Play ball!

The presence of Orix Buffaloes slugger Lee Dae-ho will be critical in an otherwise light-hitting Korean lineup. / Korea Times

Korea starts WBC title quest against the Netherlands Saturday

By Kim Young-jin

Korea will roll out what it hopes will be a balanced lineup as it begins its bid for its first World Baseball Classic (WBC) crown in Taiwan Saturday.

While this year’s squad does not include any Major League Baseball players, fans hope a mix of power and speed will manufacture runs when it kicks off the 16-team tournament with a game against the Netherlands.

Both are part of the four-team Group B, which will play its games at Taichung Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung. Korea will play Australia Monday and Taiwan the following day. The top two teams will move onto the second round in Tokyo.

Despite the presence of sluggers Lee Dae-ho, a designated hitter who plays for Orix in Japan's Pacific League, and first baseman Lee Seung-yeop of the Samsung Lions, hitting has been a concern leading up to the tournament.

Korea ― seeking to improve on its runner-up finish four years ago ― managed only three hits in a 1-0 exhibition loss to a squad of Taiwanese military players. In five total practice games, the team only mustered 11 runs and a paltry .222 team batting average.

The team may get an immediate test from the Netherlands, which boasts former Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones and Xander Bogaerts, a highly-touted prospect for the Boston Red Sox.

Despite the power shortage and injuries to pitching stalwarts Bong Jung-keun and Kim Kwang-hyun, Korea is seen as likely to advance to the second round based on their strong 2009 showing, when they fell short to Japan in heartbreaking fashion.

Taiwan hangs its hopes on former New York Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang, while Australia has two former major leaguers, pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith and infielder Luke Hughes.

With Major Leaguers Ryu Hyun-jin (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Choo Shin-soo (Cincinnati Reds) skipping the event, Korea will rely on lesser known names. Speedy outfielder Lee Yong-kyu and second baseman Jeong Keun-woo will look to cause havoc on the base paths. Outfielder Kim Hyun-soo leads South Korea with seven hits so far in the preliminary games.

The bullpen, including the Lotte Giants’ Chung Dae-hyun, SK Wyverns’ Park Hui-soo and Samsung Lions’ Oh Seung-hwan, is expected to play a major role given the depleted starting rotation as will starter Yun Suk-min, the ace of the Kia Tigers.

The completion will stiffen considerably if Korea advances beyond the first round. In Group D, the United States looks to be the favorite to win the entire tournament with a starting rotation led by Cy Young Award-winning knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Its batting order is stacked with big names including Joe Mauer, Ryan Braun and David Wright.

In Group C, Venezuela rolls out a lineup with Elvis Andrus, Asdrubal Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval and reigning American Leage MVP Miguel Cabrera. The Dominican Republic also appears poised for a strong showing lead by Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano and Adrian Beltre.