2G 1 loss, ERA 15.43 Vandenhulk Yakult release, retirement crisis

Rick Bandenhulk (pitcher), who played for the Samsung Lions in the past, was notified of his release from the Yakult Swallows.

According to a report by Japanese sports media “Sponichi Annex” on the 22nd, Yakult announced Bandenhulk as a wave.

The media pointed out, “Vandenhulk has played for the Softbank Hawks for six years since 2015 with 43 wins and 19 losses (3.68 ERA), but he moved to Yakult this season and played in two games without winning (average ERA of 15.43).”

He also said, “Bandenhulk started against the Orix on May 28 and allowed five runs in the first inning.” Since then, we have re-adjusted the ball power in the second division, but we have not shown results, he added.

Meanwhile, Bandenhulk was a member of the dynasty who contributed to three to four consecutive wins in the 2013-2014 Samsung Lions’ foreign ace.

The trademark is a fastball in the 150km range that is 198cm tall. In particular, he won 13 wins and 4 losses in 2014 and burned the Samsung Dynasty’s last ace flame as the No. 1 player in two categories, including an average ERA (3.18) and strikeouts (180).

After moving to Softbank Hawks in 2015, he played with an average ERA of 2.52 with nine wins and no losses in his first year and set an individual record for the most wins with 13 wins in 2017. At the time of joining the team, he signed a two-year, 400 million yen contract and earned a large amount of money by signing a three-year, 1.2 billion yen extension contract during the 2016 season.

He renewed his contract for one year after the 2019 season, but fell due to back and elbow injuries. In the end, he failed to renew his contract after the end of last season and left Softbank.

He also left open the possibility of returning to Korea, but he remained in Japan after signing a contract with Yakult. However, he is at the crossroads of retirement due to his performance below expectations.