Dustin Nippert (43) will get a chance to leave his final mark as a Doosan Bears player.
The Doosan Bears will host the Nippert retirement ceremony in a home game against KT Wiz at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 14th.
Nippert became a ‘legend’ in the KBO League beyond Doosan.
Nippert, who wore Doosan’s uniform in 2011, recorded 102 wins, 51 losses and one hold average of 3.59 in 2014 games for eight seasons until he retired from KT in 2018. In 2016, he won the regular season MVP with 22 wins, 3 losses and an ERA of 2.95, and was at the center of Doosan’s overall victory.
Foreigners who have seen poor performance in the professional world are expected to be told goodbye in a cold manner. Nippert has proven his competitiveness by being the longest-tenured foreign player in history. He was the only foreign player who won 100 games and struck out 1,000, marking a milestone in the history of foreign players in the KBO League. He was the only foreign pitcher who was named the legendary All Star in the 40th anniversary of the 2022 pro baseball league.
Nippert, who has retired as a KBO player since 2018, runs the “Big Dream Youth Baseball Team” and is active in the baseball entertainment program “Best Baseball.”
Nippert is scheduled to take the mound as the first pitchman for the retirement ceremony. However, he can also be seen as the Doosan pitcher instead of the first pitchman.
The KBO has newly established a retirement player entry rule since 2021. According to Article 14 of the Professional Baseball Regulations, “Registration of Retired Players,” which includes active players, it is stipulated that “if you want to register to hold a retirement game, you can register more than the quota, and it will be automatically canceled the next day.” Until now, Park Yong-taek (LG) and Kim Tae-kyun (Hanwha) have used this rule to play in the first team after retirement. Both Kim Tae-kyun in 2021 and Park Yong-taek in 2022 were listed in the starting lineup and replaced at the beginning of the game, which allowed them to participate in the game.
However, in the case of pitchers, the replacement requirements are somewhat complicated. According to the KBO rules, starting pitchers are obligated to pitch until the opponent’s first batter or his substitute is out or goes to first base. In case of injury, it can be replaced. Reliever pitchers are obligated to pitch until the batter or substitute batter at the time of playing, goes to first base, or becomes an airborne shift.
Doosan will include Nippert in its special entry for retired players on Wednesday. After the defense ends at the top of the first inning, registration of the entry is also necessary for the performance of “high-five players during air shift.”
The problem was that since Nippert is a foreigner, he needed to interpret the terms and conditions. The number of foreign players signed by the club must not exceed three, except for foreign players who are substituted for injury. In addition, only two foreign players can play in a game. Doosan currently has three players, including Jordan Balazovic, Brandon Waddell and Jared Young. If Nippert is registered, Doosan temporarily has four foreign players.
The KBO gave an authoritative interpretation that even foreign players can register if they are special entries for the retirement ceremony. “We made the decision as we judged it to be necessary for fan service,” the KBO said. 메이저사이트
KBO also decided to give an exception to the rule that three foreign players are not allowed to play in the case of a special retirement entry. If Balazovic comes out as the starting pitcher on the 14th and Jared plays, Nippert can take the mound. As Balazovic will play against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok on the 10th and is difficult to play on the 14th, there will be no special application for the three players not to play.
The variables of the mound are the game situation. Not only Doosan but also KT, the opposing club, are currently busy fighting for rankings. Although it is said to be a legend’s retirement event, one inning and one out are important if the game is played in a close game where one out count is precious, so this cannot be just happy. As Doosan had to deal with the batter unconditionally once he took the mound, Doosan was cautious, saying, “We will register a special entry for retired players, but the on-site situation is important whether or not we will take the mound.”
Regardless of whether he is on the roster or not, the entry registration alone is meaningful to Doosan. A record-breaking 2024 entry will remain. If he takes the mound, he will also be left with the record of playing in 2024 in the KBO’s official website. In other words, his last team will end up with Doosan.
If Nippert takes the mound, fans will be able to see “legendary pitching” once again. If Nippert takes the mound at Doosan, it has been about seven years since Game 5 of the Korean Series against KIA Tigers on October 30, 2017. Since then, he has been wearing Doosan’s uniform in 2020 as a first pitch. As he recently showed his throwing of 150 kilometers per hour fastballs in the “strongest baseball,” he is expected to see Nippert’s unique heavy fastball on the mound at Jamsil Stadium.
Yang Eui-ji, the “soul battery,” will also be able to play with Yang. “He is my favorite pitcher,” Yang said when asked about his retirement ceremony. “I’m glad to come back to Doosan and get the ball from him. I sent him off in tears, but I’m really looking forward to it because I have a good chance to sit down and let him go.” Yang is scheduled to receive the first pitch from Nippert.
Song Eun-beom (40), who failed at the “strongest baseball” audition recently, returned to the professional league wearing the Samsung Lions uniform. How will Nippert, the ace in the “strongest baseball,” show off his powerful pitching? All the performances are prepared.