Lee Seung-yuop on preliminary roster for World Baseball Classic

SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's baseball governing body released its
tentative roster on Monday for next year's World Baseball Classic (WBC)
tournament, including top slugger Lee Seung-yuop of Japan's Yomiuri Giants.
Although Lee has publicly brushed aside the likelihood of his playing on the
national squad in the 16-nation tournament that begins in March next year,
Manager Kim In-sik said the coaching staff nonetheless hopes Lee will change his
mind.
"Things could change, so we decided to put him on the list for now," Kim said at
the Korean Baseball Organization, announcing the 45-man roster that also includes
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Park Chan-ho and right-hander Baek Cha-seung of the
San Diego Padres.
Lee, 32, who plays first base for the Giants, has said he will not compete on
the South Korean squad in the WBC because he wants to focus on his training to
make up for his poor performance during Japan's post-season race.
South Korea will face Taiwan in the March 6 opener of the WBC, in which Japan is
the reigning champion. The tournament, launched four years ago by a number of
associations, will be jointly held in several countries.
(END)
Download