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| ▲ Members of the South Korean Olympic baseball team pose for photos after beating the Kiwoom Heroes 2-1 in their final tuneup game before the Tokyo Olympics at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on July 25, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Kang Baek-ho of South Korea hits a solo home run against the Kiwoom Heroes in the top of the eighth inning of a pre-Olympic tuneup game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on July 25, 2021. (Yonhap) |
(Olympics) baseball-manager
(Olympics) Baseball manager determined to let action do talking in Tokyo
SEOUL, July 25 (Yonhap) -- With sports fans turning their backs on baseball over players' off-field problems of late, the national baseball team manager Kim Kyung-moon said Sunday he wants to give disgruntled supporters something to cheer about during the Tokyo Olympics.
South Korea beat the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) 2-1 in its final tuneup game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. The defending Olympic champion had earlier defeated Sangmu 9-0 and played the LG Twins to a 2-2 tie.
These games, and the national team's buildup to the Olympics, have taken place under the cloud of KBO players' misconduct. Several players have received long suspensions for violating social distancing rules with late-night drinking parties, with two of them, infielder Park Min-woo and pitcher Han Hyun-hee, withdrawing from the Olympic team.
After Sunday's game, Kim told reporters that it's up to ball players themselves to earn fans' trust back.
"I think now is the time for us to let our play on the ground do the talking," Kim said. "It's ultimately up to us to change the narrative."
Kim was also the manager at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when South Korea won the gold medal with a perfect 9-0 record.
"Back then, there wasn't a lot of pressure on us," Kim looked back. "Now we're the defending champion. And given what has happened recently in baseball here, there is more pressure (to play well)."
The national team will travel to Japan on Monday, and its first preliminary game is against Israel on Thursday.
"We're focusing only on that Israel game for now," Kim said. "It'd be nice to score a few runs early, but until our batters find their timing, we'll be playing some one-run games. Our pitchers are in pretty good form and we'll try to protect our leads the best we can."
South Korea's gold medal performance in Beijing inspired a generation of boys to pick up baseball. Some of those players are on the Olympic team, including slugging first baseman/designated hitter Kang Baek-ho.
"I am proud to be carrying those young players to the Olympics this year," Kim said. "If we do well in Tokyo, we should be able to inspire even more children."
As for his team's strength, Kim said, "I think we're the best in the world when it comes to team cohesion."
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