Lotte Giants new foreign pitcher Aaron Wilkerson’s KBO League debut is imminent.
Lotte coach Larry Sutton said, “Wilkerson will be a starting pitcher in the match against Doosan on the 26th,” ahead of the 9th game of the season against the Doosan Bears in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 25th. If it goes as planned, they will meet Doosan in the order of Na Kyun-an on the 25th, Wilkerson on the 26th, and Charlie Barnes on the 27th.
Prior to the start of the second half, Wilkerson, who wore a Lotte uniform as a substitute foreign player for Dan Straley, signed a contract for a total of $350,000. After making his debut as an amateur free agent with the Boston Red Sox in 2014, Wilkerson pitched in 14 career games in the big leagues and 158 career games in the minor leagues. The minor league record was 783⅔innings, 58 wins, 31 losses, and an average ERA of 3.42.
At the time of the contract announcement, the Lotte club introduced Wilkerson, “Wilkerson’s fastball movement is excellent and his breaking ball control is his strength, and he highly evaluated his ability to adapt to Asian baseball through his experience in the Japanese professional league.” Through the club, Wilkerson expressed his aspirations, saying, “Because I have adapted well to the Asian culture through my experience in the Japanese professional league, I am looking forward to my career in Korean professional baseball. I will try to win many games to contribute to the team’s victory.”
Wilkerson pitched live last week at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, where three consecutive weekend games were held against the Kiwoom Heroes, and after receiving a passing score, the pitching schedule for his KBO league debut was confirmed. Lotte thinks the number of pitches in the first appearance is between 70 and 85.메이저사이트
Manager Sutton said, “I have to watch the game, but I’m thinking between 70 and 85 (the number of pitches). The starting pitcher warms up and rests, so I have to keep talking and checking the condition during the game.”