Doosan recruited $1 million in '4 foreigners with 13 wins and brutal history' and 'Call Irvin' as an active ML starter'"Change ball + control power"

Nov 15, 2024

photo courtesy of AP Yonhap News

Doosan Bears quickly started to replace foreign players.

Doosan announced its contract with foreign pitcher Col Irvin (30) on the 15th. A total of $1 million (down payment of $200,000, annual salary of $800,000).

U.S. left-hander Irvin was a 5th-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2016 rookie draft, with a physical condition of 1 m93 and a weight of 108 kg.

Irvin, who made his Major League Baseball (ML) debut with Philadelphia in 2019, pitched in a total of 134 games (93 starts) in six seasons and recorded a 28-40 record and 4.54 ERA in 593 innings.

In the 2024 season, he played for the Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Twins, marking a 6-6 record and 5.11 ERA in 111 innings (16 starts).

An official from Doosan Bears introduced "Arvin as a professional starting pitcher who has made 90 starts in the ML over the past four years."

Even though he is a left-handed pitcher, his fastball with a maximum speed of 153 kilometers is outstanding, and his breaking balls such as curves, cutters, and changeups are also excellent. We judged him to be a pitcher with compliance with ball control, with only 2.16 walks per nine innings in ML."

The game between Kiwoom and Doosan at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 3rd, and Doosan Shirakawa and Balazovic are throwing bullpen pitching. Brandon, who finished the bullpen pitching, looks at the pitches of the two players. Jamsil = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2024.08.03/

Doosan had a difficult season this season due to a string of foreign pitchers. Raul Alcantara, who was expected to be an ace with 13 wins last year, left the team with 2 wins and 2 losses with a 4.76 ERA in 12 games due to an elbow injury. Jordan Balazovic was newly joined in place of Alcantara, but he did not meet expectations with 2-6 losses and a 4.34 ERA in 11 games. Balazovic played as a bullpen, not a starter in the postseason, and succeeded in restoring his honor with four scoreless innings in the first game, but Doosan ended its fall baseball with one game.

Brandon Waddell, another foreign player, renewed his contract with 11 wins and 3 losses last year. He also showed good performance until June with 7 wins, 4 losses and an ERA of 3.12 in 14 games this season, but failed to return due to a scapular injury. Shirakawa Keisho, who was an injured substitute foreign player, finished with 2 wins, 3 losses and a 6.03 ERA in seven games. Even that didn't finish well due to injuries.

Doosan, which suffered from a foreign pitcher 'Cruelman', quickly started preparing for next season. Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop said during the closing camp, `As foreign players were not healthy, the bullpen was forced to work hard. Looking for a healthy pitcher who can play full time. We're looking at what kind of players are suitable for our team, and we're committed to winning and we're looking at what kind of players we can throw."

Doosan plans to fill another foreign pitcher with Irvin, who is considering renewing his contract with foreign hitter Jared Young.

bellstop@sportschosun.com

Doosan recruited $1 million in '4 foreigners with 13 wins and brutal history' and 'Call Irvin' as an active ML starter'"Change ball + control power"

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