‘Popular explosion’ Shirakawa, Doosan debut with task ahead

두산 새 외국인 투수 시라카와 케이쇼가 13일 삼성전에서 투구를 마치고 마운드에서 내려오고 있다. /사진=두산 베어스 제공

Keisho Shirakawa (23, Doosan Bears) had a disappointing debut for Doosan.

Shirakawa started the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League home game against the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, on March 13 and threw 83 pitches over 3⅔ innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits, six walks, and three strikeouts.

Shirakawa, who played in the Japanese Independent League, served as a short-term replacement foreign pitcher for SSG Landers. In five games, he went 2-2 with a 5.09 ERA, including an impressive five-plus inning outing in all four games, with the exception of a 1⅓ inning outing against Lotte in which he allowed eight runs (seven earned).

The previous day, manager Lee Seung-yeop said he would not limit Shirakawa’s pitch count. Shirakawa hasn’t pitched since last pitching against KT at SSG on March 27, and Lee said, “It’s better that he’s had a lot of rest,” expressing expectations that he’ll be able to throw harder pitches.

“I’m going to talk to the catcher inning after inning and see if the pitch drops,” he said before the game. When asked if he would be nervous in front of a large crowd since he came from an independent league, he said, “You have to deal with it. I’m sure he was nervous at Sajik Stadium. Once you have that experience, the second time won’t be a problem,” he said.

Shirakawa was popular during his time as SSG for his innocent behavior, speech, and cute appearance. Fans nicknamed him “Potato. Doosan fans cheered him on from the first game after his transfer. Shirakawa took the mound with a big smile on his face.

Shirakawa is a pitcher with a strong fastball and a wide variety of pitches. On this day, he mixed in 31 four-seam fastballs that topped out at 151 mph and averaged 147 mph, 19 sliders (130 mph average), a curveball (118 mph average), nine each of a 메이저사이트 cutter (137 mph average) and splitter (135 mph average), and five changeups (123 mph average).

The problem was his fastball. There was a large gap between strikes and pitches out of the zone. It didn’t fool Samsung’s hitters. That’s why he gave up six walks.

Mistakes were also disappointing. In the top of the fourth inning, Lee Sung-kyu led off with a walk, but a throwing error by first baseman Yang Seok-hwan left a runner on base. After giving up a single to Park Byung-ho, Shirakawa got Ahn Joo-hyung to fly out to center field. He then induced Kim Ji-chan to hit a ground ball to shortstop that shortstop Park Joon-young made an error. In the process, Kim Young-woong rounded third base and scored.

A shaky Shirakawa then gave up a straight fly ball to Ryu Ji-hyuk. He gave up a walk to Lee Jae-hyun after a seven-pitch at-bat and a pushing error before handing the ball over to Lee Young-ha. The unnecessary error increased his pitch count to 17 pitches. He was able to make it to the fifth inning, but he didn’t get any help from the infield.

After the pitch, Shirakawa was mobbed as he headed to the dugout. The coaching staff, including coach Park Jung-bae, talked to him for a long time and seemed to calm him down, and the players who had finished their defense also approached him.

The first drink is not enough. Furthermore, Yasujin’s successive errors forced him to go down earlier than expected.

After the game, manager Lee Seung-yeop said, “The starter Shirakawa went down early due to an error by Yasujin, but his control and pitches were not bad,” adding, “I’m looking forward to the future.”

However, the challenges were also clear. A lot of strikeouts were a definite disappointment. Doosan plans to utilize Shirakawa until Brandon Waddell returns. Shirakawa is well aware of this, but he signed with Doosan with the intention of using it as a stepping stone to Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He’s definitely motivated, so every game is a precious opportunity and he needs to show improvement. Shirakawa has a clear task to accomplish before his next start.

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