Gamboa, the 159km left-hander's first appearance in the match against Samsung on the 27th → Lotte's future that dreams of more than fall baseball ran

May 26, 2025

Gamboa, the 159km left-hander's first appearance in the match against Samsung on the 27th → Lotte's future that dreams of more than fall baseball ran
Lotte Gamboa warming up with a catch ball.



Gamboa, the 159km left-hander's first appearance in the match against Samsung on the 27th → Lotte's future that dreams of more than fall baseball ran
Gamboa pitching hard.
Gamboa, the 159km left-hander's first appearance in the match against Samsung on the 27th → Lotte's future that dreams of more than fall baseball ran
The game between the Hanwha Eagles and the Lotte Giants at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 24th. Lotte Gamboa is watching the game. Daejeon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.05.24/
It's finally my first appearance. Lotte Giants new foreigner Alec Gamboa (28) will make his first appearance.

Gamboa will start against the Daegu Samsung Lions on the 27th. On his KBO League debut, the opponent was Samsung ace Ariel Furado (29).

Gamboa is a left-hander who Lotte released Charlie Barnes, a foreign ace who has been with him for four years, and recruited him instead. Barnes said goodbye to Lotte unfortunately as he was diagnosed for eight weeks due to a shoulder injury.




Gamboa played for seven seasons only in the minor leagues under the Los Angeles Dodgers. The biggest advantage is that he has a lot of experience in selection. He is not tall at 1m85, but his fastball from his wrestling-trained body has an average speed of 151km.

He said "The fastball speed was around 145 kilometers at the time of entering the club, but now he is throwing more than 150 kilometers. Thanks to the Dodgers' training, he showed off his affection for the Dodgers.

He can use sinkers, sliders, and change-ups on a fastball of up to 159 kilometers. According to U.S. media, it is a pitcher whose strength is sinker and change-up, which will be accompanied by a strong fastball. Gamboa threw a 159km (99 miles) fastball two years ago. It's really hard to break a 100-mile wall. I'm going to try it in Korea"I once smiled broadly.




Lotte formed a three-team system with the LG Twins and Hanwha Eagles despite the absence of foreign ace. Based on the strong batting average of the team (289) and the third-place OPS (0.764 on-base plus slugging percentage), the team's strong batting average stands out, catching up and turning over even if the starting pitcher is shaken.

Gamboa, the 159km left-hander's first appearance in the match against Samsung on the 27th → Lotte's future that dreams of more than fall baseball ran
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
However, the mound is overloaded. The team's ERA is only 9th (4.71). Park Se-woong and Davidson, who were at their peak at the beginning of the season, also slightly lost their momentum.

Now, Gamboa has to show how she fits '1st starting ace'. In recent years, Lotte has chosen foreigners, including Barnes, Wilkerson, Strayley and Davidson, with a sense of stability, but Gamboa is different. If it fits properly, he is a player who can show a first-line performance that overwhelms ball power like Alcantara or Nippert.




Gamboa entered the country on the 17th after stamping a transfer fee of $100,000 and an annual salary of $330,000 on the 14th. On the first day of his arrival, he was active, greeting the team immediately, but Lotte was cautious ahead of the actual operation. After adjusting to jet lag, he went through the mound of Futures. He took the mound against Samsung in the Futures League on the 21st and finished his preparation for the start by pitching 3 hits and 4K in 3 innings. The maximum speed of the day also reached 153km, raising expectations. In addition to the fastball, he threw high-speed sliders (up to 146 kilometers per hour) and change-ups (up to 140 kilometers) to raise expectations.

Gamboa, the 159km left-hander's first appearance in the match against Samsung on the 27th → Lotte's future that dreams of more than fall baseball ran
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
Of course, Lotte's goal this season is to advance to the fall baseball league for the first time in eight years. However, expectations for a higher place are growing as Lotte has established a three-way system by keeping some distance from the mid-range so far, with the regular season about a third.

Lotte's last advance to the Korean Series was in 1999. Will Gamboa's addition give Lotte the momentum to kick once more.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.