'SSG Champion Pitcher Becomes Mexican League Strikeout King' Font Heads to Taiwan! To Play with Same Team as Buchanan

*This content was translated by AI.

Right-handed pitcher Willmer Font (36), familiar to domestic baseball fans for leading SSG Landers to a 'wire-to-wire' championship in the 2022 season, will don the uniform of the Taiwan Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL)'s Taichung Hawks.

According to a report by local Taiwanese media TSNA on the 8th, a senior official from the Taichung Hawks club stated in an interview, "We have reached an agreement with one foreign pitcher and he is expected to join soon," officially announcing the signing of a new foreign player. The official explained regarding the player: "He is a pitcher with experience in Asian professional baseball. Although he was considered for recruitment mid-last season, we re-contacted him based on recommendations from this season's scouting team and reached an agreement for his joining."

TSNA specified that Font comes from the KBO League. Font played for SSG from the 2021 to 2022 seasons, dominating the league. In particular, in the 2022 season, he led SSG to a Korean Series championship with a record of 13 wins, 6 losses, and an ERA of 2.69. Later, he signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres in an attempt to return to the major leagues, but his debut in the big leagues did not materialize.

This season, Taichung is engaged in a fierce battle for playoff qualification in the CPBL and decided to replace foreign pitcher Braden Hagens due to poor performance. Hagens has posted a record of 4 wins, 7 losses, and an ERA of 4.84 in 15 games this season, showing somewhat subpar results. With David Buchanan, who previously served as the ace for Samsung Lions in the KBO League, already playing for Taichung, it is expected that two veteran foreign pitchers with KBO experience will form the starting rotation together.

Meanwhile, Font showcased overwhelming dominance on the Mexican stage this season and secured the title of 'Strikeout King.' Playing for Saraperos de Saltillo, Font recorded three strikeouts in his final appearance of the 2026 Mexican League (LMB) regular season on the 3rd, despite allowing four runs over 2⅓ innings. This brought his season total to 100 strikeouts.

As a result, Font surpassed Noah Siro (98 strikeouts) to claim first place in total strikeouts for the entire 2026 LMB season. He is the only pitcher this season to surpass 100 strikeouts in the LMB. Former KIA Tigers pitcher Ronnie Williams finished fourth with 89 strikeouts, while Daniel Mendez ended the regular season in fifth with 87 strikeouts.

Font made 20 starts this season, recording 8 wins, 4 losses, and an ERA of 4.91. After his team failed to qualify for the playoffs, he had planned to join the Venezuelan Winter League (LVBP), but received a warm invitation from Taiwan's Taichung Hawks, leading to his sudden return to the Asian stage.

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*This content was translated by AI.