Ahead of this season, a number of Korean and Japanese stars chose to challenge the major leagues. As they were highly anticipated, their induction ceremonies were held in grand style. With the need to make a strong and good first impression, the players captivated the hearts of local reporters and fans with their English greetings.
After Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) sang "Handsome?", Shota Imanaga (Chicago Cubs) livened up the press conference with the lyrics of the song "Hey Chicago, what do you want?".
Imanaga was all smiles when it was his turn to express his feelings about joining the Cubs at a press conference held at a hotel in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on July 13 (KST). He said, "Hey Chicago!" and "What do you say, Cubs gooner win today?" Amidst the amused laughter, some people even clapped. In fact, Imanaga's first words were taken from the lyrics of the song "Go Cubs Go.
The fact that he chose a traditional song to introduce himself shows how prepared he was. The journalists at the press conference and the fans watching on the livestream felt the sincerity.
"I'm Imanaga Shota. I'm Shota Imanaga. I Played Yokohama DeNA Baystars 8years" (I'm Shota Imanaga. I Played Yokohama DeNA Baystars 8years).
"I'm happy to be here with the Cubs. I want to thank the Cubs organization for signing me. I'm Very Happy To Be Here and Be a CUBS. I Want To Say Thank You To Entire Cubs Organization For Having Me and I'm Very Excited To Pitch At Wrigley Field".
Imanaga concluded, "I'm excited to meet the fans and my teammates. Go CUBS Go!" (I'm Looking Forward To Meeting Fans and Teammates. Go CUBS Go!).
It was an unfamiliar Japanese English pronunciation to Americans, but it didn't matter. The atmosphere in the press conference room was already in love with Imanaga from "Hey Chicago. After his remarks, Imanaga sang "Go Cubs Go" again to show his love for his new team.
Imanaga went on to play eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, starting 165 games and pitching 1002⅔ innings, compiling a 64-50 record with four shutouts and a 3.18 ERA. The second-year jinx came in the form of a bad "third-year jinx" instead. After going 4-11 with a 6.80 ERA in 23 games in 2018, he spent the offseason rebuilding in Australian baseball, and then had his best season in 2019, going 13-7 with a 2.91 ERA in 25 games.With 174 strikeouts in 148 innings last year, he passed Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes to Los Angeles Dodgers) to lead both leagues in strikeouts. At the WBC in March, he started the final game against the United States and pitched two innings of one-run ball.
Imanaga, who pushed for a move to the majors in a post-season post, signed a four-year, $53 million deal with the Cubs. It has an option for up to five years and $80 million. 카지노사이트가이드
According to ESPN, "Imanaga is known as Japan's pitching philosopher. He wants to improve his game on the big stage after last year's WBC experience," ESPN reported. "I'm not a fully developed player," Imanaga said. I still have a lot to learn. That's why I've been nicknamed the philosopher," he said.
Lee Jung-hoo, who joined San Francisco last month, was also well-received for his English self-introduction and witty jokes. When he introduced himself as "Grandson of the Wind From Korea," reporters smiled widely.
"I Always Have Love Bay Area From Coming Here As a Young Ball Player," he said in a courtship message to local fans.
"I'm Here To Win" and "And I Will Always Give My Best Effort To Teammates And Fans". "Let's Go Giants!" he shouted as he finished his introduction.
After putting on his uniform, he asked the press, "Handsome?" and made the press room laugh again. Fans were grateful for the effort. "That must have been incredibly difficult. I admire you," "It can't have been easy to do a press conference in a foreign language and in front of foreign reporters. It's amazing," and "You must have practiced a lot. It's good to see. Seeing how much effort they put in at the press conference, I'm sure they'll do the same on the baseball field."