Tokyo: Dane Dunning made a strong first impression in his South Korea pitching debut Tuesday with a scoreless outing in the team's final exhibition game against the Orix Buffaloes in Japan before the World Baseball Classic (WBC). However, the five national team pitchers that followed him weren't able to match Dunning's quality, creating a tighter game than anticipated, culminating in an 8-5 victory for South Korea.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea is now set to travel to Tokyo, with their first Pool C contest scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday against Czechia at Tokyo Dome. Dunning, one of three U.S.-born players of Korean descent participating in the WBC, showcased his skills with 136 big league games experience. He kept the Orix Buffaloes scoreless over three innings, allowing only three hits and striking out one.
The 31-year-old right-hander began his outing by giving up a leadoff single to Yuma Mune but quickly retired the next three batters, including a strikeout of the No. 3 hitter Kotaro Kurebayashi. In the second inning, Dunning allowed a one-out double to Taishi Hirooka but stranded him at second base by inducing a groundout and a flyout.
In the third inning, Dunning faced challenges due to a throwing error by shortstop Kim Ju-won and a fielding error by second baseman Kim Hye-seong, which put runners at the corners with no outs. Kim Hye-seong redeemed himself with an over-the-shoulder catch on a pop fly, followed by two more outs that ended the threat.
South Korea's manager Ryu Ji-hyun had intended for Dunning to pitch two to three innings using around 45 pitches. Dunning exceeded expectations by completing his three innings with only 37 pitches. Dunning expressed his satisfaction with the game plan and praised catcher Park Dong-won for his adept pitch calls.
Under WBC eligibility rules, players can represent the country of birth for one of their parents. Dunning, whose mother is from South Korea, expressed his pride in representing her country and his excitement to participate after missing the previous WBC due to injury.
South Korea took an early 6-0 lead in the second inning before the bullpen took over in the fourth. Left-hander Song Seung-ki struggled, walking the first batter and allowing a two-run single. Right-hander Go Woo-suk attempted to stabilize the situation but walked in a run, narrowing the lead to 6-3.
Go managed to retire the next four batters, but Kim Young-kyu, another lefty, also faced difficulties. He issued a walk and was rescued by a double play. Jo Byeong-hyeon, South Korea's fifth pitcher, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning, while You Yeong-chan allowed two runs in the eighth, tightening the score to 7-5.
South Korea's plan to cover nine innings with six pitchers was disrupted, forcing manager Ryu Ji-hyun to call on Japanese independent league pitchers to secure the final outs. Ryu thanked these pitchers for preserving the win but did not address the bullpen's struggles.
"Over the past two days, I was able to get a closer look at our pitchers," Ryu stated. "We'll do our work tomorrow and get ready for our first game on Thursday."