Why did this player come to KBO? Irvin Log, a famous foreigner, actually looked at bullpen pitching.

Feb 05, 2025

사진=김용 기자

[Blacktown (Australia) = Reporter Kim Yong from Sports Chosun] It's according to your reputation.

It's still just bullpen pitching. However, I can feel hope just by looking at the bullpen pitching. This is the new foreign pitchers of the Doosan Bears.

Doosan set up a spring camp at Blacktown Stadium near Sydney, Australia. Under the goal of performing well in the final year of coach Lee Seung-yeop's contract and the first year of changing uniforms and BI, he is training hard.

I think I'll worry less about starting than last year. It was really the worst. Alcantara, who I believed, was virtually closed due to injury issues, and Brandon was also sick and did not play his part. In fact, the situation was so difficult that it was a miracle to play autumn baseball without a foreign pitcher.

Doosan selected foreign pitchers with all its heart and soul ahead of this season. He even recruited Jack Rogue, who KBO league teams had expressed interest in from early on, to Cole Irvin, who is evaluated as "Why and how did this player come to Korea?" Originally, he agreed with a player named Thomas Hatch, but he turned to Rogue due to a medical test problem. You can see how cautious Doosan is.

photo courtesy of Doosan Bears

On the 5th, the two played bull pen pitching side by side. It's already the third bullpen pitching in camp. I couldn't help but pay attention because it was a pitch in a situation where my condition had risen to some extent.

It was an unprecedented achievement. First, Irvin. He threw 40 balls on the day. The maximum speed of his fastballs was 145 kilometers. He threw fastballs, sliders, changeups and sweeper, too. First of all, the pitching form was very simple and clean. There was nothing much wrong with the control. It was impressive to be able to control corners freely. An official from Doosan said, `If we enter the season, the speed of the ball will be 3-4 kilometers longer.' A style that will be more powerful as the speed of the ball goes up.

After pitching on the day, Irvin said "I just pitch on the first bullpen session, and I pay attention to my control on the second pitch. From the third, I pay attention to playing the game and solving the game. The preparations for the season are going well as planned. I will constantly prepare to meet my own expectations", he expressed his feelings.

photo courtesy of Doosan Bears

The log was also excellent. If Irvin is the orthodox style, Rogue is the style of throwing the ball in a three-quarter trajectory. Maybe that's why the left-right movement was better. He threw various pitches such as cut fastballs, sinkers, and sweeper, and his control was excellent.

Logs were also "Overall a good feeling. I tried to feel the sense of the ball as much as I could, and at the end, I thought of left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters and made simulation pitching."

Catcher Yang Eui-ji, who received both balls, said "Ervin's control is very good. Deception is also good. It will be difficult for batters to see the ball due to the short arm swing. It feels similar to Koo Chang-mo (NC)." Yang Eui-ji continued "The log has very good ball movement. The type that I think will lead to a good ground ball induction" he added. Then "Both have a good chance of success. Of course, we expect 15 wins from the two pitchers, not 10 wins. Because expectations are high, there are still cautious areas to make a definite evaluation."

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.