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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: ROUND ONEMarch 5, 2006In-Sik KimDae-Sung KooSeung-Youp LeeJin-Young LeeChan-Ho ParkPOOL A: TOKYO, JAPAN Q. As you hoped, you came in and you won all three games, even against a tough Japan team. What was the key to Korea for this tournament and for tonight's game? IN-SIK KIM: More than anything else, our pitchers did so well. Japan had a lot of mobility, they can run fast, and they had good batters. I'm sure they have been showing good batting, but we were able to prevent that today because we had great pitchers who would not let the Japanese batters hit. The outfielder, Lee Jin Young, our right fielder, he made a beautiful catch and that was a very big element for us. Q. You'll have to play the U.S. in the next round or at some point, have you done anything to scout their team and do you know what they can put together? IN-SIK KIM: Well, we have seen America. I've seen a lot of baseball games on TV, like we see like five or six Major League games a week. I have a few impressions from those TV baseball games. I've seen a lot of those Major Leaguers play. I have a certain amount of information. Maybe I need more details. Our researchers are currently in America to get more information. We need some more detailed, precise information at the moment. We will be getting them, though. I know Major Leaguers are so tough and so strong and that they are so wonderful. Q. Can you comment on the situation of your home run, how did you hit the ball? JIN YOUNG LEE: I didn't swing that hard, it was good timing. I think I hit the ball at the tip of the bat. If I swing too hard, it would have been a foul ball. So I did pretty well. It was one ball and three strikes, and the pitcher pitched high, up. So if it was dead in the middle, maybe I wouldn't swing. Q. We know you when you were pitching with the Japanese pitcher, Nomo, (ph), but today you had great breaking balls, when did you change so much? Do you have a reason for this big change of style? CHAN HO PARK: For today's game -- is this question for today's game? Q. During the three games, I mean, including last year's Major League games, as well. CHAN HO PARK: Well, yes, I was good at throwing a fastball ever since I was a kid. After I went to the Major Leagues, I could go over there because I could throw fastballs. I think that's the reason I could become a Major Leaguer. But on the other hand, the reason I did well in the Major League was that I could throw curves, fastballs, changeup and I could use those different types of balls for this Asian round. Looking back over several years of my play, well, the big point for this Asian round is that I'm very healthy, so healthy that I can use fastballs again; and I have self-confidence in me, and that was a positive element. Q. When you hit a home run, I think it was a slider, were you waiting for a slider? JIN YOUNG LEE: It was one strike, two balls, and it was a fastball. It was not a strike. I was hoping the next one was a breaking ball. In Japan, a lot of pitchers use breaking balls in that kind of situation. So the experience that I had in Japan, really, I was lucky because I could use my experience. Q. You pitched a ball against a right-handed batter, and your ball went to the outside, was that a change-up or a sinker and were you very motivated to face Japanese batters? DAE-SUNG KOO: I've been playing in Japan for four years, so I've thrown those kind of balls before, and I knew some Japanese batters. So it was not easy for me to pitch against those batters that I knew, because they knew me, too. So I wanted to do the opposite of what they might be anticipating, and luckily, it worked out. When I through to the outside, I used a fastball, fastball, fastball, change-up, and the mixture of these kinds of pitching worked out. Q. When you left Japan, it was a very troubled ending and today you had a great victory, how did you feel about that, coming back on such a high note? DAE-SUNG KOO: Well, as a remember I represented the National Team, when I represented the National Team, it's been like 20 years. Whenever I played against Japan, I never lost by more than three runs, even when I was an amateur, so I was always confident when I played against Japan. I have a feeling that Japanese batters are having trouble hitting my balls. Q. In the ninth inning, you have other relief pitchers, but you used Park Chan Ho, tell us the reason you did that. IN-SIK KIM: We had Oh Seung Hwan , he's a relief pitcher. But in terms of international games and past experience, when I think about those factors, and another thing, the Japan team is so wonderful, Park was better than Oh Seung Hwan because he's been pitching in very big games and he had more experience. If Oh Seung Hwan didn't pitch today -- if Park didn't pitch today, we would use him in the first practice match after we go to the United States. I was observing the game very carefully today, and I decided during the game that my last pitcher should be Park, because he's a great veteran pitcher for Korea, and I thought he was the man for that scene. Q. Before the Asian round, Ichiro said they were going to really show a great victory so that other teams would think that they can't win against Japan for 30 years, did this comment of Ichiro affect you? Ichiro commented that they are going to show us a big win so that other teams would think that they can't win against Japan for the next 30 years. How did this comment of Ichiro affect you? SEUNG YEOP LEE: Well, it didn't affect me. We know that Japan has a long history and that we knew that we needed a great deal of effort to win against Japan. It was like that when I was an amateur and it's still the same. Ichiro is a great Major League player. For this Asian round, I really wanted to see how great he is, and many young Korean players were drafted for the Army. So I just wanted to win today's game so that younger players in Korea can spend a lot of time having a chance to play baseball in the future. I think today's victory means a lot for younger Korean baseball players. I wish they will keep on playing baseball. Q. Obviously most of the fans in the stands tonight were pulling for the Japanese team but you seemed to have a group of Korean fans in the left field stands and I wondered if they inspired you tonight, and also, do you plan to take them with you to the United States. IN-SIK KIM: Yes, I appreciate all of the support from the Korean fans. Well, we didn't win just because of the Korean fans. We always have our fans supporting our team in the domestic league. Yes, I appreciate that, but to think that they came all the way to Tokyo to support us, I really want to thank them so much. However, I don't think it's very practical for me to think that they will all come to America for us. But, sure, if they can afford to, it will be wonderful for us. But when you go to the United States, I'm sure there are Korean people over there, so I hope they will support us. Q. I think you changed the bat from the one you used last season, did you change because it's the WBC, or do you have another reason? SEUNG YEOP LEE: No, I've been using SSK (ph) for two years, and then I switched my team and I decided to change my equipment. I decided to use a new bat for the new season and the new team. For this season, I'm using this now. Q. I heard you have influenza, how is your physical condition today? JIN YOUNG LEE: Well, yes, the day before our Chinese Taipei game, I wasn't feeling too good due to influenza. In the Chinese Taipei match, I was having a real tough time. I couldn't quite do the practice at the practice session, and that's why I was DH. So I took it easy, and tried not to be too stiff in the batter's box, and I did well. I had no trouble today, for today's game. Q. Lee Jin Young did a beautiful catch and when you played against Chinese Taipei, your team also showed a beautiful catch, what do you think is the reason your team could come up with such beautiful defense, and how did you do that? IN-SIK KIM: As for Lee Jin Young, within the country of Korea, he is a very fast runner as an outfielder, and he's a good batter and he has a strong shoulder. So when we face a left-handed pitcher, I will use him as a designated hitter. When the game was tense, I kept on using him. At the end of the game, I knew that he was capable to field the outfield, also. Q. The ball you're using in this Asian round, is it very similar to the ball you use during the Major League season, or is it very different in? It looked like it doesn't fly so well when the batters hit it; what do you think? CHAN HO PARK: The ball I'm using in the Major Leagues I think is almost the same thing. However, Korean, domestic players, needed some time to adjust to the new type of ball. If I were to talk about the difference of the ball, the ball we use in Korea and in Japan, it's a little -- it's like a little oily. It's like you can get a good grip of it. But in America, the ball is rather dry, so it's slippery. I have to adjust to that. But during the practice session, I got used to it. I didn't have much trouble with the new ball.
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