Bears' ace Miranda wins top S. Korean pitching prize

▲ In this file photo from Oct. 24, 2021, Ariel Miranda of the Doosan Bears pitches against the LG Twins in the top of the third inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Oct. 24, 2021, Ariel Miranda of the Doosan Bears acknowledges the crowd after setting a new single-season strikeout record in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) against the LG Twins during the top of the third inning of the clubs' regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)

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Bears' ace Miranda wins top S. Korean pitching prize

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- Doosan Bears' left-hander Ariel Miranda was named the recipient of the 2021 Choi Dong-won Award on Friday as the best pitcher in South Korean baseball.

The Cuban ace led the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with a 2.33 ERA and a record 225 strikeouts. Miranda surpassed the previous mark, set by Choi himself in 1984, by two.

Miranda fell one category shy of winning the pitching Triple Crown, as he finished tied for fourth with 14 wins.

The award was created by the Choi Dong-won Memorial Foundation in 2014 to recognize the best homegrown pitcher in the KBO in the name of Choi, who passed away in 2011. Foreign pitchers were considered for the honor for the first time in 2018, and Josh Lindblom, former American ace for the Bears, won the prize in 2018 and again in 2019.

Another Doosan pitcher, Raul Alcantara, won it last year, and Miranda extended the winning streak by a Doosan pitcher to four years.

Overall, a Bears pitcher has won this award in six out of eight years.

Candidates must meet the following criteria: at least 25 starts, 180 innings pitched, 12 wins, 150 strikeouts, 15 quality starts, a sub-3.00 ERA and 35 saves.

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