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After second meeting of the coach staff, Manager Kim In-shik released the 60-men preliminary roster for the World Baseball Classic next March.
The roster includes 26 pitchers, six catchers and 28 fielders. No amateur players was selected, but there are nine players which belong to USA and Japan Team, include Bong Jung of Cincinnati Reds, Byung-Hyun Kim, Sun-Woo Kim of the Colorado Rockies, Hee-Seop Choi of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shin-Soo Choo of Seattle Mariners, Chan-Ho Park of San Diego Padres, Jae-weong Seo and Koo Dae-sung of New York Mets, and Seung-yeop Lee of Chiba Lotte Marines.
Some big local star did not make in the list, include Song Jin-woo of the Hanwha Eagles, Shim Chong-soo of the Samsung Lions, who is recovering from a shoulder operation.
Kim, also the manager of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Hanwha Eagles, said the final 30-men roster would will be confirmed through several more staff meetings and be determined on Jan. 9. The list is officially due on Jan. 16 for the preliminary and Mar. 2 for the final.
“We are the ones to pick up the players but persuading them to participate is up to the KBO,” Kim said. As for foreign-based players, “I hope they will do their best, as representatives of South Korea.”
Prior to the first round with Japan, Taiwan and China on March 3-5 in Tokyo Dome, South Korea is scheduled to have training with Japan in Fukuoka from Feb. 20, before leaving for Tokyo on Feb. 28 and having a practice game with the Lotte Marines, Japanese series champion, on Mar. 1.
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