KBO creates new fielding award to recognize defense

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean professional baseball league announced Tuesday it will create a fielding award to recognize defenders.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said further details on the tentatively named "KBO Fielding Award" will be announced later. The decision to create the new award was reached following a board of governors meeting Monday.

The KBO presents Golden Glove Awards at the end of each season. Despite the connotation of the name, the Golden Gloves are typically given to the best hitters at respective positions, though defensive innings began to be considered in 2017.

Also at the board meeting, the KBO settled on Sajik Baseball Stadium, the home of the Lotte Giants in the city of Busan, 325 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as the host of the All-Star Game on July 15.

Sajik previously held the midsummer festivities in 2007.

The KBO also said it will establish "mid- to long-term plans" to improve the competitiveness of the national team and the overall level of play across the league, in light of South Korea's first-round elimination at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) earlier this month.

South Korea finished third at the inaugural WBC in 2006 and then second at the 2009 tournament. It has crashed out of the first round at each of the three ensuing tournaments.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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