Imanaga, highly praised by Jeong-hoo Lee, counts down his contract with the Chicago Cubs

Lee: “This is my first time seeing a ball with so much rotation.”

“I’ve seen many fastballs reaching 150 km/h, but this was my first time seeing a ball with that much rotation. “It felt like it would go through the back net if the catcher didn’t catch it.” Lee Jeong-hoo (26, San Francisco) commented as follows about Shota Imanaga (31, photo), who was Japan's second pitcher in last year's World Baseball Classic (WBC) match between Korea and Japan. It is highly likely that Lee Jeong-hoo will face off with Imanaga in the Major League Baseball (MLB) this season. This is because the countdown to Imanaga’s joining the Chicago Cubs has begun.

MLB.com said, “The Cubs have agreed to a contract with Japanese left-handed pitcher Imanaga. “It is expected that a contract will be signed if the medical test passes,” a source said on the 10th. Although the specific size of the contract is not known, there are reports that $30 million (approximately KRW 39.6 billion) is guaranteed for two years, and if all various options are fulfilled, the contract will be extended and worth up to $80 million (approximately KRW 105.5 billion). there is.

Imanaga played in DeNA, a Japanese professional baseball team, from 2016 to last year, appearing in a total of 165 games and leaving with 64 wins, 50 losses, and an average ERA of 3.18. Although he is not tall (178 cm), he throws a variety of breaking balls, including a fastball with a maximum speed of 155 km/h, a slider, a change-up, and a curve. 19가이드03