Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop diagnosed the poor performance of ‘short-term substitute foreign pitcher’ Keisho Shirakawa as a psychological factor.
He said that Shirakawa, who played in the Japanese independent league, was psychologically shaken by trying to pitch at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, the representative stadium of the KBO.
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop pointed out that “it’s more about the mind and mental part than the pitching,” ahead of the team’s game against the LG Twins on Tuesday at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.
“The independent league is a process to become a professional, so Shirakawa hasn’t had the experience of pitching in front of a large crowd,” Lee said, adding, ”I think it takes time to adapt. I thought he adapted at SSG Landers, but I don’t think so.”
On March 10, Doosan signed Shirakawa as a foreign pitcher to temporarily fill the void left by Brandon Waddell, who left the team due to injury. It was a six-week, 4 million yen (about $34.3 million) contract.
Previously, Shirakawa went 2-2 with a 5.09 ERA as a short-term replacement for SSG Roenis Elias in the month of June.
However, in his first appearance in a Doosan uniform, Shirakawa allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits and six walks in 3⅔ innings against the Samsung Lions on June 13 and five runs (five earned) on three hits and three walks with one strikeout in three innings against the LG Twins the day before.
“I don’t think there’s a pitching problem. It’s a matter of experience and cultural adaptation,” Lee emphasized.
Lee, meanwhile, responded positively to Shirakawa’s sparked discussion of introducing an Asian quota.
The Asian quota refers to a system in which Asian players are recruited separately from foreign players, which is currently three per team.
“There are 12 NPB teams in Japan, as well as independent league teams, so there are a lot of useful players,” Lee said. ”Experience in the NPB will be a big advantage in the KBO. If I were to bring a pitcher to the Asian Quarter, Japan would be the first place I would think of,” he said. 파워볼실시간