Lindblom's KBO Stats Page
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After leading the Korean Baseball Organization with 21 quality starts and a 2.88 ERA, Purdue baseball alumnus Josh Lindblom has been honored with the Choi Dong-won Award recognizing the top pitcher in the KBO.
Although the Choi Dong-won Award is not officially given out by the KBO, it is recognized as the equivalent of Major League Baseball's Cy Young Award. The Choi Dong-won Memorial Association is the sponsor of the award and selects the winner. It was established in 2014; the KBO recognizes an MVP as well as Golden Glove Awards. This was the first season in which foreign-born pitchers were eligible to win the Choi Dong-won Award.
Lindblom (2007-08) helped the Doosan Bears finish the regular season with a league-high 93 victories, earning a bye all the way to the Korean Series championship round of the playoffs. He started the series opener Sunday, giving up five runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings in a 7-3 loss. Although he pitched some in Japan to remain sharp, it was his first KBO appearance since Sept. 21. The best-of-seven series continues Wednesday. Doosan and the SK Wyverns split the first two games in Seoul.
Lindblom finished the season 15-4 in his 26 starts. He surrendered only 142 hits and 38 walks in 168 2/3 innings, leading to a 1.07 WHIP that was also best in the league. The right-hander struck out 157, including a career-high 13 over eight innings in a June 7 victory.
With 21 quality starts in his 26 appearances, Lindblom gave Doosan a chance to win almost every time out. He led the league in that stat thanks in part to a streak of 13 consecutive quality starts from March 30 to June 13. He pitched at least six innings in 23 of his 26 outings and did not surrender more than nine hits in a start.
This season was Lindblom's fourth in the KBO, which is traditionally considered a hitter-friendly league. He pitched for the Lotte Giants in 2015 and 2016 before signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates and returning to the United States for spring training in 2017. He opened the 2017 season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians and was called up by the Pirates in May. It was his fifth MLB team that he appeared in a big league game for. He returned to the KBO in July 2017 and signed with Doosan in December.
In his first season in the KBO, Lindblom became the league's first pitcher to surpass 200 innings since 1996.
Lindblom was selected from a group of 23 eligible pitchers for the Choi Dong-won Award. The Memorial Foundation's selection committee featured serval past KBO managers among its group of eight representatives. The award ceremony is set for Nov. 11 in Busan, South Korea. Game 6 of the Korean Series is also set for Nov. 11 in Seoul. If Lindblom is unable to attend due to the game that night, his father William is expected to accept the award on his behalf.
Lindblom is also thought to be a candidate for a Golden Glove Award at pitcher. Unlike the MLB equivalent, the KBO's Golden Glove Awards are not based strictly on defensive performance. Instead, it's more of an All-KBO honor.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After leading the Korean Baseball Organization with 21 quality starts and a 2.88 ERA, Purdue baseball alumnus Josh Lindblom has been honored with the Choi Dong-won Award recognizing the top pitcher in the KBO.
Although the Choi Dong-won Award is not officially given out by the KBO, it is recognized as the equivalent of Major League Baseball's Cy Young Award. The Choi Dong-won Memorial Association is the sponsor of the award and selects the winner. It was established in 2014; the KBO recognizes an MVP as well as Golden Glove Awards. This was the first season in which foreign-born pitchers were eligible to win the Choi Dong-won Award.
Lindblom (2007-08) helped the Doosan Bears finish the regular season with a league-high 93 victories, earning a bye all the way to the Korean Series championship round of the playoffs. He started the series opener Sunday, giving up five runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings in a 7-3 loss. Although he pitched some in Japan to remain sharp, it was his first KBO appearance since Sept. 21. The best-of-seven series continues Wednesday. Doosan and the SK Wyverns split the first two games in Seoul.
Lindblom finished the season 15-4 in his 26 starts. He surrendered only 142 hits and 38 walks in 168 2/3 innings, leading to a 1.07 WHIP that was also best in the league. The right-hander struck out 157, including a career-high 13 over eight innings in a June 7 victory.
With 21 quality starts in his 26 appearances, Lindblom gave Doosan a chance to win almost every time out. He led the league in that stat thanks in part to a streak of 13 consecutive quality starts from March 30 to June 13. He pitched at least six innings in 23 of his 26 outings and did not surrender more than nine hits in a start.
This season was Lindblom's fourth in the KBO, which is traditionally considered a hitter-friendly league. He pitched for the Lotte Giants in 2015 and 2016 before signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates and returning to the United States for spring training in 2017. He opened the 2017 season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians and was called up by the Pirates in May. It was his fifth MLB team that he appeared in a big league game for. He returned to the KBO in July 2017 and signed with Doosan in December.
In his first season in the KBO, Lindblom became the league's first pitcher to surpass 200 innings since 1996.
Lindblom was selected from a group of 23 eligible pitchers for the Choi Dong-won Award. The Memorial Foundation's selection committee featured serval past KBO managers among its group of eight representatives. The award ceremony is set for Nov. 11 in Busan, South Korea. Game 6 of the Korean Series is also set for Nov. 11 in Seoul. If Lindblom is unable to attend due to the game that night, his father William is expected to accept the award on his behalf.
Lindblom is also thought to be a candidate for a Golden Glove Award at pitcher. Unlike the MLB equivalent, the KBO's Golden Glove Awards are not based strictly on defensive performance. Instead, it's more of an All-KBO honor.
Choi Dong-won Award: Congratulations to Doosan's @JoshLindblom52 for winning this year's award. This award is giving out to the top pitcher in Korea, equivalent of the Cy Young Award. The award has been around since 2014. This is first year foreign pitchers are eligible. pic.twitter.com/9bmnPjjPZs
— Dan Kurtz (@MyKBO) November 6, 2018