Right-hander wants to focus on winning rotation spot with Phils

real time posted:Tuesday, January 13, 2009 11:58:00 PM

When Chan Ho Park said he really wanted to land the fifth spot in the Phillies' starting rotation shortly after finalizing his contract, it turns out he really meant it.

So much so that he's going to skip playing for South Korea in the World Baseball Classic to better prepare himself for Spring Training in Clearwater, Fla.

Park, who finalized a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Phils last week, said Tuesday he is leaving his home country's national team to focus on trying to become a starter for Philadelphia, The Associated Press is reporting.

The 35-year-old Park will be competing against Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ and Carlos Carrasco, among others, for a spot on the Phillies' starting staff. Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer will make up the other four spots.

"I'm very sorry to my fans and the people who wanted me to play in the [Classic]," said Park, who was speaking at a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, and briefly left the podium after breaking into tears. "I won't be playing for the national team any more.

"As I'm going to the Phillies, I will do my best there to achieve my goal of becoming a starter."

In 2008 with the Dodgers, Park went 4-4 with a 3.40 ERA in 54 games -- four starts. In those starts, he posted a 2.16 ERA. For his 15-year career, the 6-foot-2 right-hander sports a 4.34 ERA as a starter (280 games) and a 4.44 ERA as a reliever (98 games).