Daily Dodger Notes
March 12, 2009
L.A. Dodgers Spring Training Notes March 12, 2009
Spring Game 14 Team Korea at LOS ANGELES
Glendale, AZ.
Home Game 6
Spring Training Notes Thursday, March 12, 2009
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY: The Dodgers today play host to Team Korea from the World Baseball Classic in an exhibition exhibition. This game does not count toward Cactus League standings, nor will players' stats count toward the circuit’s leaderboard. That being said, there's still some work to do. Left-hander Randy Wolf makes his third start of the spring, his fourth if you count his March 2 “B” game start against the Brewers. Left fielder Manny Ramirez makes his first game appearance of the spring as the designated hitter after arriving in camp last Thursday.
THE RANCH GOES GLOBAL: Today’s game is being broadcast live in South Korea on the television station WBCI/X sports. Game time in Korea is 5:05 a.m. on Friday.
THE DODGER CONNECTION: There have been 13 South Korea-born players in Major League Baseball, and three have donned a Dodger uniform: Hee-Seop Choi, Chan Ho Park, Jae Weong Seo. Choi batted .238 (91-for-382) with 20 doubles, 15 homers, and 48 RBI in 164 games from 2004-05. Seo went 2-4 with a 5.78 ERA (43 ER/67.0 IP) in 19 games (10 starts) in 2006. Park went 84-58 with a 3.77 ERA (536 ER/1279.0 IP) in nine seasons from 1994-2001 and 2008.
He returned to the Dodgers in 2008 after six seasons away from the organization, and he went 4-4 with two saves and 3.40 ERA in 54 games (fives) to help the Dodgers to their first National League Championship Series appearance since 1988. Park won 75 games from 1997-2001, the most of any Dodger pitcher in that five-year span. His 84 wins as a Dodger overall rank 13th in club history since the team moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn. Park signed a one-year deal with the Phillies on January 6.
MORE DODGER CONNECTIONS: Hall of Fame Manager and Special Advisor to the Chairman Tommy Lasorda hosted clinics and lectures in Korea in 1981. In 1990, the Dodgers hosted the team presidents for the Korean Baseball Professional League for a baseball workshop and seminar. On September 9, 1990, the Dodgers became the first Major League team to have a game broadcast in the Korean language in the United States. In 1994, Chan Ho Park became the first Korean to play in the Major Leagues. In 1995, the Hanyang University baseball team from Korea visited Dodgertown in Vero Beach during Spring Training. In 1999, the Dodgers entered into a working agreement with the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization. The Twins visited and trained at Dodgertown in 2000.
TOMMY BALL: Hall of Fame Manager and Special Advisor to the Chairman Tommy Lasorda today will throw out the ceremonial pitch prior to the game with Team Korea. Lasorda is known around the world as baseball’s greatest ambassador, a title he officially solidified in 2006 during the inaugural World Baseball Classic. He again was named an ambassador for the WBC this year. Tommy has traveled to 22 different countries promoting the game of baseball, including the home country of today’s exhibition opponent, South Korea. Over the past few weeks, he has been traveling the globe to help promote the World Baseball Classic, including stops in Toronto, San Juan, and Miami. In the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, he managed the underdog Team USA squad to a Gold Medal, a feat he considers among the proudest moments of his career.
LOOK AT THE ROSTER: The Dodgers today reassigned to minor league camp right-handers Travis Chick and Scott Strickland, bringing to 54 the number of players in big league camp. That total excludes the injured infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr. and includes right-hander Jonathan Broxton and infielder Luis Maza, both of whom are away from camp participating in the WBC. Among the 54 players are 28 pitchers, including 16 right-handers and 12 left-handers. Of the 28 pitchers, eight are non-roster invitees.
CLASS-IC ACT: The Dodgers today welcome back to camp catcher Russell Martin and non-roster outfielder Valentino Pascucci. Martin played for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, and he went 2-for-9 (.222) with a double, homer, RBI, and three runs scored in two games as our neighbors to the north went 0-2 in the double-elimination opening round. Pascucci, meanwhile, went 1-for-6 (.167) with three walks in two games for a Team Italy squad that went 1-2 and did not make it out of first-round play. Right-hander Jonathan Broxton (Team USA) and non-roster infielder Luis Maza (Team Venezuela) are the only Dodgers still participating in the WBC, however, minor league catcher Kenley Jansen played a key role for Team Netherlands, which upset the Dominican Republic twice.
A TRUE CLASSIC: The semifinals and final of the second WBC will take place at Dodger Stadium from March 21-23. Tickets are still available, and can be purchased at www.worldbaseballclassic.com or www.dodgers.com
RANDY JUST DANDY: Left-hander Randy Wolf today makes his fourth start of the spring, a total that includes a March 2 “B” game against the Brewers. The 32-year-old, who signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers on February 6, is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/5.0 IP) in two Cactus League starts. He gave up just one hit in those games, while striking out three and walking two. In that March 2 “B” contest, Wolf allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in 2.0 innings.
Y’ALL READY FOR THIS?: Left-fielder Manny Ramirez, who signed a two-year deal with the Dodgers on March 4, today makes his first game appearance of the spring. Ramirez, who hit .396 (74-for-187) with 17 homers and 53 RBI in 53 regular-season games in a Dodger uniform in 2008, helped lead the team to the National League West Division Championship, a sweep of the Cubs in the Division Series, and its first National League Championship Series appearance since 1988. Ramirez’s 21 homers as a Dodger from August 1 through the postseason were the most by any player on the team for the entire season, one more than Andre Ethier’s 20.
JUST WIN: The Dodgers Women’s Initiatives Network (DodgersWIN) will present a baseball clinic at Camelback Ranch – Glendale on Saturday, March 28. Dodger legends Maury Wills, Ron Cey, Don Newcombe, Mike Davis, and Bob Welch will lead the two-hour clinic, which will take place immediately following the afternoon’s 1:05 p.m. Dodgers-White Sox Spring Training game. Fans can sign up for this special opportunity at dodgers.com/WIN. Additional information is available by calling 323-224-2646.
posted by Administrator on 3/12/2009 3:53:08 PM
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