"I'm full of confidence, maybe because I've been playing Korean baseball for years. He said he'd chew everything up." 안전놀이터

Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man smiled brightly when talk of foreign pitcher Ariel Furado came out. 

Furado, who became a new member of Samsung this season, played for the Kiwoom Heroes for two years from 2023, achieving double-digit wins for the second consecutive year. Furado also recorded excellent numbers at the batter-friendly Daegu Samsung Lions Park. Over the past two years, he has pitched in five games at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, with an outstanding record of 3-1 with a 2.91 ERA.

Daegu Samsung Lions Park also ranked third (53.3 percent) in the overall ground ball ratio last year based on five pitches, which is a good fit for the team. He pitched in 183 ⅔ innings in 2023 and 190 ⅓ innings last year. Based on his durability and ball control, he ranked first in the KBO league in both innings (374 innings) and QS (43 innings).

After failing to renew his contract with Kiwoom despite his outstanding performance, he was called by other teams but joined hands with Samsung. The contract terms are a total of 1 million U.S. dollars, including a down payment of 300,000 dollars and an annual salary of 700,000 dollars. 

Coach Park Jin-man, who met at Akama Ball Park on the 13th, said, "Hurado, who is bright and energetic, has a strong desire to contribute to the team," adding, "We quickly became close to existing foreign players (Denny Reyes, Lewin Diaz, etc)." 

Furado is well-known as a good example of generously passing on his know-how to young players since his days at Kiwoom. Manager Park Jin-man said, "When young pitchers throw bullpens, Furado watches them and tells them a lot of good stories." 

Meanwhile, Furado said on the club's official YouTube channel "Lions TV," "It's an honor to join the team. I want to make good performances this season and bring joy to fans." 

Furado, who is well known as a good example for young pitchers, said, "Young players came up to me and asked me a lot of questions. I told them that catch is one of the most important processes when pitching." 

Furado, who used to play for the Texas Rangers, said, "I am used to blue color. Blue is one of my favorite colors. I am happy to wear the Samsung uniform this season. I achieved good results last year, but my goal is to achieve better results this year." 

He also said hello to his fans. "I'm so happy that you supported me, and I'll work hard to give joy to my fans," Furado said. "I'll prepare hard to win this season, so please cheer for me as hard as last year."