA. Since July 23, he went 57 days between his first and second starts, and has been dealing with shoulder tightness. While Yohan Flande, who replaced Webster, has gone 2-3 in seven starts with a 7.20 ERA.

The KBO teams can only make two changes involving foreign players, and the Lions have maxed out with Leon and Flande. Their offense will have to do without a foreign bat, though they've done just fine despite Baldiris' struggles, batting .293 as a team to rank second.

This season was unlucky for the Samsung Lions. Hours after Baldiris left, Flande was shelled for eight runs, six earned, on seven hits and five walks in 2 2/3 innings against the Nexen Heroes.