The Ssangbangwool Raiders () were a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1990 and dissolved upon bankruptcy of the team's owner after the 1999 season. They were based in the

North Jeolla Province North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwes ...

and were members of the Korea Baseball Organization. They made the playoffs twice in their nine-year KBO history, losing both times, never making it to the

Korean Series The Korean Series is the final championship series of the KBO League. It has been held since the KBO League's first season in and is the final series of the post-season play-offs. From to 2013, the winner of the Korean Series went on to play in ...

. The two most notable players who spent considerable time with the Raiders were designated hitter Kim Ki-tai, who won a home run title in 1994 and a batting title in 1997 (as well as being a three-time

KBO League Golden Glove Award The KBO League Golden Glove Award is an award given out annually by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to the best overall player at each position in the KBO League. It is also commonly known as the KBO Golden Gloves. The award was established ...

winner with the Raiders), and

Park Kyung-oan Park Kyung-oan (born July 11, 1972 in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea) is a former South Korean baseball catcher and former Olympic bronze medalist. A four-time Golden Glove winner, Park is considered by many to be one of the best catchers i ...

, considered by many to be one of the best catchers in Korean baseball history.

History

The Raiders played the 1990 season in the

KBO Futures League KBO Futures League () or Korea Baseball Futures League is South Korea's second level of baseball, below the KBO League. It serves as a farm league with the purpose to develop professional players on-demand to play in the KBO League. The league ...

, South Korea's second level of baseball. The team joined the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

in 1991. On April 30, 1993, Raiders pitcher Kim Won-hyeong threw a no-hitter, defeating the

OB Bears The Doosan Bears ( ko, 두산 베어스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. Founded in 1982, they are a member of the KBO League. The Bears have won six Korean Series titles (1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, and 2019) and ...

3–0 at Jeonju Baseball Stadium. At the age of 20, Kim was the youngest KBO pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter."Korea Baseball Organization no-hitters,"
No-hitters.com. Retrieved July 1, 2020. Ssangbangwool suffered through a 17-game losing streak in 1999 on their way to a record of 28–97–7 and a winning percentage of .224, one of the worst seasons in KBO history. The Raiders were dissolved after the season because of the bankruptcy of the Ssangbangwool Group, the team's owner. The franchise was subsumed by the KBO, which then awarded a new franchise to the SK conglomerate. The new franchise was named the SK Wyverns and was formed in 2000.

Season-by-season records

References

KBO League teams Baseball teams established in 1990 Baseball teams disestablished in 2000 Sport in North Jeolla Province 1990 establishments in South Korea 2000 disestablishments in South Korea History of baseball in South Korea {{SouthKorea-baseball-team-stub