'All batters, get out!' Ulsan's 'Japanese pitcher' achieves the club's first-ever '100K' golden milestone: "We will take responsibility to win the championship"

*This content was translated by AI.

Naga Taisei (27), the Ulsan Whales' ace foreign pitcher from Japan, has written a new chapter in the club's history by achieving the franchise's first-ever "100 strikeouts in a season."

On the 10th at Sangdong Baseball Stadium during a game against Lotte, Naga recorded his 100th strikeout of the season against third batter Cho Min-young in the bottom of the fourth inning, becoming the first pitcher in Ulsan Whales history to reach 100 strikeouts.

This season, Naga has appeared in 21 games, pitched 120 innings, and posted an 8-3 record with a 3.45 ERA. Averaging 5⅔ innings per game, he has anchored the starting rotation, demonstrating not only his impressive strikeout ability but also his consistent capacity to handle innings, establishing himself as a key player driving the upward momentum of the newly formed Ulsan team.

Naga's dominance continued throughout the season. On May 18 against Samsung, he threw 104 pitches over 7⅓ innings and recorded 11 strikeouts. On May 28 against Goyang, he struck out a batter in every inning for six innings, tallying eight strikeouts. Additionally, on April 13 against NC and July 3 against KT, he recorded three consecutive strikeouts each time, and on May 28 against Goyang, he achieved four consecutive strikeouts. In crucial moments, he consistently leveraged his strikeout prowess to overwhelm opposing lineups.

After achieving 100 strikeouts, Naga stated, "I am truly honored and delighted to be remembered as the first pitcher in Ulsan's history to reach 100 strikeouts. This record was made possible thanks to the support of my teammates and fans, so I will do my best for team victories in the remaining games and continue to pitch with full responsibility toward our goal of winning the championship."

Ulsan manager Jang Won-jin also remarked, "Naga has consistently maintained his spot in the starting rotation throughout the season and anchored the team. Reaching 100 strikeouts is a meaningful record that proves his consistency and dominance shown so far. We expect him to continue performing like an ace in the remaining games."

Ulsan, which has been setting new records since its inaugural season, plans to use Naga's 100 strikeouts as a springboard to intensify its push for the championship title at the end of the season.

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*This content was translated by AI.