Doosan Bears
Encyclopedia
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
based in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. They are a member of the Korean Baseball Organization
Korean Baseball Organization
Korea Professional Baseball is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The Korean romanization is Hanguk Peuro Yagu , a league title which mirrors Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. Korea Professional Baseball was originally founded with six teams in 1982 and currently has eight...
.
The club was founded in Daejeon
Daejeon
Daejeon is South Korea's fifth largest metropolis and the provincial capital of Chungnam. Located in the center of the country, Daejeon had a population of over 1.5 million in 2010. It is at the crossroads of Gyeongbu railway, Honam railway, Gyeongbu Expressway, and Honam Expressway. Within the...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
in as the "OB Bears", and moved to Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
in before being officially renamed the "Doosan Bears" in . The Doosan Bears (formerly the OB Bears) won the Korean Series
Korean Series
The Korean Series is the championship series of the Korea Baseball Organization. It has been held since the KBO's first season in and is the final series of in the post-season play-offs. From , the winner of the Korean Series goes on to play in the Asia Series....
in 1982, the inaugural KBO
Korean Baseball Organization
Korea Professional Baseball is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The Korean romanization is Hanguk Peuro Yagu , a league title which mirrors Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. Korea Professional Baseball was originally founded with six teams in 1982 and currently has eight...
season. They have won three Korea Series titles (1982, 1995, 2001) and play their home games at Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
's Jamsil Baseball Stadium
Jamsil Baseball Stadium
Jamsil Baseball Stadium is a baseball stadium in Jamsil 1-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The stadium holds 30,265 people and was built from April 1980 to July 1982. It makes up the Jamsil Sports Complex along with the nearby Seoul Olympic Stadium, and hosted the baseball events during the...
.
The team's principal sponsor, Doosan, is primarily involved in construction and heavy industry, although like many Korean chaebol
Chaebol
Chaebol refers to a South Korean form of business conglomerate. They are global multinationals owning numerous international enterprises. The term is often used in a context similar to that of the English word "conglomerate"...
it has an extremely wide-ranging portfolio of interests. It claims to be Korea's oldest company. The previous sponsor, OB (Oriental Brewery
Oriental Brewery
Oriental Brewery or OB is a South Korean brewery established by the Doosan Group in 1952. It was purchased by InBev in 1998. In 2009, it was sold by Anheuser-Busch InBev as the parent company sought to reduce its debt. It was sold to an affiliate of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co....
) produces one of South Korea's top selling lager brands.
Korean-American Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward
Hines Ward
Hines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football player who currently plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia...
threw out the first pitch at a Doosan Bears game on a visit to Korea in 2006.
Season by Season Records
| Year | Team | Rank | Games | W | L | Win% | BA | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | OB Bears | 1 | 80 | 56 | 24 | .700 | .283 | 57 |
| 1983 | OB Bears | 5 | 100 | 44 | 55 | .444 | .259 | 50 |
| 1984 | OB Bears | 3 | 100 | 58 | 41 | .586 | .256 | 53 |
| 1985 | OB Bears | 4 | 110 | 51 | 57 | .472 | .260 | 67 |
| 1986 | OB Bears | 4 | 108 | 56 | 48 | .538 | .249 | 38 |
| 1987 | OB Bears | 4 | 108 | 55 | 52 | .514 | .261 | 30 |
| 1988 | OB Bears | 5 | 108 | 54 | 52 | .509 | .258 | 44 |
| 1989 | OB Bears | 5 | 120 | 54 | 63 | .463 | .247 | 42 |
| 1990 | OB Bears | 7 | 120 | 35 | 80 | .313 | .231 | 62 |
| 1991 | OB Bears | 8 | 126 | 51 | 73 | .413 | .250 | 59 |
| 1992 | OB Bears | 5 | 126 | 56 | 66 | .460 | .259 | 110 |
| 1993 | OB Bears | 3 | 126 | 66 | 55 | .544 | .258 | 59 |
| 1994 | OB Bears | 7 | 126 | 53 | 72 | .425 | .246 | 75 |
| 1995 | OB Bears | 1 | 126 | 74 | 47 | .607 | .266 | 106 |
| 1996 | OB Bears | 8 | 126 | 47 | 73 | .397 | .242 | 82 |
| 1997 | OB Bears | 5 | 126 | 57 | 64 | .472 | .254 | 84 |
| 1998 | OB Bears | 4 | 126 | 61 | 62 | .496 | .256 | 102 |
| 1999 | Doosan Bears | 3 | 132 | 76 | 51 | .598 | .284 | 141 |
| 2000 | Doosan Bears | 2 | 133 | 76 | 57 | .571 | .289 | 150 |
| 2001 | Doosan Bears | 1 | 133 | 65 | 63 | .508 | .276 | 130 |
| 2002 | Doosan Bears | 5 | 133 | 66 | 65 | .504 | .261 | 130 |
| 2003 | Doosan Bears | 7 | 133 | 57 | 74 | .435 | .276 | 90 |
| 2004 | Doosan Bears | 3 | 133 | 70 | 62 | .530 | .268 | 89 |
| 2005 | Doosan Bears | 2 | 126 | 72 | 51 | .585 | .270 | 63 |
| 2006 | Doosan Bears | 5 | 126 | 63 | 60 | .512 | .258 | 55 |
| 2007 | Doosan Bears | 2 | 126 | 70 | 54 | .565 | .263 | 78 |
| 2008 | Doosan Bears | 2 | 126 | 70 | 56 | .555 | .276 | 80 |
| 2009 | Doosan Bears | 3 | 133 | 71 | 60 | .534 | .280 | 120 |
| 2010 | Doosan Bears | 3 | 133 | 73 | 57 | .549 | .281 | 149 |
| 2011 | Doosan Bears | 5 | 133 | 61 | 70 | .466 | .271 | 92 |
Roster
Doosan bears are currently competing against the LG Twins for 5th placeRetired Numbers
The Bears have retired numbers 21 and 54. The number 54 is in memory of the catcher Kim Young-Shin who died, and the number 21 is the legendary pitcher, Park Chul-SoonPark Chul-Soon
Park Chul-Soon is a former South Korean pitcher in the Korean professional baseball league who played for the OB Bears. Park batted and threw right-handed...
, whose nickname is "Phoenix." Park won the Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
award in the 1982 Korean Series. Next year he was injured but won the award again. He continued to play when injured throughout his career and had much success. He is still held in high esteem from not only most Bears fans but many Korean baseball fans.