By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
Injured veteran shortstop Park Jin-man has been taken off the final roster for the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
South Korean manager Kim In-sik announced Monday his 28 players, but, unexpectedly, did not include the defense-savvy player.
``It was impossible to keep Park, who has been plagued by a sore shoulder, on the squad,'' Kim, 62, told the reporters.
The boss had expressed his desire to use him in the second round, despite his lingering injury, during the team practice in Hawaii.
He asked the WBC organizing committee if he can swap an injured player before the regional preliminary round, scheduled on March 5 in Tokyo, Japan.
But he said, ``It is not certain if we will advance to the second round. We need to focus on the upcoming event first.''
With Park off the entry, Lotte Giants shortstop Park Ki-hyuk will replace him in the position, and third basemen Choi Jeong of the SK Wyverns and Lee Bum-ho of the Hanwha Eagles ― one of whom was expected to drop out if Park remained ― now stay with the national team.
``Frankly speaking, I did not expect to be excluded because people have said they are awaiting my recovery,'' said Park, who has played for the Korean team since the Bangkok Asian Games in 1998.
``I was in really bad shape, so I felt heavy-hearted during team practice.''
Manager Kim has picked Son Si-hyun of the Doosan Bears and Na Ju-hwan of the Wyverns to replace injured players, while pitcher Kim Byung-hyun, who failed to join the squad after losing his passport, is completely off the national team roster.
Among the 28 players, only seven members ― Son Min-han, Bong Jung-keun, Chong Tae-hyon, Oh Seung-hwan, Kim Tae-kyun, Lee Jin-young and Lee Bum-ho― played at the first WBC in 2006.
Meanwhile, rivals Japan and Taiwan have also completed their team rosters.
The defending champion Japan has brought players in from the U.S. Major Leagues ― Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox, Kenji Johjima and Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners, Kosuke Fukudome of the Chicago Cubs and Akinori Iwamura of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Taiwanese team ― which failed to call up Kuo Hong-chih of the Los Angeles Dodgers ― is comprised of players from the domestic league.