Softbank’s surprising reaction to the news of Lee Dae-ho’s pitching
Softbank Hawks fans did not forget Lee Dae-ho (41).
The Softbank club said on its official SNS in the afternoon of the 21st, “Lee Dae-ho, who joined in 2014 and shone as the MVP of the 2015 Japanese Series, will appear in the match against Chiba Lotte Marines on the 28th and pitch the first pitch. “Please come to the baseball stadium and watch.”
Lee Dae-ho, who played for the Lotte Giants from 2001 to 2011, joined the Orix Buffaloes in 2012 and entered the Japanese professional baseball league, signed a mega contract with Softbank in 2014 for up to 2.05 billion yen for 2+1 years.
Lee Dae-ho played in 144 games in 2014, recording 170 hits (19 home runs), 68 RBIs, 60 runs scored, and a batting average of 0.300 OPS 0.816 in 2014. In 2015, the second year, he played 31 home runs, 98 RBIs, 68 runs scored, and a batting average of 0.282 OPS 0.892 in 141 games, ranking fifth in home runs in the Pacific League, fourth in RBIs, and fourth in slugging percentage.
In particular, in the 2015 Japanese Series, he won the first foreign MVP of the Japanese Series in 19 years since 1996 with 8 hits and 8 RBIs in 16 at-bats, including 2 winning home runs. He was the first Korean player. Lee Dae-ho made it to the Major League by joining the Seattle Mariners in 2016 after the series 토토놀이터
Lee Dae-ho said through the club, “I’m grateful to have an honorable opportunity this time. I still clearly remember the impressions and memories of winning the Japanese Series at Softbank Hawks. “I’m happy to be reunited with my fans at Fukuoka Pay Dome, which I’m visiting for the first time in a while,” he said.
Softbank fans are welcoming Lee Dae-ho thanks to his memories of 2015, which overwhelmed the Japanese series. In particular, foreign players such as Williams Astudillo (0 home runs in 13 games) and Freddie Galvis (0 home runs in 16 games 0.167), who are playing for the team this season, were sluggish, and many missed Lee Dae-ho.
Lee Dae-ho’s pitching notice tweet surpassed 450,000 views in seven hours and received more than 5,000 “likes.” Fans said, “If it’s Lee Dae-ho, please throw the first pitch and go to the bench as it is and wait for a pinch hitter.” He sent messages of longing and welcome, such as “I can still hit,” “The best first baseman I’ve ever seen,” “I remember copying the batting form at school,” and “Please play a retirement game in Japan.”