Lotte Giants reliever Shota Iimura pitches against the LG Twins during the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in the southeastern city of Busan, June 27. Courtesy of Lotte Giants
His numbers at the start of his South Korean baseball journey may not be all that pretty, but Shota Iimura, the new Japanese pitcher for the Lotte Giants, is still having a ton of fun.
If you just looked at the way Iimura kept a smile on his face, both on the mound and in the dugout last weekend, it would have been difficult to tell the pitcher was in the process of allowing five runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings in his first two games in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
Before joining the Giants as their new Asian quota player two weeks ago, Iimura had spent time with semi-pro clubs in Japan and Taiwan. At 28, he is getting his first taste of professional baseball at the highest level in South Korea.
As far as he is concerned, there is so much to like.
