SOUTH KOREA – Korean heavyweight and reigning league champion SK Wyverns, have acquired former MLB pitcher Gary Glover to upgrade their relief corps.

The Cleveland, Ohio, native agreed to a $170,000 contract including a $30,000 signing bonuss. To make room for Glover, the team placed southpaw pitcher C.J. Nitkowski on waivers.

the 32-year-old, who was drafted in 1994 by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round of the Major League Baseball Draft, is an imposing figure on the mound, at 6′4″ with a fastball that reaches 93 miles per hour.

Glover made his debut in the majors with the Blue Jays in 1999 and went on to pitch for six big league teams. He also played with the Yomiuri Giants in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league in 2006. Glover recorded 29 wins and 26 losses with a 3.24 ERA.

In his only season in the NPB, Glover was 5-7 with a 4.97 ERA as a starting pitcher. He also played alongside Korean first baseman Lee Seung-yeop and Ken Kadokura, who was signed by the Wyverns earlier this season.

Glover appeared in 104 games for the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2007-08 seasons after returning from Japan.

Glover pitched this season with the Washington Nationals Triple-A affiliate, Syracuse Chiefs, and with Florida Marlins Triple-A affiliate, New Orleans Zephyrs where he was 3-3 with a 4.79 ERA.

Photo courtesy woolis.com

Tags: South Korea