and 'First in KBO' Asian Quarter SV History Maker → Threw a Generous Party! Even Brought the Interpreter Along, Heartwarming

*This content was translated by AI.

The Asian Quarter, a system newly introduced to the KBO League for the first time this season. The person who recorded the first save in the KBO League as an Asian Quarter player showed a heartwarming gesture. That person is Kanakubo Yuto (27) of the Heroes.

A Kiwoom official announced on the 1st, ahead of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game against the Doosan Bears held at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome, that "Kanakubo Yuto and his interpreter, Nojima Naoto, split the cost to buy 40 pizzas to commemorate Yuto's first save in the KBO League, with both the players and the front office."

Yuto earned the save on the 21st of last month in a game against the NC Dinos at Gocheok, appearing as a relief pitcher in the bottom of the 9th inning with his team leading 2-1. He pitched one scoreless inning, allowing one hit, issuing one walk, and striking out two batters. Yuto was the first Asian Quarter player to record a save.

Through the club, Yuto expressed, "I bought pizza for my teammates to commemorate my first save in the KBO League," adding, "A save is not achieved by me alone but by my teammates working together, so I wanted to express my gratitude."

Yuto continued, "If we can create good records and wonderful records together with my teammates in the future, I will be happy to buy pizza anytime," looking forward to the future.

His interpreter, Mr. Nojima, said, "I believe all the club staff are one team. I wanted to buy pizza with the hope that we all become one and successfully navigate this long season together. We haven't had many opportunities to express our gratitude to the hardworking staff and players, but when Yuto decided to buy pizza this time, I joined in to share the sentiment."

Meanwhile, Yuto was the first Asian Quarter player signed by the Heroes, acquired in December last year with a total investment of 130,000 dollars, including a 100,000-dollar salary and a 30,000-dollar option.

He is a right-handed traditional pitcher whose main strength is a fastball reaching up to 154 km/h. He recorded 5 wins, 4 losses, and 1 hold with an ERA of 4.31 over six seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league.

After making his professional debut with the Yakult Swallows in 2018, he appeared in 10 games during the 2021 season, recording 4 wins, 1 loss, and an ERA of 2.74. Last season, he appeared in 12 games at the first division level, finishing with 1 loss and 1 hold, and an ERA of 7.71 without a win.

When signing Yuto, the Kiwoom club expressed expectations, stating, "Having experienced both starting pitching and relief pitching, he is expected to play various roles in the 2026 season and bolster the pitching staff."

In the KBO this season, he also took on the role of closer midway through the season. He has appeared in 15 games this season, recording 1 loss, 5 saves, and 4 holds with an ERA of 3.86 without a win. In total, he pitched 11 and 2/3 innings, allowing 15 hits, issuing 5 walks, striking out 10 batters, allowing 5 runs (5 earned runs), and recording 1 blown save. His WHIP is 1.71, and his batting average against is 0.313.

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*This content was translated by AI.