Members of the Korean national baseball team react after playing a scrimmage against the Kia Tigers at Kadena Baseball Stadium in Kadena, Japan, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap
The Korean national baseball team, which is gearing up for the World Baseball Classic (WBC), will welcome its U.S.-based stars to training camp in Japan this week.
Managed by Ryu Ji-hyun, the national team has been training and playing scrimmages in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa since Feb. 16 but without a half-dozen players currently in spring training with their U.S. clubs.
Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants, Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jahmai Jones of the Detroit Tigers and Shay Whitcomb of the Houston Astros are on their 40-man rosters. Pitchers Go Woo-suk and Dane Dunning are on minor league deals with the Tigers and the Seattle Mariners, respectively, with Dunning having already pitched in a spring training game last week.
Of this group, Kim will play an extra game in spring training and arrive in Japan on Saturday, while the rest will arrive Friday, according to Ryu.
Lee is Korea's captain and will be its starting center fielder, while Kim will man second base. Whitcomb and Jones will be counted on for some power in the middle of the lineup.
Dunning can either start or pitch in long relief, and Go, a former star closer in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), will shore up the back end of the bullpen.
"These players have been playing games against quality opponents, and I expect them to be in great shape," Ryu told reporters Tuesday. "As long as they get their jet lag out of the way, they will be fine."
Korea has played four scrimmages against KBO clubs this week. After a day off Wednesday, Ryu's team will play the Samsung Lions on Thursday and the KT Wiz on Friday.
The national team will then hop over to Osaka on Saturday, with two exhibition games coming up against Nippon Professional Baseball clubs at Kyocera Dome — the Hanshin Tigers on Monday and the Orix Buffaloes on Tuesday. Then the national team will travel to Tokyo, the site of its Pool C games.
Source: Korea Times News
