Keisho Shirakawa (23, registered name Shirakawa), a ‘short-term replacement foreign pitcher’ selected by professional baseball SSG Landers, cited ‘strikeout ability’ as his strength.
Shirakawa said through the SSG club on the 27th, “My name is Keisho, with the letter K (meaning strikeout).
“I will show you a strikeout show,” he said. “My strength is my ability to strike out.”
“I will get a lot of strikeouts while playing in the KBO League.” 파워볼
As of the 27th, the SSG starting lineup had an ERA of 6.53, the lowest among the 10 professional baseball teams.
Foreign pitcher Roenis Elias suffered a left internal oblique muscle injury that required more than six weeks of treatment, causing greater concern.
This year, Korean Professional Baseball introduced a new system that allows if an existing foreign player is injured enough to require treatment for more than six weeks, the player is listed on the rehabilitation player list and a replacement foreign player is allowed to play until the player returns.
SSG decided to utilize this system, and Shirakawa, who played for the Tokushima Indigo Sox of the Shikoku Island League, an independent league in Japan, became the ‘KBO’s first short-term substitute foreign player.’
Shirakawa, who entered the country on the 25th, made 30 bullpen pitches at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 26th.
He checked all pitches, including fastballs, forkballs, sliders, and changeups.
Shirakawa said, “Because the mounds and official balls in Korea and Japan are different, I pitched with the thought that I would have to get used to the new environment.
The Japanese mound is relatively soft, so you feel a pop when your front foot touches the ground, but the Korean mound is relatively hard, so you can feel the spikes.”
It seems like only a mark remains.
“Also, there seems to be a difference in the official ball in that the Japanese official ball is a little larger and the seams are a little thinner.”
Although the new league is unfamiliar, Shirakawa is confident he will adapt.
He said, "I will prepare well, just like I have been doing in Japan.
Unlike the Japanese independent league, there are many spectators in the KBO league, so this part will feel different."