By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter

The Yakult Swallows have picked up the option on closer Lim Chang-yong's contract, which will keep the Korean relief pitcher with the Nippon Professional Baseball team for another year.

According to Japanese newspaper Sports Nippon, Lee will see his salary double to $1.6 million (18.9 billion won) from the $800,000 he earned last season.

Lim was a reliable ninth-inning stopper for the Swallows last season, which included a stretch of 20 appearances to start the season without allowing an earned run ― a team record.

The 33-year-old side-arm pitcher crossed the East Sea in Dec. 2007 and earned $300,000 in his first season in Japan in 2008. The World Baseball Classic closer went 1-5 with 33 saves in 54 appearances in 2008 and followed that up with a mark of 5-4 with 28 saves and a 2.05 ERA this past season.

"His performance in setting the new team record was already rewarded during the season," a Swallows official told Sports Nippon, implying Lim had already received a sizeable bonus.

Lim joins fellow Korean pitcher Lee Hye-cheon, who is entering the second year of a two-year $800,000 deal, in coming back to the Swallows.

yc@koreatimes.co.kr