BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : No Interpreter for Park During Games

The Dodgers know where they want Chan Ho Park to be. Don Yi, they are not so sure of.

Park, the rookie right-hander from South Korea, will be on the mound quite a bit this season if he lives up to the promise he has shown thus far.

But because Park has difficulty speaking English, Yi, a computer engineer who lives locally, has been recruited to serve as Park’s interpreter.

That’s fine for pregame and postgame situations. But during the game, Park is on his own.

“We are going to try to get along without him (Yi),” Manager Tom Lasorda said. “We have to. We can’t have him out there.”

Certainly not on the mound or in the bullpen. For now, Yi, who wears a uniform and works out with the team before the game, sits in the clubhouse once the first pitch is thrown.

And where would he like to sit?

“I don’t have a preference,” said Yi, then adding, “I would like to be pitching.”

*

For the first two games of this home stand, four members of a Korean television station based in Seoul and about 15 local Korean journalists have been on hand to follow Park. . . . Backup catcher Carlos Hernandez won’t be going on the disabled list after all. Hernandez experienced a lot of discomfort Monday after straining his lower back while running before the season opener. “It wasn’t looking too good (Monday) night,” he said. “Big pain. But the trainers did a great job.” Hernandez took batting practice Tuesday and declared himself available for duty.