A foreign batsman who was sent to the second team before opening day has asked to leave. The Yomiuri Giants have lost a foreign hitter overnight. Luged O’Dowd, 30, a slugger with 178 career home runs in the major leagues, is the main character in this bizarre case.
On April 26, the Yomiuri announced that O’Dowd would be released from the team. After being sent to the second team ahead of the start of the season on April 29, O’Dowd told the club that he wanted to return to the United States. Despite the club’s persuasions, O’Dowd refused to budge, and will be officially released soon.
According to Japanese media, including Junichi Sports, new head coach Shinnosuke Yomiuri Abe said of O’Dowd’s departure, “I’m sorry if he’s sorry. It’s his decision, so we can’t do anything about it.” “It will be a great opportunity for other players. I hope all the players will continue to compete with each other during the season.”
O’Dowd is a Venezuelan right-handed hitting center fielder who played in 10 Major League Baseball seasons from 2014-2013, batting .233 (4044-for-930) with 178 home runs, 카지노사이트 568 RBIs and a .710 OPS in 1154 games. He had three 30-homer seasons (33 in 2015, 30 in 2017, and 30 in 2019), but his offense declined as the years went on.
He played 59 games for the San Diego Padres last year, before heading to Asia this year.
In January, he signed with the Yomiuri for an estimated one-year, 200 million yen deal to try his luck in Japan. O’Dowd, who shaved off his trademark beard to comply with Yomiuri’s discipline, also switched positions from second base to right field at the club’s request.
O’Dowd, who joined spring training on March 16 after his visa was delayed, struggled mightily in exhibition games. After going hitless in 14 consecutive at-bats to start, he went 1-for-7 (6-for-34) in 12 games. He had no home runs and no RBIs, and he struck out nine times while drawing one walk. A .176 slugging percentage with a .200 on-base percentage and a .376 OPS.
He also showed lapses in concentration in an exhibition game against the Rakuten Golden Eagles on April 24 with two walks. Rookie outfielder Sasaki “Suke” Yomiuri decided to give O’Dowd a little more time to prepare after he hit .940 with seven RBIs in 16 games (18-for-45) and an OPS of .940, but the decision came to a head when O’Dowd refused to play in the second team and asked to be sent home.
“He’s not what we thought he would be yet, so we told him to take some time to adjust to the second team and improve his condition,” said Yomiuri manager Sadaaki Yoshimura. But O’Dowd refused to accept being dropped to the second team. We talked to him several times and explained to him, but he didn’t change his mind and asked to leave.”
“We had a clause in his contract that said he couldn’t question the coach’s decision, but he didn’t honor it. As for the 200 million yen salary payment, Yoshimura said, “It’s something we need to discuss, but he asked to terminate his contract,” and that it would be difficult to pay the full amount.
There is a feeling within the organization that it was only a matter of time before O’Dowd’s sudden departure.
According to Tokyo Sports, one of Yomiuri’s main players said, “I felt like I knew it was coming. O’Dowd has a lot of pride because of his performance in the major leagues, and you could see his nervous personality from the first time he greeted us in Naha (Okinawa).” In the exhibition game, he showed frustration with the changeup of Japanese pitchers.
Tokyo Sports also pointed out that with only one foreign hitter in the Yomiuri first team, O’Dowd, he was isolated. Although traveling hitting coach Jellus Wheeler was present, 메이저사이트 he was not a constant presence, making it difficult for O’Dowd to integrate into the team. O’Dowd continued to show signs of discomfort, including refusing to answer questions from reporters.
Regardless of the reason, it’s unprecedented for a foreign player to leave a team before the start of the season in protest of being sent to the second team. O’Dowd was notorious for his erratic behavior in the major leagues. On May 16, 2016 (KST) against the Toronto Blue Jays while still a member of the Texas Rangers, O’Dowd became known for his “nuke punch,” in which he threw a straight right hand to Jose Bautista’s face in anger over Bautista’s rough second base slide. O’Dowd was punished by the commissioner’s office with an eight-game suspension.