The Doosan Bears has manager Lee Seung-yeop, who was the fourth batter of the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s pro baseball league, and Yang Eui-ji, who hit a home run against Japan’s best pitcher Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres) in the WBC (World Baseball Classic). It is a perfect team for Keisho Shirakawa, who aspires to play in the Japanese pro baseball league.업소알바
The Doosan Bears signed an alternative foreign player contract with Japanese right-hander Shirakawa for a total of 4 million yen (about 34 million won) on the morning of the 10th.
Doosan faced a negative factor in the Daegu Samsung Lions match on the 23rd of last month in which foreign pitcher Brandon Waddell suffered partial damage to his left shoulder shoulder muscles. As two hospital screenings were re-examined three weeks later, Doosan turned to the short-term foreign pitcher recruitment system introduced by the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization) this year. With the candidate group narrowed down to two-way matches between Shirakawa and former Kiwoom Heroes ace Eric Jokishi, Doosan has no visa problems and has suddenly selected Shirakawa, who played the KBO league until recently, as a substitute.
Shirakawa throws fastballs at speeds of 150 kilometers per hour, displaying sophisticated ball control. He boasts sharp angles including sliders, folk balls and curves. Shirakawa has posted two wins and two losses and an ERA of 5.09 in five games over the past six weeks, except for the game against the Sajik Lotte Giants (eight runs and seven earned runs in one ⅓ inning) on June 7, which suffered a brief trial and error. Shirakawa also garnered high scores for his out-of-field attitude, including his sincere attitude toward baseball and meticulous preparation for games.
“We put out the urgent fire for now. Of course, there are still question marks,” Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop told reporters in Suwon on Wednesday. “I think it would be better for Shirakawa to experience more professional baseball in Doosan than to go back to the independent league. As a young player, it is important to have diverse experiences. I don’t think there is much difference between Korean pro baseball and Japanese pro baseball in preparation for the game. I hope he can show his full potential for the next six weeks.”
It is clear why Shirakawa did not go back to his home country after his contract with SSG expired, but stayed in Korea and held Doosan’s hand. He regarded going to Doosan as a good opportunity to advance to the Japanese professional baseball league, his ultimate dream.
Shirakawa said on Doosan’s official YouTube “Bears TV” on the 10th, “I’m happy to join Doosan and I’ll work hard to be a part of the team. I decided to join the team because I thought it would be better for me to play in a high-quality KBO league than to return to Tokushima.”
Unlike SSG, Doosan has many so-called “Jijilpa” leaders. First of all, coach Lee Seung-yeop is a legend who hit 159 home runs in 797 games in the Japanese professional baseball from 2004 to 2011, and there are also battery coach Yuji Serizawa and third base coach Koji Goto from Japan. It is no exaggeration to say that there is an environment in which Shirakawa can seek advice at any time.
“Even if you speak Japanese, you may feel uncomfortable if you are not of the same nationality. Japanese nationality is more comfortable if you want to speak your mind,” coach Lee said. “We have two Japanese coaches and two Japanese interpreters on our team. I also speak Japanese. If you go through an interpreter, you may skip speaking or you may get the message wrong. It is better to talk directly to the players.”
Another reason Shirakawa expects Doosan Life is battery chemistry with “15.2 billion catcher” Yang Eui-ji.
Shirakawa said, “I’ve seen veteran catcher Yang Eui-ji hit a home run against Darvish on TV. I didn’t know the day would come when I had a battery with that catcher.”
Yang Eui-ji fired a two-run shot to left in the third inning at the 2023 WBC Group B match against Japan at Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 10 last year. Shirakawa’s interest seemed natural because he hit a home run against Darvish, which is admired by young Japanese baseball players including Shirakawa.
Shirakawa, who is scheduled to join Doosan’s team ahead of the match against KT Wiz in Suwon on Wednesday, said, “My goal is to win more games and win more games individually (for six weeks). I will do my best to contribute to my team’s victory as much as possible. Please cheer for me.”
Shirakawa plans to make his debut in Doosan’s uniform against the Samsung Lions in Jamsil on the 13th.
“It is natural to have a big dream,” Lee said to Shirakawa, who is aiming to play in the Japanese pro baseball league. “My goal is to become an NPB player since I played in Japan,” Lee said. “From now on, I think playing here for six weeks will be more helpful than playing in the independent league. We will help, and I hope Shirakawa can help us through victory.”