"Now KIA feels like our team, so it’s reassuring." Japanese pitcher "Potato" returns after two years, aiming to erase the nightmare against Lotte [Gwangju on-site interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Japanese pitcher Keisho Shirakawa (25, KIA Tigers), who returned to the Korean KBO League after two years, promised a changed performance. His first step is to erase the nightmare he once faced against the Lotte Giants.

In an interview with reporters ahead of the Gwangju Lotte Giants game on the 2nd, Shirakawa shared his feelings about the return: “I’m happy to be back in Korea. Even when I left two years ago, I thought I wanted to come back to Korea. After leaving, I continued to watch and enjoy Korean baseball.”

KIA announced on the 28th of last month that it had signed Shirakawa to an Asia quota contract worth a total of $100,000 (bonus $20,000, salary $40,000, option $40,000). He is the first Japanese player with a single nationality in the club’s history. Shirakawa was already familiar to KBO League fans, having played for the SSG Landers and Doosan Bears in 2024. His record at the time was 12 games, 4 wins, 5 losses, an ERA of 5.65, 57⅓ innings, 36 walks and hit-by-pitches (33 walks, 3 hit-by-pitches), and 46 strikeouts — not particularly impressive.

However, at that time, he was an injured temporary replacement foreign player who received 152 million yen (approximately 17.1 million won) over six weeks, so expectations were low. This time, as an Asia quota player receiving $100,000 (approximately 152 million won), better performance is expected compared to before. The player himself is aware of this difference.

Shirakawa said, “I’m sure my performance will be compared to that of two years ago, and I want to show better results than back then. The difference now is my control. Also, because I had injuries, I’ve made changes in how I prepare to avoid getting hurt again.”

As he said, Shirakawa experienced ups and downs after leaving Korea. Last year, he underwent elbow surgery and took a year off. This year, he returned to the Japanese independent league with the Tokushima Indigo Socks, posting a record of 5 games, 1 win, 1 loss, and an ERA of 1.08, showing he was in good physical condition. He started all five games and recorded 34 strikeouts, which gave KIA confidence in signing him.

Shirakawa smiled and said, “I think the elbow is a chronic issue for pitchers. Even two years ago, my elbow wasn’t severely injured, but as I kept throwing, fatigue did accumulate to some extent. That’s why I had surgery, but now I have no anxiety about my elbow at all.”

While in Korea, Shirakawa was seen as a naive player who had never played on the professional stage, earning him the nickname “Potato” and gaining modest popularity. He maintained contact with teammates even after leaving, which contributed to the warm welcome upon his return.

Shirakawa laughed and said, “I’ve been in touch with many players, including SSG’s Han Du-sol, Doosan’s Heo Kyung-min (now with KT), Kwak Bin, and Choi Ji-kyung. Especially Choi Ji-kyung, who is my same age, we’ve become like friends. Even though I couldn’t stay in touch with Samsung’s Miyaji player when we were both busy in Tokushima, our contact frequency increased after I signed with KIA.” He added, “I also know KT’s Sugimoto player, and NC’s Natsuki Toda is from the same high school. When I was a freshman, Toda was the ace, so I didn’t want to lose to him.”

He felt reassured by the KIA team, now former rivals turned teammates. Facing the Lotte Giants, his first opponent upon return, he felt less burdened. Shirakawa has a particularly painful memory of collapsing against Lotte two years ago, allowing 8 runs (7 earned) in 1⅓ innings. This stands in stark contrast to his strong performance against KIA, where he went 2-0 with no losses and an ERA of 3.60 in two games.

Shirakawa said firmly, “Two years ago, every KIA player had a great swing. From the opposing team’s perspective, it felt like they could hit a home run at any time and in any situation. Now, that lineup consists of my own teammates, so it’s reassuring.” He continued, “I don’t have any good memories against Lotte from two years ago, so I want to pitch well against them once again.”

Based on his good performance in Korea, his goal is to reach the highest possible stage. When asked about his life goals, Shirakawa said, “Whatever league I’m in, being in the top league is most important. Among Japanese players, there’s Shohei Ohtani. My goal is to have my name remembered right after Ohtani’s.”

He added, “If I can go to Major League Baseball, I want to. But before that, I must clearly establish what I can do at KIA. My current goal is to pitch well in the KBO League.”

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*This content was translated by AI.