KBO club Heroes part ways with pitcher Jake Brigham

The South Korean club Kiwoom Heroes announced Saturday they have parted ways with American pitcher Jake Brigham over his family situation.
The Heroes said they have asked the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to place Brigham on the “voluntarily retired” list. Players on that list are ineligible to perform anywhere in the KBO for at least one year without permission from their original club.
Brigham, 33, left South Korea to return home on July 12 to tend to his pregnant wife, who was dealing with some health issues. The KBO season was in a midseason break at the time, and the Heroes had hoped Brigham would be able to rejoin them in time for the resumption of the season on Aug. 9.
The right-hander never made it back, and the Heroes had kept mum about Brigham’s status over the past month or so, other than saying they were hoping he’d come back before the end of this season.
But on Saturday, the Heroes revealed some personal adversity that Brigham had experienced.
They said Brigham’s wife gave birth to the couple’s fourth child Tuesday but isn’t out of the woods yet as far as her health condition. Both of Brigham’s parents have recently recovered from bouts of COVID-19. And Brigham’s Florida home was damaged in a recent flood and has to be rebuilt.
“After an extensive conversation with Brigham, both sides determined that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on baseball even if he came back,” the team said in a statement. “By mutual agreement, we decided to place him on the voluntarily retired list.”
This season was Brigham’s second tour of duty with the Heroes. He pitched for them from 2017 to 2020. After last season, Brigham went to Taiwan and then rejoined the Heroes in April.
Brigham went 7-3 with a 2.95 ERA in 10 starts this year.
KBO clubs can carry up to three foreign players, with a maximum of two pitchers, but are only permitted two roster changes per season involving those foreign players.
The Heroes have already used up their two chances: first, they replaced pitcher Josh A. Smith with Brigham in April and then waived hitter David Freitas in June before signing Will Craig in his place a few weeks later.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

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