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When Canadian outfielder Jared Young signed with the Doosan Bears in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on July 23, he became part of a small piece of history in the top Korean league. With his $300,000 contract, Young joined fellow Canadian Jordan Balazovic, a right-handed pitcher who had signed for $250,000 on July 4. They became the first pair of Canadians to play on the same KBO team .Since the KBO first opened the doors to foreign players in 1998, more than 500 players have brought their talents from around the world. Those from the United States, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Panama, Mexico and Japan, among other countries, have plied their trade here.

Before Balazovic and Young, four Canadians had played in the KBO. Former SSG Landers slugger Jamie Romak, who played from 2017 to 2021, has been the best player from the Great White North. He helped the SK Wyverns, the previous incarnation of the Landers, to the Korean Series title in 2018, and smacked 155 home runs during his five-year career, the fourth most among foreign players in KBO history.Balazovic and Young, two former big leaguers, are trying to carve their own legacy in the KBO as midseason arrivals for a team trying to make the postseason.For Balazovic, who comes from Mississauga, Ontario, having a countryman by his side has made the journey more enjoyable.

“There are only so many of us even in the States. Playing with another Canadian … what are the odds of that really happening, especially overseas?” Balazovic told Yonhap News Agency on Thursday before the Bears hosted the Kia Tigers at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. “I played against Jared for many years in the States but never even spoke a word to him. So it’s pretty cool to finally be able to experience having a fellow Canadian on the team.”Young, a native of Prince George, British Columbia, said his and Balazovic’s lockers are right beside each other in the clubhouse.”It’s fun to finally play with him,” Young said. “I’d like to think we’re good players, and hopefully, we can stay here for a long time.”Both players have had ups and downs, something they are trying to address with the postseason just around the corner.

Balazovic, who replaced injured Raul Alcantara in the rotation, struck out 17 batters in his first 10 2/3 innings across two starts in July. He then pitched to a 2.63 ERA in five starts in August, giving up only eight earned runs in 27 1/3 innings while adding 27 Ks.He has struggled so far in September, allowing 14 runs in 18 innings covering four starts. The former Minnesota Twins prospect has gone beyond five innings just once this month.For the season, he has a 2-6 record with a 4.34 ERA. His fielding independent pitching (FIP), an ERA-like metric 토토 that measures a pitcher’s performance on elements he can control, such as strikeouts, walks and home runs, is 3.36. It suggests Balazovic has been unlucky to have allowed as many runs as he has.”I’ve had a couple of good ones and then I’ve had a few not-so-good ones. The not-so-good ones could have been a little bit better by just making a couple more adjustments in the game and a few more things going my way,” Balazovic said. “Now, I’ve just got to focus on attacking the strike zone. I just need to get it from the first pitch and have it locked in, so there is no more up and down.”

Efficiency has been an issue for Balazovic. He needed 100 pitches to get 14 outs last Monday, and 93 pitches to get through 4 1/3 innings on Sept. 1.Balazovic said opposing hitters have made his life difficult by fouling off pitches and getting deep into counts. Be it the automated ball-strike system newly installed in the KBO this year, the smaller KBO ball and the height of the mounds at different stadiums, Balazovic is still trying to figure out the league on the fly.”It’s just narrowing everything down, especially when I am up in the count, and stop wasting pitches and go after them,” he said. “It’s adjusting and just reading the swings a little bit better on my part.”Young, who came in for Henry Ramos, got into the KBO record books in just his second KBO game. On July 31, the Bears hammered the Tigers 30-6, setting the mark for the most runs in a game. Young launched his first two home runs in Korea that evening and also had eight RBIs, a single-game record by a foreign player.He built on that momentum to put together a productive August, in which he batted .307/.404/.648 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs in 23 games.