ERA 7.17 Wins Award, 2.7 Billion → 500 Million Pounds...Can I trust you, the ace of 20 wins

May 19, 2025

ERA 7.17 Wins Award, 2.7 Billion → 500 Million Pounds...Can I trust you, the ace of 20 wins
The Doosan-NC match held at Changwon NC Park on the 24th. Alcantara, who was hit by his right hand the day before, is clapping his hands in good condition. Changwon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2023.9.24/



ERA 7.17 Wins Award, 2.7 Billion → 500 Million Pounds...Can I trust you, the ace of 20 wins
A game between the LG Twins and the Kiwoom Heroes at Jamsil Stadium on the 15th. Kiwoom Puig is cheering after hitting a hit. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.05.15/
Raul Alcantara (33), the king of many wins in the past, will return to the KBO League. He will start anew as the ace of the Kiwoom Heroes.

Kiwoom requested KBO to disclose waivers for foreign hitter Yasiel Puig on the 19th and signed a contract for the rest of the season with right-hander Alcantara for a total of $400,000 (about 500 million won), including $250,000 in annual salary and $150,000 in options as a substitute" he announced.

Considering Alcantara's reputation and ransom in the past, it can be said that Kiwoom caught it cheaply. Alcantara became the league's top ace with 31 games, 20-2 losses, 198 ⅔ innings, 182 strikeouts and a 2.54 ERA in 2020 when he was an ace for the Doosan Bears. Thanks to this, he was able to move to the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 2021 to 2022 and received an annual salary of $2 million (about 2.7 billion won) from the Hanshin Tigers.




Alcantara, who coldly failed in Japan and returned to Doosan in 2023, succeeded in restoring his honor with 31 games, 13-9, 192 innings, 162 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.67. Last year, Doosan gave 1.5 million dollars (about 2 billion won) to the first starter who returned.

However, Alcanta became a player full of question marks last year and this year. Last season, he was eventually released by Doosan after falling into a swamp of sluggishness in the aftermath of an elbow sprain from the end of April. It was the worst report card since his KBO League debut with 12 games, 2 wins, 2 losses, 64 ⅓ innings, 34 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.76. After complaining of elbow pain, he often got hit by the bat of his opponents even if his speed reached up to 153km. Along with the fastball, the power of the main weapon fork ball, which led Alcantara to the most wins, also declined.

Alcantara moved to the Mexican league this year. I played for Leones de Yucatan, and when I look at my report card, it makes me tilt my head. He started five games and lost only one game, with 21 ⅓ innings and an ERA of 7.17. The figure can be interpreted as being steadily on a downward curve since last year's elbow injury.




Nevertheless, Kiwoom urgently recruited Alcantara. This is because they judged that stabilizing the starting lineup is urgent.

ERA 7.17 Wins Award, 2.7 Billion → 500 Million Pounds...Can I trust you, the ace of 20 wins
The Doosan-NC match held at Changwon NC Park on the 23rd. Alcantara is asking for a check swing toward the third base. Changwon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2023.9.23/
ERA 7.17 Wins Award, 2.7 Billion → 500 Million Pounds...Can I trust you, the ace of 20 wins
A game between Hanwha and Doosan held at Jamsil Stadium on the 10th. Alcatara, who allowed two runs in the top of the fourth inning, is disappointed. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.4.4.10/
Kiwoom said "The club has been operating a two-man foreign hitter system with the aim of strengthening its offense this season, but it has not achieved as much as expected. In order to overcome the current situation in which the team is at the bottom and to rebound substantially, there was an internal opinion that stabilizing the mound through strengthening the starting lineup was necessary, and accordingly, the decision was made to recruit a new foreign pitcher", he explained.

Alcantara pitched in 101 games in four seasons in the KBO League from 2019 to last year when he was a KT Wiz player. Pitcher is very familiar to KBO league hitters. If he fails to beat his opponents with ball power like he did in 2020 and 2023, he may have another difficult time like last year.




Kiwoom first uses a fastball with a maximum speed of 153 kilometers, and various breaking balls such as sliders, curves, and folk balls. In particular, he said, "A pitcher who has advantages in his ability to digest innings and manage games…"

Kiwoom will also be able to build a stronger starting lineup than before if Kim Yoon-ha, who is adjusting his condition in the second division, and Chung Hyun-woo, who is scheduled to return from injury, join the starting lineup leading to Rosenberg, Alcantara, and Ha Young-min. We hope that the change of atmosphere through the reorganization of the starting lineup will be a new vitality for the team, and we hope that all of the players will work on the rest of the season with a new determination.

As soon as Alcantara enters Korea early on the 25th, she will move to Gocheok Sky Dome and conduct light team training after meeting with the team. Administrative procedures such as visa issuance will be carried out from the 26th, the next day, and the schedule for the mound will be determined later.

ERA 7.17 Wins Award, 2.7 Billion → 500 Million Pounds...Can I trust you, the ace of 20 wins
Lotte-Doosan match held at Jamsil Stadium on the 3rd. Alcantara, who allowed a solo shot to Jeon Joon-woo with two outs in the top of the first inning, is coming down the mound regretfully. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.3/




This article was translated by Naver AI translator.