Aussie pitcher in S. Korean team to join his national squad for WBC

SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- An Australian pitcher playing for a South Korean
baseball club has been allowed to join his national team for the World Baseball
Classic (WBC) slated for March, a club official said Thursday.

Left-hander Brad Thomas, 32, of the Daejeon-based Hanhwa Eagles will compete in
Australia's preliminary round in Mexico after the club's pre-season training camp
in Hawaii. He recorded 10 wins with an ERA of 3.93 last season.
"Manager Kim In-shik and the team decided to let Thomas join his national team at
the WBC tournament," the official said.
Sixteen nations divided into four regional groups will vie in the preliminaries
from March 5-12 for the top eight spots. The final round of the WBC, organized by
U.S. Major League Baseball in 2006, is scheduled to start on March 14 in San
Diego.
Other foreign athletes playing in South Korea -- including Mexican outfielder
Gustavo Karim Garcia of Busan-based Lotte Giants and Australian pitcher Chris
Oxpring of Seoul-based LG Twins -- will also join their national teams for the
international sporting event.
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