Kim Ju-won of Korea tosses his bat after hitting an RBI single against Japan during the teams' Pool C game at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Saturday. Yonhap
TOKYO — Korean shortstop Kim Ju-won said Sunday he and his teammates will keep their heads high for the rest of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) after a tough loss to Japan from the previous night.
Korea led the defending champion Japan 3-0 after the first inning and then fought back from a 5-3 deficit, before ultimately falling short by 8-6 at Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
Korea will have a quick turnaround with a Sunday noon game against Chinese Taipei, and Kim said the way Korea had pushed Japan should help his team going forward.
"We played a good game against Japan. Although we lost, we all played our best," Kim said at his pregame press conference. "We don't want to hang our heads. We want to stay confident going into this game."
Kim admitted he felt "a little fatigued" after playing late into Saturday night and returning to the dome early Sunday morning.
"We all tried to get as much rest as possible last night," he said. "So we all tried to make sure our preparation for this game wouldn't be affected."
The switch hitter said his finger injury, which he picked up during training camp in February, is mostly behind him.
"It wasn't that serious and my trainers have been helping me so much along the way," Kim said. "It doesn't affect the way I play and I feel no major discomfort."
Asked if he will be intimidated by a large throng of Taiwanese fans, who have been packing Tokyo Dome all tournament, Kim said, "We have our share of fans who've come over from Korea. They made it feel like we're not playing a road game here. I expect much the same today."
Source: Korea Times News
