OSAKA, Five days after joining the South Korean national team for the World Baseball Classic (WBC), St. Louis Cardinals half-Korean star Tommy Edman finally got to play in a game for the country of his mother’s birth on Monday.
Though South Korea lost to the Orix Buffaloes 4-2 in an exhibition at Kyocera Dome Osaka, Edman still enjoyed the experience.
“It was very exciting to wear that uniform in an actual game and to represent a whole nation,” Edman said after putting on a smooth fielding clinic at second base and batting 0-for-4 at the plate. “It was a great feeling. Hopefully, we can win a lot of games for Korea in this tournament.”
Edman, the 2021 National League Gold Glove winner at second base, is representing South Korea under WBC’s loose eligibility rules. Players can represent the country of birth for one of their parents, even if those players themselves aren’t from there. Edman’s mother was born in South Korea and still has her Korean passport.
Edman is far from alone in that category. His Cardinals teammate Lars Nootbaar is representing Japan, and the two will go up against each other at 7 p.m. Friday in Tokyo, for the second Pool B game for both nations.
While Edman looked to be in midseason form on the field, he didn’t pick up a hit from the leadoff spot at the plate. He said he wasn’t too worried about adjusting to the different style of pitching than what he’s used to in the majors.
“All the Japanese pitchers throw splitters, and obviously a lot of offspeed pitches as well,” Edman said. “But it didn’t seem too different from what I’ve seen so far in spring training this year. I don’t think it will be too big of an adjustment.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency