Yomiuri Giants utility man Luis Gonzalez is determined to take advantage of his opportunity to play for the club's varsity team after replacing slumping Korean first baseman Lee Seung Yeop, as Kyojin manager Tatsunori Hara plays the up-and-down yo-yo game with respect to Japanese baseball's four-man foreign player registration quota.
"Gonzo" was called up from the Giants Eastern League farm team when Lee, along with his homerless .135 batting average, was sent down April 14, and he's made a significant contribution to Hara's lineup offensively and defensively.
"I missed most of last season, and I must make the most of this chance," said the Venezuelan native who sat out most of 2007 after being hit by a pitch at a game in Yokohama on the opening weekend.