Taipei, March 11 (CNA) Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre held a press conference Thursday in which he praised Taiwanese baseball players for their toughness and said his visiting team will do its best in the three exhibition games it will play here.
The Dodgers' much-anticipated visit started with the press conference for around 100 reporters after Torre and 33 Dodgers players arrived in Taipei late that day.
An all-star team from Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is scheduled to play the Dodgers at Taipei's Tienmu Stadium March 12 and 13 and at Kaohsiung's Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium March 14.
With star hitter Manny Ramirez not in attendance, all eyes were on the well-known veteran manager, who has managed three Taiwanese players -- former Yankees pitcher Wang Chien-ming, who is now with the Washington Nationals, and Kuo Hong-chih and Hu Ching-lung with the Dodgers -- in his career.
"Taiwanese players are not only special in their ability, but also in the way they compete. They are always tough and determined, " said Torre.
Torre described the injured Wang as a special young man and he expressed hope that he will fully recover. Kuo, who has had four operations on his elbows, became one of the most trusted players on staff, while Hu also showcased his talent when he briefly replaced injured shortstop Rafael Furcal last year, Toree went on.
The Dodgers split squad includes 13 players on the MLB roster. Torre announced in Los Angeles Tuesday that left-hander Eric Stults and right-hander Josh Towers will start in the first two games, with Kuo starting in the third.
Responding to a question of why the Dodgers decided to visit Taiwan, Torre said the decision was made in large part because of the two Taiwanese players on the squad.
It also has to do with the team's tradition, as the Dodgers have always been willing to innovate and explore or initiate exchanges with other parts of the world, evidenced by its 1947 signing of Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier in the big league.