There is no domestic resource enough to offer a contract extension to a foreign pitcher with an ERA of 7 points. Brandon Waddell, who has been slow to recover from his injury in the first round, is cruel, but the reality is that the only alternative is Shirakawa and Kisho when Brandon’s rehabilitation is longer than expected.
Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop told reporters at Jamsil Stadium on the 13th that he would soon seek to extend his contract with Siwakawa, delivering the sad news of Brandon’s suspension of his rehabilitation program.
Brandon, who re-signed with Doosan for a total of $1.13 million (about 1.5 billion won) before the 2024 season, disappeared from the first team with 7 wins, 4 losses and an ERA of 3.12 left in 14 games against the Daegu Samsung Lions on June 23. At the time of the examination, there were opinions that rehabilitation was inevitable for at least six weeks, and Doosan immediately signed a short-term foreign player contract with Shirakawa, who completed his KBO league adaptation at SSG Landers.
Unlike his SSG days, Shirakawa suffered from the so-called “spectrum strain” and repeatedly pitched as a fifth starting pitcher in the second division every game. After moving to Doosan, he started in five games, suffering from severe turbulence with one win and two losses with a 7.25 earned run average (18 earned runs in 22 ⅓ innings). While his ball control was considered one of his strengths, he donated as many as 21 walks during 22 ⅓ innings. During the five games, he has had “zero quality start.” 먹튀검증
As time has passed, the expiration of Shirakawa’s contract is just a week away, but Brandon is not returning. The prospect of returning was bright when the bullpen pitching was held in 41 days at Jamsil Stadium on the 3rd, but all plans were suspended due to shoulder pain again during the build-up process. Coach Lee, who met on the 13th, said, “I don’t think Brandon will be able to throw the ball until this week. In terms of precipitation, he is in a lull. At the moment, we don’t know when he will return.”
As it became impossible for Shirakawa and Brandon to touch the baton, Doosan decided to extend the contract with Shirakawa, which is the end of the long run. Although the ERA in five games reaches 7 points, he made a bitter judgment that Shirakawa was better than the existing domestic five-line issuance resources. If there was Choi Jun-ho, the situation could have been a little different, but Choi Jun-ho is undergoing rehabilitation for at least eight weeks due to a partial rupture of ankle ligaments during defense a week ago.
“Shirakawa is not a notable player, but he is still better than none,” Lee said with a wry smile. “He keeps rotating his rotation. He gave six points to LG last week, but his pitching and ball power were good. He seems to be getting better little by little. When it comes to team management, it is advantageous to have at least one more pitcher. I think the team will talk to Shirakawa within this week.”
The key is Shirakawa’s intention. If Shirakawa, who aspires to enter the Japanese professional baseball league, expresses his intention to return to his home country to prepare for the draft, Doosan will have to fill the spot for selection as a Korean player whose skills are inferior to those of Shirakawa starting next week. As one loss that resulted from the collapse of the starting pitcher’s baseball team in a fierce last-minute ranking battle would come as a shock, Doosan will likely make all-out efforts to stay with Shirakawa.
Coach Lee said, “If we can delay Shirakawa’s return to Japan a little more, it’s helpful for us to take him and play the game.” He hoped Shirakawa would stay a little more at Doosan.