Keisho Shirakawa (23) has changed his uniform. He will now spend another six weeks as a member of the Doosan Bears.
Shirakawa joined the squad at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, South Korea, on Nov. 11 for a tryout. The previous day, Doosan officially announced the signing of Shirakawa as a replacement for Brandon Waddell.
Compared to SSG Landers Field, Doosan’s home Jamsil Stadium is a pitcher-friendly ballpark with a longer distance to the fence. That’s a plus for Shirakawa.
Doosan’s manager is Lee Seung-yeop, who spent eight years in Japan Professional Baseball (NPB) with the Chiba Lotte Marines, Yomiuri Giants, and Orix Buffaloes. In his NPB career, Lee batted .257 with 159 home runs, 439 RBIs, and an OPS of .818.
The team also has two other Japanese coaches, Yuji Serizawa and Koji Goto, who can freely talk to Shirakawa.
Shirakawa’s current interpreter is also a Doosan employee who interpreted for Goto last year.
Shirakawa is excited about his new life at Doosan, his new coach Lee Seung-yeop, and meeting Yang Ji, who hit a home run against Darvish. He also expressed his love and gratitude to his team, SSG. When asked if he looks good in the navy blue uniform, 메이저사이트 he laughed, saying, “It’s the same color as the Tokushima uniform, so I’m used to it.”
When asked why he chose to stay in the KBO instead of returning to Japan, Shirakawa said, “I saw it as a closer path to my goal, the NPB. I think it will be more helpful for me to show my achievements in the KBO to appeal to NPB clubs.”
Born in 2001, Shirakawa played for the Tokushima Indigo Sox in the independent league after being drafted in the NPB draft. In May, he signed a six-week contract with SSG Landers as a replacement foreign player for Adonis Elias for a total of 1.8 million yen (about $15 million).
At the time,
SSG saw potential in Shirakawa, who had no NPB experience but had a hard fastball in the low-to-mid 150s, a curveball with a big drop, and a sharp forkball. Shirakawa did his part, going 2-2 with a 5.09 ERA in 23 innings pitched in five starts for SSG.
With Brandon Waddell out injured, Doosan extended an offer, and Shirakawa signed his second KBO contract with the team for six weeks and a total of 4 million yen (approximately $34 million). The salary more than doubled from his SSG days.
Before signing with Doosan, Shirakawa had a thorough discussion with the team’s owner and general manager Tokushima. Tokushima said, “NPB scouts don’t visit independent leagues in July. I’d rather play in Korea,” he said.
However, the first meeting with Lee was conducted through an interpreter. “Today, I just said hello,” Shirakawa smiled.
Lee played in the NPB for eight years from 2004-2011.
However, Shirakawa says, “I only saw one NPB game, and I was too young when he played in Japan. I didn’t have a favorite team. But I’ve seen him in videos, and I know he’s a legend.”
When asked about the possibility of facing SSG’s Choi Jung, who he considers his most impressive hitter and a good senior, and Elias, who he has a rivalry with depending on whether or not he stays in the KBO, he said, “I would like to avoid facing SSG if possible. I’m more grateful than trying to win. He gave me a chance, he was really good to me, and he even gave me a farewell party,” he said, emphasizing, “As a member of Doosan, I will do my best to help the team win.”
He added that he watched a little bit of the All-Star Game. In response to Choi Jeong-jeong’s “zero home runs” after his preview home run ceremony, he said, “After all, he’s a senior who knows gags,” and burst into laughter.
“I saw a Korean hitter hit a home run against Darvish in the Japan-Korea game, but I didn’t realize it was Yang Ji,” Shirakawa said. When asked about the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he shrugged, “I was 7 years old…”.
In his last game at SSG,
He even had an unexpected experience of clearing the bench. “I was embarrassed when I jumped off the bench, and everyone was saying, ‘Let’s go, let’s go,’ so I was like, ‘Are you sure I can go?'” Shirakawa said, adding, “I don’t want to do that at Doosan.”
He is very popular among Korean female fans. Their preferences for his appearance range from cute to manly. “I’m actually not very confident in my face, but I’m happy if you think so,” Shirakawa smiles.
“I’m always grateful to the SSG fans. I hope they will continue to support me. I will do my best to help Doosan win. Your number 11, Shirakawa.”