Korean players warm up before a practice session at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 11, ahead of exhibition baseball games against Japan in Tokyo. [YONHAP]

Korean players warm up before a practice session at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 11, ahead of exhibition baseball games against Japan in Tokyo. [YONHAP]

 
Korea’s upcoming pair of exhibition baseball games against Japan may not mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but manager Ryu Ji-hyun said Tuesday he still wants to beat the country’s sporting rival and snap a long losing streak.
 
The KBO scheduled four games for the national team this month to help Ryu’s squad prepare for next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC). Korea defeated the Czech Republic in back-to-back games over the weekend — a 3-0 win that featured 17 strikeouts by seven pitchers on Saturday, followed by an 11-1 rout that saw the lineup explode for 17 hits, including four doubles and a home run.
 
Ryu’s team will travel to Tokyo on Wednesday for two games against Japan at the Tokyo Dome on the weekend. The first game will begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and the next contest will start at 7 p.m. Sunday.
 
The games against the Czechs were seen as an opportunity for KBO stars on the national team to shake off cobwebs and get their feel back after the end of their domestic league regular season or postseason. And before a practice session at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Tuesday, Ryu said his players are fully ready for a new challenge against Japan.
 
“Of course, we will absolutely try to win any game against Japan,” Ryu said. “In our meeting before practice today, I told the players that I think they are in great form and they should be able to put up a good fight against Japan. The vibe here is great and the players are really fired up.”
 
Korea has lost nine consecutive games against Japan in pro-versus-pro competitions, including the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and 2023 WBC. Japan typically sends amateur or semipro players to the Asian Games. 
 
Korea manager Ryu Ji-hyun watches his players during a practice session at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 11, ahead of exhibition baseball games against Japan in Tokyo. [YONHAP]

Korea manager Ryu Ji-hyun watches his players during a practice session at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 11, ahead of exhibition baseball games against Japan in Tokyo. [YONHAP]

 
Ryu said he used the two games against the Czech Republic to give his relief pitchers some work — preparing to the extent that he had a predetermined order for bullpen arms.
 
Ryu said he will approach the two Japan games differently and added, “We will run the bullpen like we would in games that count.”
 
The Japanese national team will be without its MLB stars such as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers, just as Korea has been playing without its own big leaguers Lee Jung-hoo, Kim Hye-seong and Kim Ha-seong.
 
The Samurai Japan will instead be led by stars from the domestic Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), such as Yokohama DeNA BayStars infielder Shugo Maki, one of five players from the 2023 WBC championship squad on the current team, and Hanshin Tigers outfielder Shota Morishita, who finished second in NPB’s Central League this year with 23 home runs and 89 RBIs. The pitching staff features the reigning saves leaders from both the Central League and the Pacific League: Shinya Matsuyama of the Chunichi Dragons with 46 saves and Kaima Taira of the Saitama Seibu Lions with 31 saves. Lions left-hander Chihiro Sumida set new career bests with 10 wins and a 2.59 ERA this year, ranking eighth in the Pacific League in the latter category.
 
Korean players celebrate their 11-1 win over the Czech Republic in the teams' exhibition baseball game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 9. [YONHAP]

Korean players celebrate their 11-1 win over the Czech Republic in the teams’ exhibition baseball game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 9. [YONHAP]

 
“We have some pitchers who can dominate hitters with pure stuff and they all had a lot of success in the KBO,” Ryu said. “Now they will have a chance to see if their stuff will play against Japan.”
 
As for his hitters, Ryu said, “They have pitchers who can throw even harder than our pitchers, and they also have great command of breaking balls. If we learn how to attack those pitchers now, it will help us at the WBC next year.”
 
Korea, Japan and the Czech Republic are all in Pool C at the WBC, alongside Australia and Chinese Taipei. Korea failed to make it out of the preliminary stage at each of the past three WBC tournaments.

Yonhap