The Ultimate Baseball Match of Korea and Japan

Hideki Matsui (New York Yankees), Kazuhiro Sasaki and Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners), …

Due to Japan`s decision to form a `Dream Team` for the Asian Region Preliminary Match to be held in this coming November for the 2004 Athens Olympics, its first direct match with the Korea`s `Dream Team` has been attracting a lot of attentions.

Japan has placed Nagashima Shigeo, the former director of Yomiuri, as the National Team`s Chief Manager, showing its intention of putting their utmost effort to overcome the humiliation it`s received from the many defeats from Korea. Starting from Bangkok Asian Games held in 1998, Japan has been defeated 6 times out of 7 games, showing inferiority in numbers. The only game that Japan won was during the 2001 Taiwan Baseball World Cup, in which Korea`s `Pro 1.5 Team` has participated.

Especially, even when they had Matsuzaka, `the Monster Pitcher`, it was defeated by Korea, losing their self-confidence. Thus it plans to mobilize all the major star players to participate in the regional preliminary matches in Sapporo, Japan for the Athens Olympic. Hideki Matsui (28 years old) who has successfully move up to the U.S.`s Major League, clearly stated on his contract during the negotiations with New York Yankees of his intention to participate in the regional preliminary match. Besides Matsui, it seems like Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki, who have already became the high level stars in the Major Leagues, will be participating in the preliminary match.

There is a high possibility that Korea will mobilize its Overseas Players. There are only two Olympic tickets assigned for the Asian Region. As usual, the competition over these tickets will be between the `Three Team Game` of Korea, Japan and Taiwan. However, since Japan is mobilizing its Best Members, it won`t be an easy team to defeat for Korea.

Therefore, besides Cha, Hee-Sup (Chicago Cubs) and Kim, Sun-Woo (Montreal Expos), the gold medallists of the Bangkok Asian Game in 1998, Bak, Chan-Ho (Texas Ranger) and Kim, Byeong-Hyeon (Arizona Diamondbacks) are most likely to be recalled to join the team. If so, this will be the first match between the Korea and Japan`s `Dream Teams` ever.

In the mean time, Matsui who received the Yankee`s Uniform had his joining ceremony at a hotel in New York with Manager Joe Torre and the Major Pitcher Roger Clemens on 15th. “I would like to try as hard as possible to be one of the team member of the New York Yankees”, stated Matsui who is receiving a special treatment of US $21 million for three years.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com