How did 23-year-old Keisho Shirakawa beat out 56-game winner Eric Yokishi in the KBO to become Doosan’s choice?
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop spoke to reporters before the team’s game against the Suwon KT Wiz was rained out on Sept. 9 and explained how the team chose Shirakawa as a short-term replacement for Brandon Waddell.
After placing former ace Alcantara on waivers five days ago, Doosan has been looking for a short-term replacement for Brandon, who will be out for more than six weeks with a shoulder injury. The team signed Alcantara’s replacement, Jordan Balazovic, for a total of $250,000 (approx. 300 million won) on April 4, and then selected Shirakawa, a former Japanese Independent League ace who played for SSG for a short time, to replace Brandon.
The SSG Landers signed Shirakawa, a former Japanese Independent League ace, for a short-term six-week contract after existing foreigner Roenis Elias suffered a side injury, and he pitched better than expected, proving his domestic competitiveness. SSG officially announced the termination of Shirakawa’s contract on the afternoon of the 2nd, adding an attractive option to Doosan’s short-term need for a foreigner.
Shirakawa throws a fastball that reaches 150 kilometers per hour and has a sophisticated arsenal of pitches.
His changeup, which includes a slider, forkball, and curve, has sharp angles. Shirakawa’s six-week record is 2-2 with a 5.09 ERA in five games, with the exception of a brief setback on June 7 against the Sasak Lotte Giants (eight runs and seven earned in 1 1/3 innings). 카지노 커뮤니티 His weakness is that he has difficulty digesting a five-day rotation, but he has no visa issues and has adapted to the KBO’s 2024 season trend.
Instead of heading to his native Japan, Shirakawa stayed in Korea and spent the waiver period. He was captured on the broadcast screen on May 5, when he was seen trying to stop an excited Han Yu-seom during a bench-clearing incident in the Changwon SSG-NC game.
Shirakawa, who was placed on waivers by the KBO on March 3, was given one week to pick up his options in the reverse order of his standings at the time of the waiver announcement. Doosan’s ranking as of the third day was No. 4, and in principle, Doosan could only acquire him if No. 10 Kiwoom, No. 9 Hanwha, No. 8 KT, No. 7 Lotte, No. 6 NC, and No. 5 SSG were unwilling to claim him. Ultimately, all but SSG declined to claim Shirakawa by the deadline, and Doosan is expected to formalize the deal today.
In addition to Shirakawa, Doosan was also interested in signing Eric Yokishi, who previously won 56 games for the Kiwoom Heroes. After receiving word that Yokishi was “feeling well,” Doosan offered him a tryout with the condition that his stay in Korea would be paid for, and the team watched Yokishi’s two trials at Icheon Bears Park last week. Yokishi showed that he was healthy, throwing his fastball up to 143 kilometers.
Why did Doosan choose the less experienced Shirakawa over Yokishi?
“I haven’t seen him in person, so I don’t know his specific strengths. I saw his main weapon, the forkball, on video, and it was impressive.” “He must have gained more experience than when he first came to Korea. He said his legs were shaking in Sajik, but I think he stabilized a lot after throwing five pitches. I think I need to see him pitch.”
Lee added, “I think (short-term substitutes) can pitch four to six times, but Yokishi has visa problems and hasn’t had a team for a year. Of course, he has experience in Korea, but considering his practical sense, we decided that Shirakawa, who played in Korea until recently, was better. We will wait until the ninth and then choose Shirakawa when our turn comes,” he said.
In addition to Shirakawa, Doosan is also preparing for Alcantara’s replacement Jordan Balazovic to make his KBO debut after arriving in the country. According to Lee, assuming the signing of Shirakawa on Tuesday goes smoothly, Shirakawa will pitch against the Jamsil Samsung Lions on the 13th and Balazovic will pitch against Jamsil Samsung on the 14th. Doosan is aiming for a third-place finish or better with the new foreign duo in the second half.