Dodgers Win Bid for Ishii

In introducing Japanese pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii to fans Wednesday, Dodger pitching Coach Jim Colborn offered an encouraging comparison.

“He’s a scaled-down version of Randy Johnson,” Colborn said.

Ishii stands 6 feet 2, not 6-10. His fastball tops 90 mph but never hits 100 mph. He does not come equipped with scraggly hair or a Cy Young Award. But he is a left-handed pitcher who does not hide behind breaking balls.

“He’s not a touchy-feely pitcher like Tom Glavine,” said Colborn, who became familiar with Ishii when he worked in Japan. “He goes after the hitters.”

This summer, he likely will do so in Dodger blue. The Dodgers won negotiating rights to Ishii, outbidding the Angels, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners by agreeing to pay $11.3 million to the Yakult Swallows, Ishii’s Japanese club.

The Dodgers’ rights expire in 30 days, but neither the team nor Ishii’s agent anticipates difficult negotiations. The Dodgers are expected to sign Ishii to a three-year contract worth at least $11 million.

Joe Urbon, the agent for Ishii, said the pitcher was “elated” that the Dodgers won his rights. Ishii, whose wife formerly lived in Los Angeles, wanted to pitch for the Dodgers, Angels or Mariners. That desire helped persuade Dodger Chairman Bob Daly to approve a high bid.

With the addition of Ishii, General Manager Dan Evans has reconstructed the Dodger pitching rotation. Where the club had Chan Ho Park, Terry Adams, James Baldwin and Terry Mulholland, they could open this season with Ishii, Kevin Brown, Andy Ashby, Hideo Nomo and Omar Daal.

The biggest beneficiary could be Matt Herges, or whoever replaces him as the setup man if the Dodgers cannot find a closer and must use Herges in that role. He wore down as last season wore on, so Evans made it a priority to acquire starters capable of pitching into the seventh and eighth innings.

Nomo pitched 198 innings last season, Daal 186 and Ishii 175.

The Dodgers scouted Ishii extensively last summer, when he often spoke of his desire to pursue a major league career. The Dodgers made no effort to retain Park, Adams or Baldwin, all of whom filed for free agency. Park signed a five-year, $65-million contract with the Texas Rangers, but Adams and Baldwin remain unsigned.

“As early as July and August, we evaluated Ishii ahead of those two,” Evans said.

Evans said that Brown and Ashby, each recovering from surgery, are expected to be ready for opening day. With Ishii, Evans said, the Dodgers need not be tempted to push Brown or Ashby if either pitcher struggles in spring training. If all five starters are healthy, the Dodgers could return erratic prospect Eric Gagne to triple-A Las Vegas, use him in relief, or include him in a trade, possibly for a closer.

Ishii, 28, went 12-6 with a 3.39 earned-run average last season, ranking second in Japan’s Central League in strikeouts and walks. He struck out a league-leading 210 in 183 innings in 2000, when he went 10-9 with a 2.61 ERA.

While the Dodgers have not won a postseason game since 1988, the Swallows won five Japanese championships in Ishii’s 10 seasons with the club.

In his only start in last season’s championship series--his final start for the Swallows--he pitched eight shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out 12.

“He’s a polished pitcher,” Colborn said. “He’s no rookie. He knows what big-game pitching is all about.”

Dodger Manager Jim Tracy thanked his employers for acquiring a left-hander that might neutralize the big left-handed bats that dominate the National League West, including Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants, Luis Gonzalez of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies and Ryan Klesko of the San Diego Padres.

Shawn Green, the Dodgers’ star left-handed hitter, joined Bonds and other major league all-stars on a tour of Japan after the 2000 season. He faced Ishii and said it wasn’t fun.

“He shut us down,” Green said, “a team full of guys like Bonds and [Toronto left-handed slugger Carlos] Delgado. Everyone was really impressed with him. He was the most impressive pitcher we saw there for sure.”

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Staff writer Paul Gutierrez contributed to this story.