Nat'l baseball team stars stress importance of 1st game at Olympic qualifying tournament

SUWON, South Korea, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- The batterymates for South Korea at the upcoming Olympic baseball qualifying tournament spoke Friday on the importance of the first game.

Kia Tigers' left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong and NC Dinos' catcher Yang Eui-ji were among nine national team players from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) who reported to the first national team training in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. They're gearing up for the Nov. 6-8 Premier12, which will double as the qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Those still playing in the KBO postseason will join the national team at the end of this month.

South Korea will host Australia, Cuba and Canada in Group C action at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

Yang Eui-ji, who won his first batting title this year with a .354 batting average, knows all too well what losing the first game in a tournament can do.

He was the starting backstop at the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC), when Gocheok Sky Dome was also the venue for the preliminary round. South Korea dropped the opening game to Israel 2-1 and failed to make it out of the group stage.

"Back at the 2017 WBC, everything went awry after we lost to Israel," he said. "So the first game (against Australia on Nov. 6) will be really crucial. We have to be prepared for that. We don't want to have another disastrous tournament at Gocheok."

Yang Hyeon-jong, the 2019 ERA champion with a 2.29 mark, said the goal is to win every game, with a particular focus on the first one.

"For now, I'll concentrate on the first game," said Yang, who could get the nod for the opener. "Then I will think about upcoming games later."

The 30-year-old workhorse threw 184 2/3 innings in 2019, his fifth consecutive year of throwing at least 180 in the 144-game schedule. His Tigers missed the postseason, and Yang said he enjoyed some time off with his family.

Now it's back to work.

"It's always exciting to be with the national team," he said. "I think all national team players are obligated to play well and win."

There are three groups of four nations at the Premier12. The top two countries from each group will advance to the Super Round, to be played in Japan.

In order to qualify for the Olympics, South Korea must reach the Super Round and also finish ahead of Australia and Chinese Taipei, its two rivals from the Asia/Oceania region. Japan is assured of a place in the Olympics as the host nation.

South Korea won the last Olympic gold medal in baseball in Beijing 11 years ago. Current national team manager Kim Kyung-moon was at the helm at the time too.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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