Bouncing up and down between the majors and minors may not be the best way to adjust to a new country and a new league, but it has worked for Rick van den Hurk.
After going 5-1 on the farm to start the season, the 198-cm Fukuoka Softbank Hawks right-hander won his first two games with the top team only to be relegated once more to the farm. Yet despite the speed bump, van den Hurk has just kept rolling. In July, the Dutch international went 3-0 with a 2.53 ERA and was named the Pacific League pitcher of the month.
"That (bouncing around) stuff don't bother me," he told Kyodo News on Saturday at QVC Marine Field. "I just try to focus and prepare myself the best I can for every single game, wherever that game is and just focus on that and make sure I throw strikes and do the little things right."