“I wanted to come to Korea.”
Brandon Waddell (29) shared his feelings about his second season as a substitute foreign pitcher for the Doosan Bears. On the 13th, Doosan signed a contract with left-hander Brandon, who was playing for the Taiwan Professional Baseball (CPBL) Rakuten Monkeys, for a total of $280,000 (approximately 300 million won). Existing foreign pitcher Dylan Pyle (26) left the spring camp due to a bruised bone and was unable to build his body properly, and after two games of his return, his elbow was damaged, making it difficult to accompany him any longer.꽁머니
Doosan had put Brandon on the list of substitute foreign players early on. Brandon signed a contract with Doosan last year as a replacement for ace Ariel Miranda and played an active role with 5 wins and 3 losses in 11 games, 65 innings, and an average ERA of 3.60. He is not flashy, but with stable control and game management skills, he was an excellent card for a substitute foreign player.
When Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop recruited Brandon, he said, “We were Brandon from the beginning. I watched the video consistently from last year. I think it might come from a good situation after turning the starting rotation in Taiwan. There are many good left-handed hitters in the KBO League, so I feel like I will become a pitcher who can attack and block left-handed hitters.”
Brandon entered Korea on the 16th after playing one more game for Rakuten after signing with Doosan. On the 17th, he lightly trained with the first team players in Jamsil, and on the 18th, he left for Japan and went through the visa issuance process. Brandon, who returned to Korea on the 21st, officially trained with the team for the first time that day and even pitched in the bullpen. Brandon will make his first pitch against the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes on the 24th.
Brandon’s bullpen pitching, of course, drew attention. Coach Lee stood right behind Brandon and watched the ball closely, while pitching coach Kwon Myeong-cheol and Park Jeong-bae closely watched Brandon’s ball and condition. Catcher Jang Seung-hyeon and pitcher Hong Geon-hee, who played together last year, also watched Brandon’s ball and pointed out the changes in Brandon this year with the officials.
In the Doosan starting lineup, Brandon is like a thousand horses. Except for ace Raul Alcantara, the domestic starting pitching staff is in a bit of an uneasy situation. Kwak-Bin and Choi Won-Jun have ups and downs once in a while when they are in poor condition, and Kim Dong-Joo and Choi Seung-Yong are still in the 5th starter and lack the stamina and experience to last until the end of the season. Veteran Jang Won-joon, who has recently been giving strength, also desperately needs to manage his physical strength. If brands join and share their burden, Doosan is expected to be able to establish a foothold for a rebound.토토체험머니
The following is Q&A with Brandon.
-How do you feel about coming back to Doosan?
Naturally excited and happy. Last year, I think I showed a good performance at Doosan. I will do my best to show you this year too.
-How does it feel to meet your colleagues again after a year?
In a way, it was a short period last year, but it feels like I came back home after forming a relationship as a member of the same team. I want to build a good relationship with my teammates again. (Who did you want to meet the most?) I wanted to meet everyone (laughs).
-Catcher Jang Seung-hyun watched the bullpen pitching carefully.
Of course, I worked with Jang Seung-hyun last year, and I remember that it was good teamwork at the baseball field. It felt good just to have Jang Seung-hyun watching my bullpen pitching. After the bullpen pitching, we had a few conversations.
-How does bullpen pitching feel?
In a way, I joined last week, but there was a gap of about a week. It was a place to check all pitches on the mound. It was just about getting a sense for the game the day after tomorrow.
– Coach Lee said that there was a difference between playing in the starting rotation in Taiwan this year and playing as an incompetent pitcher last year.
In a way, I would like to say that it is a smoother transition. Last year, after pitching for about half a season as an intermediate pitcher, he had to quickly switch to a starting pitcher after returning to Korea. This year, I am confident that I will build my body step by step from the off-season and play as a starter, then just return to Korea and play as a starter.
– Were there any regrets about the failure to renew the contract?
It was not a problem I could solve or decide. I just wanted to come to Korea. Rather than expressing disappointment, how can I do better in Korean baseball? I tried to focus more on the mound. It was an off-season to study how to succeed this year.
– How did you feel when Doosan put in an offer again?
The word that can most accurately express my feelings is ‘excited’. I had a good time in Korea, and I was happy to have good memories. I wanted to spend more time in Korea.
-You only met catcher Yang Eui-ji as an enemy last year, what kind of memories do you have?
I am happy to have Yang Eui-ji join our team. One of the reasons is that when we met as an enemy last year, he was a difficult player to catch a real outcount. No matter what ball he threw, he hit it with the bat and made a foul, in a way he was a really good hitter. First of all, I am really looking forward to coming to our team. I’m really looking forward to having a good hitter in our lineup, adding strength to the offense, and being a good catcher not only on offense, but also behind the home plate.
-Compared to last year, what can you say that you have become stronger?
I am better physically prepared. As a starter, I think my condition is better than last year. I am also polishing a new pitch, so it would be interesting if you keep an eye on it.
-What is the new pitch?
As you can see from my slider last year, it was more like a fast, short-cutting cutter. This year, I think it will be more advantageous when dealing with left-handed batters by learning a slider with a large angle.