Doosan’s Brandon returns to the KBO with confidence
Brandon Waddell returns to the Doosan Bears of the KBO with a new pitcher and a lot of confidence.
Brandon will take the mound against the KIUM Heroes of the 2023 Shinhan Bank Solar KBO League on April 24 at Gocheok Sky Dome.
It’s been about eight months since Brandon took the mound in the KBO since October 5 against the SSG Landers.
In a Doosan uniform last year as a replacement pitcher for Ariel Miranda, Brandon appeared in 11 games, posting a 5-3 record with a 3.60 ERA.
After not re-signing with Doosan after the 2022 season, Brandon found a home in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). This year, he pitched for the Rakuten Monkeys of the CPBL, going 5-4 with a 2.69 ERA in 11 appearances.
Brandon is back in a Doosan uniform due to Dylan Pyle’s injury.
Dylan, who wore a Doosan uniform before this season, was hit in the head by a pitch in spring training this year and suffered a bone bruise, so he didn’t make his KBO debut until early last month. After appearing in two games, he was removed from the first team roster due to elbow soreness.
Dillon’s lengthy injury absence forced Doosan to turn to foreign players, and they turned to Brandon again.
Brandon’s shoulders are not light as he prepares to return to the KBO.
Doosan has been struggling lately with a slump in its batting lineup. Their steady winning percentage of over 5% has collapsed. They need Brandon to pitch well.
A strong outing from Brandon could help lift the team’s spirits.
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop, who watched Brandon pitch in the bullpen on the 22nd, said, “He has a good fastball,” and added, “He played in the KBO, but it’s his first game back. The first game is always nerve-wracking, and the outfield needs to help him pitch comfortably,” he said.
“We’ll see if he can pitch his way out of it,” he said.
Brandon, who has been pitching in the KBO as a substitute pitcher both last year and this year, is confident.
It’s different from last year, when he was a bullpen pitcher and had to transform into a starting pitcher after joining Doosan.
He also added new pitches while he was away from the KBO for a while.
“It’s smoother than last year,” Brandon said. Last year, I was a bullpen pitcher for half of the season and had to quickly transition to a starting pitcher when I came to Korea,” he said. “But this year, I’ve been building up to being a starting pitcher since the offseason. I’m confident,” he said.
“I used to only throw a slider that was fast and short, more like a cutter. But this year, I learned and honed a slider with a larger angle.” “I think it will be more advantageous to face left-handed hitters, so it will be interesting to watch that part,” he also said with confidence.
It will also be interesting to see how Brandon, who worked mainly with Park Se-hyuk (NC Dinos) last year, will work with Yang Ji, one of the best catchers in Korea.카지노
Brandon said, “Yang Ji was a tricky opponent last year. “She’s a great hitter and a great catcher,” says Brandon, “and she’ll add some offense to our lineup. “She’s a great hitter and a great catcher, and we’re looking forward to having her in our lineup to provide some offense and sit behind home plate.