shane youman

BUSAN, South Korea -- American pitcher Shane Youman tossed a one hitter Sunday, leading the Lotte Giants to a 5-0 win while taking two of three games at home this week against the LG Twins.

Youman (3-0) pitched his first nine-inning shutout of his career, striking out seven in a dominating performance from the mound. Giants catcher Kang Min-ho hit a two-run homer in the eighth to seal the win for Lotte, who are at the top of the standings early on in the 2012 season.

"The defense played a great part in today's win, and the Lotte fans were great," Youman said after the game.

DAEGU, South Korea - The Lotte Giants came away with a win and a loss this week with Samsung, also having to endure another lost game due to the heavy rains Wednesday night.

Lotte seemed primed to lose game 1 of the series, as Samsung took a 2-0 lead into the top of the ninth. Shane Youman pitched six effective innings, giving up two runs and five hits while striking out six, but Lotte's bats came to life in the top of the ninth when Jeon Joon-woo hit a solo homer, and Lotte exploded for six runs to win the game 6-2.

Lee Yong-hoon (3-0) pitched a third of the inning for the win.

After Wednesday's torrential rain canceled the second game, Samsung showed why they are the defending KBO champs by hitting two home runs off Lotte starter Go Won-joon (0-2) and defeating the Giants 6-3. Hong Seung-hoon knocked in two runs for Lotte, while Kim Ju-chan led the attack with two hits.

BUSAN, South Korea - As the Lotte Giants are set to begin another season tomorrow, Lotte’s newest import pitcher, Shane Youman, brings a wealth of experience and talent to the club. A former big leaguer with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 32-year-old Youman’s journey to Busan has had stops in Taiwan and the Dominican in the past year.

Youman is expected to make his KBO debut next Tuesday versus the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. He was impressive in spring training, including four shutout innings against Hanwha, where he clocked in at 146 km/hr, while striking out five.

The Louisiana native opened up to Haps recently about his impressions of the club, his past, and what he thinks he can bring to the Giants this year.

DAEGU, South Korea - Defending league champs Samsung Lions held on for a 5-4 win against Lotte Wednesday afternoon, sweeping the two game series.

Shane Youman (0-1) pitched five innings, but was hit for five runs on five hits while striking out three. Four Lotte relievers combined to shutout Samsung the rest of the way, but Lotte's offense was shutout in the eighth and ninth by Samsung relievers Kang Hyuk and Oh Seung-hwan.

Kim Ju-chan was the bright spot at the plate for Lotte, going 3-5 with an RBI.

DAEJON, South Korea - The Lotte Giants fell to 2-2 in exhibition play, falling 7-6 to the Hanwha Eagles in Daejon Wednesday afternoon. Hanwha belted out 17 hits, as the relievers struggled to contain the Eagles bats.

Lotte got off to an early 4-0 lead, led by Hwang Jae-kyun's two run homer in the fourth off Park Chan-ho. But Choi Seung-hwan's two run blast in the sixth off Lotte reliever Lee Seung-ho sparked a four run rally to tie the game. The teams traded runs in the seventh and eighth, but Hanwha managed to score off Kim Sa-yeul (0-1) in the ninth to score the win.

Shane Youman looked exceptionally well in his first outing for Lotte, pitching four innings of shutout ball. He threw 62 pitches, 42 for strikes and clocked in at 146km/hr, while also striking out five, while giving up four hits.

BUSAN, South Korea - Yes, it is hard to believe, but it is almost baseball season again. And if the Lotte Giants hope to contend in 2012, they are going to have to deal with the likes of last year's champions, the Samsung Lions, the much improved Hanwha Eagles and their familiar foes, the SK Wyverns. Lotte has had a busy offseason, most notably with the loss of slugger Lee Dae-ho to the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball League, but they have been making moves on what has been considered their weakness for the past few years – the pitching staff.

BUSAN, South Korea - The Lotte Giants have signed southpaw Shane Youman for the 2012 season, to add another starting pitcher to the roster.

Youman, 32, from New Iberia, Louisiana, compiled a 3-7 record with a 5.13 ERA in the Major Leagues. The 6' 4", 220 pound pitcher attended Louisiana State, and made his major league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 10, 2006. He was also signed previously by the Philadelphia Phillies.

He spent most of last season pitching in Taiwan and the Dominican Leagues.

According to his Wikipedia page, Youman is a classic "crafty" left-handed pitcher, with a fastball in the 84-88 MPH range and a hard slider, as well as a changeup.