Baseball team of KBO stars holds 1st practice in Seoul
Members of the South Korean national baseball team competing at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games head to practice at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
NAGOYA — The national baseball team, featuring some of the biggest names in the top domestic league, held its first practice in Seoul on Tuesday ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, officials said.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said all 24 members of the team, managed by Ryu Ji-hyun, took part in their opening practice session at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.
South Korea will be swinging for its fifth consecutive Asian Games gold medal in central Japan this month.
According to KBO officials, Kim Do-yeong of the Kia Tigers trained with protection on his surgically repaired nose. Kim broke his nose after fouling a ball off his face in a bunt attempt during a KBO game last Wednesday. But after undergoing surgery Thursday, Kim returned to action Sunday and drove in three runs on three hits.
Kim, who leads the KBO with 40 home runs, is expected to bat in the heart of Ryu's lineup.
Two other players dealing with nagging injuries, Moon Bo-gyeong of the LG Twins (lower back) and Lee Jae-hyeon of the Samsung Lions (neck), were both full participants in practice, KBO officials added.
The KBO also said Hanwha Eagles infielder Roh Si-hwan was named captain of the team Tuesday. At 25, Roh is one of the senior players on a team mostly made up of under-24 players.
"Manager Ryu and his staff felt Roh Si-hwan would make a great captain thanks to his outgoing personality," a KBO official said. "He should be able to serve as a good bridge between some older players and younger members."
National team players did some conditioning drills Tuesday and are scheduled to do hitting, running and fielding drills for about three hours Wednesday.
After a scrimmage against a minor league club Thursday, the national team is scheduled to travel to Nagoya, the main host city in central Japan, on Friday.
South Korean players will be based in Nagoya, but all baseball games will take place outside the city.
South Korea's first game in Group B is against Chinese Taipei at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Okazaki, some 50 kilometers southeast of Nagoya. The next game is against Hong Kong at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Toyohashi, about 85 km southeast of Nagoya.
The third game will be back in Okazaki against Thailand at noon on Sept. 23.
According to the KBO, Ryu said traveling should not be an issue for the team.
Eight teams have been split into two groups of four. The top two nations from each group will qualify for the Super Round set for Sept. 25 and 26, with the final scheduled for Sept. 27 in Toyohashi.
Ryu did not announce his starting pitcher for the crucial opening game against Chinese Taipei, which could be South Korea's toughest foe in its quest for the gold.