Heroes sign new pitcher C.C. Mercedes
Cristopher Crisostomo Mercedes, The Korea Baseball Organization club's new pitcher, is shown in this file photo provided by the Kiwoom Heroes, July 30. Yonhap
The Kiwoom Heroes announced their signing of the Dominican pitcher Cristopher Crisostomo Mercedes on Wednesday.
Also known as C.C. Mercedes, the 31-year-old left-hander will make $280,000 for the remainder of this Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season.
Mercedes signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as an international amateur in 2012 but never reached the majors. He signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 2017 and stayed with them until 2022. He then joined another NPB club, the Chiba Lotte Marines, in 2023 and spent two seasons there.
He had been pitching for Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan this season.
Mercedes posted a 37-44 record with a 3.10 ERA in 126 appearances in the NBP. In the CPBL, the left-hander went 6-3 with a 2.57 ERA in 14 starts.
The Heroes said they valued Mercedes' experience in Asian baseball, adding it should make his transition to the KBO relatively easy.
Mercedes is expected to join the Heroes in early August.
Through Tuesday's action, the Heroes were in last place in the 10-team KBO with a win-loss-tie record of 28-68-3.
In a corresponding move, the Heroes released American left-hander Kenny Rosenberg, who only made 13 starts in his first KBO season before hitting the sidelines with a hip injury in June.
Later that month, the Heroes signed Australian pitcher Lachlan Wells as a temporary injury replacement for Rosenberg. Wells had a 1-1 record with a solid 3.15 ERA in four starts, and with Rosenberg ruled out for the season, the Heroes offered Wells a full contract for the rest of this season. Wells, however, turned it down and returned to Australia last week.
Six foreign players have appeared in a game for the Heroes so far this season -- three position players and three pitchers -- and once Mercedes takes the mound, the Heroes will tie the KBO record for most foreign players used in a season since the league opened its doors to non-Korean natives in 1998.