By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
The South Korean team suffered a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of the Yomiuri Giants Tuesday in Tokyo.
In its final warm-up ahead of the preliminary round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), scheduled to begin on March 5, Korea, which defeated the Japan Series champion Seibu Lions 4-2 Monday, was held scoreless by the combined pitching of four pitchers, while Lee Seung-yeop delivered a game-winning two-run double for the Japanese side.
Lee, who led in home runs and RBIs in the initial WBC, turned down an invitation to the national team in order to focus on fixing his damaged reputation with the Giants.
Taking its first defeat, manager Kim In-sik's team wrapped up its exhibition games with a 5-1-1 score ― four wins and one draw against the Hanwha Eagles; one win against the Lions and one loss to the Giants, last year's two Japan Series finalists.
The 2006 semifinalist will open the WBC with a reeling Taiwan at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The Taiwanese team, which won a gold medal at the Doha Asian Games in 2006, was taken 13-2 and 7-6 by the Lions and Giants, respectively.
The 20-time Japanese league winner Giants broke the deadlock from the beginning.
In the first inning with runners on first and third and two outs, No. 5 at-bat Lee, the team's first baseman, hit a two-run double off Yoon Suk-min of the Kia Tigers for a 2-0 lead.
The 32-year-old Lee, who added an infield single in the fifth, was lifted for Masakuni Odajima in the bottom half.
And the reigning Central League champions extended their advantage in the third.
Giants designated hitter Alex Ramirez of Venezuela drove a 3-1 pitch from Hwang Doo-sung, the second pitcher of the night, to the left-field seats to make it 3-0.
Korea, who exploded with 10 hits Monday, managed just three hits through sixth inning before adding four more in the remainder of the game.