Korea runs 1st practice in Japan

• Published date: 05 March 2023
• Publication title: The Korea Times

Korea held its first practice in Japan on Sunday ahead of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), four days before its crucial first game of the competition.

Saturday was a travel day for Korea, managed by Lee Kang-chul. The team spent Thursday and Friday in Seoul, running its first full-squad workout and playing a scrimmage.

Korea is scheduled to play two Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) clubs over the next two days in official WBC exhibitions: the Orix Buffaloes at noon Monday and the Hanshin Tigers at noon Tuesday, both at Kyocera Dome Osaka.

Then Korea will be off to Tokyo for an official practice Wednesday at Tokyo Dome, and the first Pool B contest against Australia on Thursday at the same venue.

Korea will later take on Japan, the Czech Republic and China.

At Maishima Buffaloes Stadium, west of Osaka city center, the Korean players trained for 90 minutes on a warm and breezy afternoon, with the position players hitting in the cage and taking fungo, and pitchers playing catch and fielding groundballs in the outfield.

Third baseman Choi Jeong, who skipped Friday's scrimmage in Seoul because of an unspecified illness, was a full participant in Sunday's session.

The national team has been traveling for the better part of the past week or so. Korea had...