Yoon Dong-hee of South Korea celebrates after hitting an RBI double against Japan during the teams’ Group B game at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 at Taipei Dome in Taipei, in this file photo from Nov. 15, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 17 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea and Japan will play exhibition baseball games in Tokyo in November, officials from the two countries announced Thursday.
The games between the longtime rivals will be played Nov. 15 and 16 at Tokyo Dome, according to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
The decision was announced at a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday, attended by KBO Commissioner Heo Koo-youn and South Korea manager Ryu Ji-hyun, alongside NPB Commissioner Sadayuki Sakakibara and Japan skipper Hirokazu Ibata.
The games will serve as tuneups for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) for both countries. South Korea and Japan will face each other in Pool C in March next year at Tokyo Dome.
Japan is world No. 1 and the defending WBC champion. South Korea has been eliminated in the first round at each of the past three WBC tournaments and has not recaptured the glory of its gold medal at the 2008 Olympics and a runner-up finish behind Japan at the 2009 WBC.
At the press conference, Heo said the pair of games will be a great opportunity for South Korea to measure itself against the best team in the world.
“Samurai Japan has long established itself as the strongest team in international baseball,” Heo said, referring to the Japanese national team by its popular moniker. “It has been a while since Korea defeated Japan in a tournament featuring professional players. We have a strong desire to prove ourselves once again at the WBC. To that end, these upcoming games against Japan will help us prepare for the WBC and allow us to identify what we have to do to be a force in international baseball once again.”
Sakakibara said South Korea, despite its recent string of poor showings, should still be considered “the toughest opponent” for Japan at the WBC.
“I am sure the exhibition games will be very intense,” Sakakibara said. “We will try to win our second straight WBC title, and these games will be very important for us. I hope our players will approach them like tournament games.”
Ryu will be making his South Korean managerial debut in the November exhibitions, having been named to the post in January. He had previously served on the national team coaching staff for several international competitions, including the 2006 and 2013 WBCs.
“I’ve coached against Japan for many years, and I think they have a great balance of finesse and power. They will certainly be a very difficult team to play against,” Ryu said. “But we will try to field our best team possible as well. Over the years, some of the young players in the KBO have taken big steps forward, and we will try to strike the right balance of youth and veteran savvy.”
Ibata said even though Japan has had South Korea’s number for a few years, he will not take the opponent lightly.
“Our wins over South Korea have not been easy,” the Japanese manager said. “I think they have strong players on their pitching staff and in the lineup. I know they will come after us hard. We will try to win both games even though they are exhibitions.
According to the KBO, the two games will also be part of its Team Korea Level Up Project, unveiled in July 2023, as the league seeks to schedule games against other countries to help strengthen the national team.
The KBO noted that 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Japan.
“As important as winning is, I hope these games will provide a special moment that allows the two countries to strengthen their friendship,” Heo said. “I also hope fans of both countries will cheer on their players to do well at the WBC next year.”
(Yonhap)
