Jose Pirela, a foreign hitter who played a big role in the Samsung Lions' first postseason appearance since the opening of Samsung Lions Park in Daegu in 2021, will end his three-year stay with the team.

Samsung signed foreign-born slugger David McKinnon for a total of $1 million ($100,000 signing bonus and $900,000 annual salary) on July 15. This means that Pirela will no longer be with the team.

Pirela joined Samsung in 2021 and played in 420 games over three years, batting .509 with 73 home runs, 286 RBI, 270 runs scored and 30 stolen bases.

Pirela gives his all in every game to help his team win. When you think of Pirela, the first thing that comes to mind is sprinting. Even when he hits an infield grounder, he sprinted to first base. Pirela's hard work is a positive influence on the entire team. He got along well with the players in the locker room and was recognized as a true member of the Lions.

After an impressive rookie year in which he batted .288 with 29 home runs, 97 RBIs and 102 runs scored, Pirela had an MVP-caliber performance last year, batting .192 with 28 home runs, 109 RBIs, 102 runs scored and 15 stolen bases. He was honored with a Golden Glove in the outfield alongside Kia's Na Sung-bum and Kiwoom's Lee Jung-hoo.

Pirela finished the season with a respectable .285 batting average, 16 homers, 80 RBIs and 66 runs scored in 159 at-bats, but was no longer with Samsung.

Catcher Kang Min-ho took to Instagram on Friday to express his gratitude to Pirela. Along with a photo of him sharing a forearm high-five with Pirela, he wrote, "I won't forget the hour I spent with you. Thank you my friend," he wrote.

KT infielder Kim Sang-soo, who played for Samsung until last year, also posted a photo with Pirela, writing, "Let's meet again someday!!!".

Meanwhile, McKinnon, born in 1994, is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-handed hitting infielder who has played in 357 minor league games, batting .294 with 36 home runs, 210 RBI, 212 runs scored and an OPS of .875 in 1247 at-bats. 카지노사이트777 

This season, he played for the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball. In 127 games, he batted .259 (120-for-464) with 17 home runs, 53 RBIs and 53 runs scored.

"McKinnon is a medium-to-long range right-handed hitter with a good leadoff stroke and excellent contact ability who can play solid first and third base defense," the club said.

"With his hard work ethic and Japanese baseball experience, he will adapt quickly to the KBO," the club said. "His addition will provide us with infield versatility and further strengthen our center field lineup."