Samsung Lions Sign Former MLB Pitcher Flexen

The Samsung Lions, who finished the first half of the KBO League season in first place, have bolstered their pitching staff by signing former Major League Baseball pitcher Chris Flexen. The team announced the acquisition on Tuesday, detailing a contract worth $473,333.

Flexen, a right-handed pitcher standing 196 centimeters tall and weighing 98 kilograms, brings significant MLB experience to the Lions. He appeared in 132 games, including 119 starts, during his MLB career, accumulating a record of 32 wins and 43 losses with a 4.83 earned run average. His WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) in the majors was 1.26.

“

We plan to entrust one of the starting rotation spots to Flexen, who recently played in MLB, instead of extending the contract of J.R. O'Rourk, who has been playing as an injury replacement foreign player.

Prior to his MLB stint, Flexen demonstrated strong performance in the minor leagues, posting a 1.92 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP over 40 games (35 starts). He is known for his diverse pitch repertoire, striking out 8.02 batters per nine innings and issuing 2.04 walks per nine innings in MLB.

The Lions opted for Flexen over extending the contract of current foreign pitcher J.R. O'Rourk, who had been filling in as an injury replacement. Flexen has completed his medical tests in Korea and is expected to join the team soon, aiming to contribute to their push for the league title in the second half of the season.

“

I will do my best to help the team win.