S. Korea manager pleased with position players' preparation for WBC

TUCSON, United States, Feb. 15 (Yonhap) -- After the first day of training camp in the books in an unusually cold Arizona on Wednesday, South Korea manager Lee Kang-chul said he was pleased with the conditioning levels for his position players ahead of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).

When it came to his pitchers, however, it was a different story.

"I think my position players worked really hard to get into great form so quickly," Lee told reporters at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, which saw a rare snowfall earlier in the day. "I think pitchers will take a big longer to get on track, though."

Discussing the national team's scrimmage against the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club NC Dinos, Lee quipped, "We will have seven pitchers throw one inning each, but no one volunteered to take the mound tomorrow."

It will be the first of several practice games for South Korea in its buildup for the big tournament. A few KBO teams are training in Arizona, and Lee thanked them for agreeing to play games just two or three weeks into their own spring training.

Lee, a former All-Star pitcher and a longtime pitching coach in the KBO before rising to the managerial ranks, said he will ride the hot hands on the pitching staff during the WBC.

"In international tournaments or KBO postseason series, you will see a few hot pitchers take up the bulk of innings," Lee said. "And this is why it's really important to identify pitchers in their best form. We will be relying heavily on those guys."

Lee has already said a couple of veteran starters, Kim Kwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong, will be asked to pitch in relief. But he suggested Wednesday he won't pull anyone else out of their comfort zone.

"I went over this issue with my coaches, and we will be careful with the usage of our pitchers," Lee said. "We're not going to ask pitchers to suddenly do things they haven't done before. It won't be easy on them."

Lee said a few tweaks to the tournament rules will force him to be creative. The WBC will follow major league rules on extra innings, and from the 10th inning on, the team at bat will have an automatic runner on second base. Previously, teams had runners on first and second base starting with the 11th inning.

"I will tell the players that basically, we'll have to consider laying down the bunt in those situations," Lee said. "But a lot of factors will come into play. We have to consider who's due up in our lineup and who's pitching for the other team."

Also following a big league rule adopted in 2020, the WBC will require pitchers to face a minimum three batters in an appearance or pitch to the end of a half-inning, with exceptions granted for injuries and illnesses. This is in addition to the existing pitch count limits: 65 pitches per game in the first round, 80 pitches per game in the quarterfinals, and 95 pitches per game in the semifinals and the final.

If a pitcher throws 50 or more pitches, he must not pitch until at least four days have passed. If someone tosses at least 30 pitches in a game, then he must have at least one day of break before taking the mound again.

"In the worst-case scenario, the game could be over in an extra inning if a pitcher walks three straight batters," Lee said. "And if someone goes over the limit, we won't be able to use him the next day. That's huge. There are so many things we have to keep in mind. We'll have to find the perfect timing to make pitching changes."

While his brain may be churning, Lee said he had a simple message to his team: don't get hurt.

"At this moment, it doesn't really mean much to talk about improving techniques or getting into better shape," Lee said. "The key is to get the players to play to the best of their abilities in the given situation. We're not such a bad team. I think we should have a good tournament."

South Korea is in Pool B against Australia, Japan, the Czech Republic and China. All round-robin games will be at Tokyo Dome, and the top two teams after four games apiece will reach the quarterfinals.

The first game is March 9 against Australia, a contest that Lee and his players have long dubbed a must-win affair.

Lee, who traveled to Australia last month to see potential Australian national team players in action during the Australian Baseball League (ABL) season, said he wasn't too surprised with Australia's final roster.

"They just concluded their domestic season earlier this month, and after a little bit of rest, they will be playing at the WBC still in great form," Lee said. "It's the exact opposite for our players because they're just getting ready for the new season. Perhaps this will work in Australia's favor."

Lee said Aaron Whitefield, one of two Australian players with major league experience, is one of three hitters to keep an eye on, and added he was also wary of some base-stealing threats on that team.

"All it takes is one play and things can change in a hurry in a tournament like this," Lee said. "We can't let our guard down. I am sure Australia is preparing for us just as thoroughly as we're preparing for them."

Lee said putting on the national team jersey and getting the camp started finally made him realize the WBC was around the corner.

"I can sense that the players have a lot of pride," Lee said. "And we have coaches who've played at WBCs before, and the vibe on the field was pretty good too. I learn from those coaches."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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