Olympic champions South Korea insist a potential row over Cleveland Indians outfielder Choo Shin-soo will not derail their World Baseball Classic bid.
Choo is recovering from elbow surgery and Cleveland do not want him to play more than one game as an outfielder in the Asian preliminaries which begin in Tokyo today.
The 26-year-old faced around 30 balls in batting practice on Wednesday before South Korea coach Kim In-sik was grilled for not standing up to the Indians.
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
“He’s obviously a special case,” Kim told reporters two days before his side face Taiwan in their Asian preliminary opener. “I would like to have full control and make the final decision.”
“But regarding his participation — and to what degree he participates — in the WBC, we also have to consider the wishes of the club who pay his wages,” he said.
As Korean journalists continued to grumble that Kim should assert his authority, the head coach said: “Choo will still need to pass a fitness test to see if he can play anyway.”
PHOTO: AP
Choo could be limited to designated hitting duties against Taiwan at the Tokyo Dome.
“Choo could still play a role even if he’s not fit enough to play defense,” Kim said. “Anyway we’ve prepared well so the team is in excellent shape.”
South Korea compiled a 6-1 record in the inaugural WBC tournament in 2006, beating Japan twice before losing to their fierce rivals in their third meeting in the semi-finals.
Japan won the competition with a 5-2 record, triggering protests from South Korea and beyond about the rules, which have since been amended.
“Rules are rules,” Kim shrugged. “We’ll play by whatever rules are there. The strike zone is a little different and the ball is slightly different but we just have to deal with it.”
South Korea took bronze in 2006 before gaining revenge by beating Japan in the semi-finals at last year’s Beijing Olympics on the way to winning the gold medal.
“We were third in 2006 and we had a dream result at the Olympics,” Kim said.
“Our goal is to go all the way but first we have to take care of business and get to the second round,” he said.
■TIGERS SNAP UP CHENG
AFP, TOKYO
Taiwanese pitcher Cheng Kai-wen has signed a contract to play for the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Central League, team officials said yesterday.
The 20-year-old student at Chinese Culture University is a member of Taiwan’s 28-player squad for the World Baseball Classic. He was one of three amateurs on Taiwan’s team at last year’s Olympic Games.
“I’m really happy to play for one of the strong teams in Japan,” said Cheng, who passed an ability test last month.
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with