Seoul: In early preparations for next year's World Baseball Classic (WBC), South Korea is set to host the Czech Republic for a pair of exhibition baseball games in Seoul over the weekend. These games, scheduled at the Gocheok Sky Dome in the nation's capital, will begin at 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. They are part of the "K-Baseball Series," a new initiative launched in 2024 to provide the national team opportunities to compete against international teams during the offseason of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
According to Yonhap News Agency, the 2025 KBO season concluded on October 31, and the South Korean national team, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, commenced their training camp shortly thereafter. Players from the KBO's recent Korean Series finalists, the LG Twins and the Hanwha Eagles, joined the camp on Tuesday, following the rest of the national team by two days.
Following the exhibition games against the Czech Republic, the South Korean team is scheduled to head to Tokyo next week to face Japan in games on November 15 and 16 at the Tokyo Dome. These teams, along with the Czech Republic, Australia, and Chinese Taipei, comprise Pool C for the 2026 WBC. The top two teams from this group will progress to the subsequent stage of the tournament.
South Korea's recent history in the WBC has seen the team struggle to advance beyond the preliminary round in the past three tournaments (2013, 2017, and 2023), a stark contrast to their successful runs in 2006 and 2009, where they reached the semifinals and finished as runner-up, respectively. The current roster for the exhibition games includes 18 pitchers, three catchers, eight infielders, and five outfielders, featuring a mix of experienced KBO players and promising young talent.
Manager Ryu has appointed Doosan Bears' right-hander Gwak Been as the starting pitcher for Saturday's game. Gwak, who had a record of 5-7 with a 4.20 ERA in 19 starts this season, is returning from an oblique injury that sidelined him at the start of the year. While Gwak is the designated starter, Ryu plans to utilize as many pitchers as possible throughout the four exhibition games.
These games mark Ryu's debut as the national team manager. The former KBO player and manager was appointed to his national team role in January. Ryu has indicated that most players from the Twins and the Eagles, including notable names like All-Star third baseman Moon Bo-gyeong and veteran center fielder Park Hae-min, will be rested during the Czech games but are expected to participate in the upcoming matches against Japan.