May 6 -- RETHINKING PARK'S PLACE

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- From the moment he signed with the Phillies in December, Chan Ho Park made his intentions crystal clear.

He wanted to be a starting pitcher.

And Park wasn't shy about his motivation either. You see, Park was the first South Korean to play in the majors, and when he was winning games and pitching well for the Dodgers from 1997 through 2001, his success was a great source of pride in his country. Fans would wake up in the middle of the night to watch him pitch on live television. He was a national hero. But over the past few years, with Park struggling to stay in the majors and then pitching in the Dodgers' bullpen last season, it has been harder for Koreans to follow him. Believing he can still be an effective starter, Park was determined to win the final spot in the Phillies' rotation, and during spring training, he edged out J.A. Happ.

So, after four largely dreadful performances, the significance of tonight's game isn't lost on Park. If he pitches well against the Mets, he'll earn himself another start. If he doesn't, it's entirely possible that Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee will decide to go with Happ when Park's spot in the rotation comes around again. Neither Manuel nor Dubee will stay that publicly, but they've dropped not-so-subtle hints that their patience with Park is wearing thin.

"There comes a time when he has to pitch better, and there also comes a time when we have to evaluate our pitching and determine where we go from there," Manuel said yesterday. "I'm not saying it's a life-or-death thing, but I think it's important for him to start pitching better than he has been."

From the start, my perception of this situation was that Manuel and Dubee preferred Park in the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever who could help bridge the gap to Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge and take some burden off Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey. But Ruben Amaro Jr. promised Park the chance to compete for the No. 5 starter job, and wouldn't you know it, Park won it. The Phillies couldn't exactly go back on that promise.

Things are different now, though. Park admittedly is pitching without much confidence. He has lost his aggressiveness. He isn't throwing inside, and when he leaves the ball over the plate, hitters are teeing off. Last Friday, he gave up seven runs on eight hits and six walks against the Mets. He has permitted 39 base runners (28 hits, 11 walks) in 21 innings and has a woeful 8.75 ERA. Happ, meanwhile, has pitched well in a long relief role that he viewed as a disappointing consolation prize for not being named the No. 5 starter. He has started throughout his minor-league career and pitched well in two September starts against the Braves last season.

So, clearly, Park needs to pitch well tonight, for the Phillies and for himself.

"I've got to be confident," Park told me the other day in St. Louis. "When you have confidence, you trust yourself and don't give hitters too much credit. That's the kind of thing that's going to make you pitch positive. You have to be positive and be aggressive."

Think he can do it?