Bears extend contract with temporary pitcher Shirakawa

The Doosan Bears announced Wednesday they have extended their temporary contract with Japanese pitcher Keisho Shirakawa. The Bears' previous six-week deal with the right-hander had expired Tuesday, and the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) gave him a new 15-day contract worth 1.4 million yen (US$9,630). In this file photo from July 31, 2024, Doosan Bears starter Keisho Shirakawa pitches against the Kia Tigers during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangjuu. (Yonhap) In this file photo from July 31, 2024, Doosan Bears starter Keisho Shirakawa pitches against the Kia Tigers during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangjuu. (Yonhap) Shirakawa first signed with the Bears on July 10 as a temporary replacement for injured starter Brandon Waddell. In six starts as a Bear, Shirakawa has gone 2-2 with a 5.34 ERA. He tossed eight shutout innings against the KT Wiz in his most recent start last Friday. Shirakawa made his KBO debut with the SSG Landers on June 1, replacing injured pitcher Roenis Elias. Once Elias recovered from his oblique injury, the Landers reinstated the Cuban left-hander on July 2 and released Shirakawa, who had a 2-2 record with a 5.09 ERA in five starts for them. Needing an injury replacement of their own, the Bears pounced on the 23-year-old Japanese. "Shirakawa has been improving with each outing, and we hope he will continue to pitch well for the remainder of the new contract," the Bears said. Starting this year, KBO clubs are allowed to acquire foreign players on temporary deals when their incumbents suffer an injury that requires at least six weeks of recovery time. Shirakawa became the first such case when he signed with the Landers on May 22. Elsewhere in the league, the Hanwha Eagles acquired right-hander Ryan Weiss on June 17 to hold down the fort while Ricardo Sanchez was out with an elbow injury. Then they signed Weiss to a permanent deal on July 28 and released Sanchez. The Kia Tigers signed pitcher Cam Alldred with Wil Crowe sidelined, but they released both Alldred and Crowe and signed Eric Lauer to a full contract on Aug. 6. Source: Yonhap News Agency