Rakuten Eagles GM Kazuhisa Ishii expects new foreign player Urena to be a starter, "As long as he inning well." Right-handed pitcher with 44 career wins in the majors | Pacific League

[Rakuten Eagles] GM Kazuhisa Ishii has high hopes for new foreign player Urena as a starter, saying, "If inning well, he can pitch well." Right-handed pitcher with 44 wins in the majors

Sports Hochi

2026.1.15(木) 18:08

Rakuten Eagles General Manager Kazuhisa Ishii (52) responded to an interview at Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi on the 15th and expressed his expectations for new foreign pitcher Jose Ureña (34).

Regarding the right-handed relief pitcher, whose contract agreement was announced the previous day on the 14th, GM Ishii expressed his hope for his success, saying, "We have high expectations for him as a starter, so I hope he can pitch a certain number of solid inning."

Ureña is a native of the Dominican Republic, standing 188cm tall and weighing 94kg, and is a right-handed pitcher. He has pitched in 251 games in the majors, with 44 wins, 78 losses, 6 ERA 4.75. In 2017, he even recorded 14 wins. GM Ishii revealed, "His current pitching style puts him at the top of our current list, so we decided to acquire him." He also commented on his outlook for the team, saying, "It's unclear whether he'll be able to join us in time for training camp, so I hope he'll be able to come to Japan around that time."

This offseason, the team has strengthened its pitching and batting lineup with foreign players, including Urena. "Basically, we have everything we need to start," he said, indicating that pre-season reinforcements with foreign players are complete.