Raul Alcantara (31, Doosan Bears) returned to the Korean stage after two years after completing the challenge in Japan. Alcantara will engrave the number 43 on the Doosan uniform and play the 2023 season.
Alcantara signed a contract with Doosan last month for a total of 900,000 dollars (about 1.1 billion won). As for his uniform number, he chose number 43, which he wore when he was active as the league’s top ace in Doosan in the 2020 season. Last year, number 43 was the uniform number of pitcher Park So-joon (28), but he readily gave it to Alcantara.
Wearing the number 43 uniform, Alcantara was invincible. He harassed opponent batters by mixing a forkball with his fastball that exceeded 150 km/h. Alcantara pitched in 31 games in the 2020 season and won the Choi Dong-won Award and Golden Glove with 20 wins and 2 losses, 198⅔ innings, 182 strikeouts, and an average ERA of 2.54.
Thanks to an intense season at Doosan, Alcantara signed a two-year, $4 million (approximately 5 billion won) large contract with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) ahead of the 2021 season. His two-season career record was 4-6 in 63 games, 1 save, 25 holds, and an average ERA of 3.96, but Alcantara was able to return to Korea with more diverse experiences.메이저놀이터
Alcantara wore number 44 while playing for Hanshin. At the time of his transfer to Hanshin, he expressed regret, saying, “When I played in the KBO League last year (2020), I wore number 43 and set a good record, but unfortunately, number 43 was not vacant in Hanshin.”
Alcantara, who has regained number 43, is trying to recreate the glory of the 20-win ace. Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop currently has high expectations for Alcantara. This is because Alcantara needs to hold the center of the starting lineup for calculation to stand. Dylan Pyle, who will be in charge of the second starter, has been evaluated as a high-potential prospect in the United States, but it is impossible to guarantee how long it will take to adapt to the league. As for the domestic starting lineup, Kwak Bin, Choi Won-jun, and Choi Seung-yong are expected to compete. In order for the domestic starters, who are just in the process of gaining experience, to take a step forward, they need a strong first starter that will not collapse throughout the season like Alcantara in 2020.
Alcantara admitted failure in Japan and signed a contract for $900,000. It is a small amount compared to the treatment of foreign aces, but Alcantara was confident of making a comeback in Korea by signing without hesitation.
Alcantara said, “I am happy to return to Doosan, where I played baseball happily. I will thoroughly prepare for the off-season and challenge for the best place once again.”