"We already failed last year."SSG→Doosan's transfer is imminent. Will NPB's dream of independent league come true?
Jul 09, 2024
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Japanese pitcher Keisho Shirakawa, who played for SSG Landers for six weeks as an injury replacement for Roenis Elias, is expected to get a new opportunity after his contract expires. The Doosan Bears, who needed a substitute due to Brandon Wardell's injury departure, have Shirakawa as the top priority. When the contract is concluded smoothly, it will be officially announced on the morning of the 10th.
The first case since the injury replacement foreign player system was implemented in the KBO League. It is also a great case to wear two teams or uniforms in one season. The Tokushima Indigo Sox, their original team, have expressed their intention to respect Shirakawa's decision. At the same time, there is an atmosphere of 'Respect' for him playing in Korea.
In fact, it is hard to say that economic activities are properly carried out in the independent league. The annual salary is virtually nonexistent. However, like Shirakawa, many players have recently chosen the independent league stage as a stepping stone for professional baseball challenges, and in fact, Tokushima is a team that produces professional players every year in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) rookie draft.
When asked about his feelings in the KBO League in an interview with the Tokushima club channel on the 5th after his contract with SSG ended, Shirakawa said, "I felt a level difference in the offense and defense of all players. Every player knew his role and was good at playing in detail. He was just good at baseball. KBO League hitters have strong and strong impressions. In the meantime, Choi Jung, who was a teammate, said "Choi Jung, who is on the same team, is ridiculous. He was the most shocked hitter I've ever seen up close, including the distance"I was astonished.
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Shirakawa, who was greatly loved by SSG fans for a short six weeks, has about 10,000 more followers on his SNS account"I saw a lot of messages on DMs and comments, and I realized that this is a big league.", he explained.
In the interview, Shirakawa did not elaborate on his future plans, but he reportedly expressed his intention to stay in Korea to the Doosan club. However, he had said that his ultimate goal was to join a Japanese professional baseball team. Therefore, there were opinions that Shirakawa may choose to return to Japan in preparation for the NPB rookie draft to be held in October this year.
Shirakawa responded, `Of course, I came to Korea as a step to go to NPB. I gained confidence in the KBO League. However, because he failed once in the draft last year, he tried not to check how he reacted to his performance in the KBO League. I believe that the results will follow later, and I am careful not to be silly myself" he said.
It is true that Shirakawa's performance has also become a hot topic in Japan. However, even last year, when he was in good condition enough to express himself as 'peak', players from the same Tokushima were nominated, while Shirakawa was not called until the end. Will this year's KBO League performance lead to success in the NPB draft.
youll@sportschosun.com
