S. Korea manager excited to welcome US-based players to camp

South Korea manager Ryu Ji-hyun addresses his team during practice at Kyocera Dome in Osaka in preparation for the World Baseball Classic, March 1. Yonhap

OSAKA — South Korea manager Ryu Ji-hyun said Sunday he was expecting big things out of his new reinforcements that joined the national team earlier in the day for the upcoming World Baseball Classic (WBC).

Ryu ran training camp with players from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) over the past couple of weeks, with a handful of scrimmages against KBO clubs in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.

Then on Sunday in Osaka, the team welcomed six players who flew in from the United States — Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants, Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Go Woo-suk of the Toledo Mud Hens, Jahmai Jones of the Detroit Tigers, Shay Whitcomb of the Houston Astros and Dane Dunning of the Seattle Mariners.

With his full squad on hand for the first time ahead of tuneup games against Nippon Professional Baseball clubs this week, Ryu said he couldn't wait to see the new arrivals in action.

"They are in great form, just as I expected," Ryu told reporters at Kyocera Dome. "We will play games starting tomorrow, and I have high expectations. I got to meet those new guys individually yesterday, and they also had a chance to speak with the rest of the team."

Jones, Whitcomb and Dunning were all born to Korean mothers and American fathers. The WBC allows players to represent the country of birth for one of their parents, even if the players themselves aren't from there. This trio will play for South Korea for the first time, following in the footsteps of infielder Tommy Edman at the 2023 WBC.

"These half-Korean players all have outgoing personalities, and it won't take them long to make friends on the team," Ryu observed. "They told me they want to be here as long as possible and return to their clubs as late as possible. I appreciated their mindset."

The manager said he had not yet decided on his lineup for Monday's game against the Hanshin Tigers but among the new arrivals, the four position players — Lee, Kim, Jones and Whitcomb — will all see action Monday.

South Korea will play the Orix Buffaloes on Tuesday and then travel to Tokyo later that day. It will be followed by the official practice at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday, and South Korea's first Pool C contest will be Thursday evening against the Czech Republic.

South Korea will be idle Friday before playing the defending champion Japan at 7 p.m. Saturday. It will then be a quick turnaround, with Chinese Taipei coming up at noon Sunday.

With the top two teams from the group advancing to the quarterfinals and Japan widely expected to win Pool C handily, South Korea's schedule has led to speculation that it could take its foot off the pedals against Japan and instead focus on trying to beat Chinese Taipei.

Ryu rejected that notion but added, "I have repeatedly said I will make some strategic decisions, but I won't reveal what they will be."