Park tries for 100th win

Park Chan-ho of the Texas Rangers will go for his 100th win Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.
He will face starting pitcher Jose Lima. Lima, known for his peculiar gestures, won 21 games back in 1999 when he was with the Houston Astros, but is in a dead slump this year. In 11 games, he gained just one win and four losses. His whopping 8.13 earned run average is expected to be an easy target for red-hot Ranger sluggers.
By comparison, Park stands at 5 wins and 1 loss, his best up-to-May record since his 1994 Major League debut.
Park’s 4.60 ERA is not too good, but he will be facing the worst team in the league (15 wins and 37 losses). If the Rangers can score runs early on, it should be an easy victory to No. 100. One variable though, is recent surge in Royals’ team spirit. Since Buddy Bell was named the new head coach on Wednesday, Royals have snatched back-to-back victories against the New York Yankees. On the Thursday, they won 3-1 against the “Big Unit” Randy Johnson. They may carry on the momentum through tomorrow.
Park and Lima’s face off is their first in five years and seven months. Lima won back in Oct. 3, 1999, when he played for the Astros and Park a Dodger. Park had a quality start, with one earned run and four hits in seven innings, but Lima held the Dodgers to a scoreless 7 and 2/3 innings for the win. The rematch tomorrow should be Park’s attempt to get even.

by Sohn Jang-hwan