Lions' Panamanian pitcher Jurado to compete at World Baseball Classic
Samsung Lions starter Ariel Jurado pitches against the Hanwha Eagles during Game 3 of the second-round series in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu, Oct. 21, 2025. Yonhap
The Samsung Lions announced Tuesday their Panamanian pitcher, Ariel Jurado, will represent his country at this year's World Baseball Classic (WBC).
The Lions said Jurado had recently asked for the club's permission to pitch at the March 5-17 tournament and they decided to grant him his wish.
Jurado, 29, has been pitching in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) since 2023. He spent the first two seasons with the Kiwoom Heroes and joined the Lions prior to the 2025 season.
In his first season with the Lions, Jurado led the club with 15 wins and a 2.60 ERA. The workhorse led the KBO with 197 1/3 innings, three complete games, two shutouts and 23 quality starts -- an outing with at least six innings pitched with fewer than three earned runs allowed.
The right-hander will be making his WBC debut. He had pitched for his country in the qualifiers for the 2023 WBC but skipped the main tournament after signing with the Heroes.
Panama will play out of Pool A against Cuba, Canada, Colombia and Puerto Rico, with the top two teams after round robin advancing to the quarterfinals. All Pool A games will be played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The WBC typically overlaps with spring training games in the KBO and Major League Baseball. Clubs have withheld players from the tournament, but there have also been instances where players themselves decided to skip the event if they are new to their club, so that they could use spring training to find their footing in new surroundings.
Also Tuesday, the Lions announced their spring training roster of 19 pitchers, five catchers, seven infielders and eight outfielders. They will depart for Guam on Jan. 23 for the first phase of their camp, which runs through Feb. 9.
Then from Feb. 9 to March 9, the Lions will train in Okinawa, Japan. The Lions said Jurado will join them whenever Panama's WBC journey ends.
The Lions also have three South Korean players currently training with their national team in Saipan -- outfielder Koo Ja-wook and pitchers Won Tae-in and Bae Chan-seung. The final WBC roster will be announced Feb. 3.