Hobbled Schmidt Puts Park Back in Picture
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
After spotlighted achievements with the Los Angles Dodgers in the late 1990s and early 2000s, right-handed pitcher Park Chan-ho left for the Texas Rangers, signing a lucrative $65 million deal in 2002.
Park was later labeled as one of the worst free agent busts in baseball history, after struggling with the Rangers and three other teams.
But the former Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star returned to Los Angeles earlier this year as a non-roster player looking to revive his career.
And now, the 34-year-old South Korean, who has accumulated 113 victories in his 14 big league seasons, is cruising on the tough road to earning a spot in the Dodgers' rotation that is also coveted by veterans Esteban Loaiza and Jason Johnson.
``With Jason Schmidt not expected to be ready for opening day, both Jason Johnson and Chan Ho Park are in the mix for the fifth spot in the starting rotation,'' manager Joe Torre said after an exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. ``Esteban Loaiza is considered the favorite to win the spot.''
Entering the spring camps, five pitchers were competing to become the No. 5 starter, but injuries took out Schmidt and Kuo Hong-chih of Taiwan from the list.
Meanwhile Loaiza, a right-hander from Mexican, is leading the race.
Loaiza seemed to lock up the spot after displaying a solid performance against the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox on Sunday. The 13-year pro, who won 21 games in 2003 with the Chicago White Sox, started for the Dodgers and tossed three scoreless innings, lowering his spring ERA to 3.86.
In his previous outings, he hurled two innings without allowing a hit against the Washington Nationals after allowing three runs on four hits over two innings against the Atlanta Braves.
Unheralded non-roster pitcher Jason Johnson has also been drawing attention from the coaching staff. The 34-year-old native of California, who last took the mound in the majors in 2006 with the Cincinnati Reds, has allowed no run in three appearances against the Baltimore Orioles, Braves and Cardinals.
Park has also yet to allow a run in his two outings against the New York Mets, but it is hard to tell if he has earned a spot.
Sports television network ESPN reported last Thursday that Torre awarded Park by naming him the starter for the opening exhibition game against the San Diego Padres in China. While that doesn't mean Park will make the Dodgers' rotation, let alone the roster, it certainly is a big step in that direction.
According to the report, if Park, the first Korean export to the U.S. Major Leagues, continues exhibiting his consistent pitching against the Orioles on Tuesday (in Korea Standard Time) and the Padres on Saturday, a spot in the rotation might not be out of reach.
It wouldn't be the first time Park has overcome difficult odds to make a team. He was considered a long shot to make the Dodgers' rotation when he began his big league career in 1994, before he went on to become one of the team's top starters.