Doosan Bears bring back right-hander Nippert for 6th season

January 6, 2016
Dustin Nippert (NEWSis)

Dustin Nippert (NEWSis)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — Reigning South Korean baseball champions Doosan Bears are bringing back American right-hander Dustin Nippert for his sixth season.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club announced Nippert, 34, will return for US$1.2 million, $300,000 less than what he made in 2015.

In 2015, Nippert suffered through his worst regular season in the KBO, with injuries limiting him to a 6-5 record and a 5.10 ERA in 20 appearances. He bounced back in style in the postseason, however, setting a KBO record with 26 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings. He went 3-0 with a 0.56 ERA in 32 1/3 innings overall, as the Bears captured their first Korean Series championship since 2001.

In five regular seasons for the Bears, Nippert has gone 58-32 with a 3.47 ERA in 127 appearances. Nippert holds the record for most career wins by a foreign pitcher for a single franchise. He has been the Bears’ Opening Day starter in each of his five KBO seasons.