Gamboa, which has changed dramatically in 1G, is the secret to adjusting the 30km difference...I asked Yoo Kang-nam, the master of the house

Jun 04, 2025

Gamboa, which has changed dramatically in 1G, is the secret to adjusting the 30km difference...I asked Yoo Kang-nam, the master of the house
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants



Gamboa, which has changed dramatically in 1G, is the secret to adjusting the 30km difference...I asked Yoo Kang-nam, the master of the house
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
Gamboa, which has changed dramatically in 1G, is the secret to adjusting the 30km difference...I asked Yoo Kang-nam, the master of the house
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
"First of all, the fastball was so good today, right?"

There is no more ' personnel' routine. Alec Gamboa has emerged as the vanguard of the Lotte Giants, who dream of becoming the first autumn baseball in eight years.

Gamboa led the team to victory with two hits and one walk in seven innings with a starting plate and a maximum 155km fastball at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 3rd. Six strikeouts are a bonus.




He mixed sliders (21), curves (12), and changeups (7), focusing on the maximum 155km and average 151km fastballs (59). The strikeball ratio (67-32) was also excellent.

On this day, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung's dream was to be a foreign player. It was enough to make Charlie Barnes forget who left Lotte after being together for four seasons.

Gamboa's fastball was not all about restraint. The rotational speed per minute (RPM) reached a maximum of 2447 times, and the upper and lower movements were 53 cm. If you look at the details of the fastball, it is second to none in the top class in the Major League.




Gamboa, which has changed dramatically in 1G, is the secret to adjusting the 30km difference...I asked Yoo Kang-nam, the master of the house
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
The unique pitching form, which falls from a height of 2 meters, added to its power. The 155km fastball that hit the borderline outside the right-handed batter against Oh Sun-jin, the last batter in the top of the seventh inning, was the highlight of the Gamboa's pitch.

Gamboa is full of major league prospectsHe is also a pitcher who has played for seven years in the Juss Minor League. If his team wasn't for the Dodgers, he might have played in the big league. However, when Gamboa joined the team for the first time, her fastball speed was 89-91 miles (about 143-146 kilometers). He also thanked the Dodgers for throwing more than 95 miles (about 153 kilometers) of fastballs.

What stands out in particular is that he threw all three types of breaking balls in every inning except for the third inning (three curves and three sliders each). In the case of sliders, they showed speed as fast as fastballs (up to 146km, average 140km).




Gamboa, which has changed dramatically in 1G, is the secret to adjusting the 30km difference...I asked Yoo Kang-nam, the master of the house
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
After the game, I met Lotte Yoo Kang-nam. During the game, he was suffering from a strong foul ball near his collarbone, but fortunately, there were no special injuries. After a hit in the eighth inning, he wore a mask until he was replaced by pinch runner Son Sung-bin.

What would the master of the house think. Yoo Kang-nam said, "First of all, I loved the fastball," he said with a big smile.

"The fastball was so good that I took the ball mix as aggressively as possible. We talked a little in the middle of the game, and since the fastball is so fast, we talked about throwing sliders properly but mixing curves. "Thanks to that, after the first (second) session, the game seems to have been run better and led to a good result."

Is that why. Kiwoom's two hits on the day were all sliders. Yoo Kang-nam says " (Because slider is also so fast) If you aim for a fastball and it's a little late (the timing of slider) seems to be right.", emphasizing the importance of curves.

Gamboa, which has changed dramatically in 1G, is the secret to adjusting the 30km difference...I asked Yoo Kang-nam, the master of the house
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
Among the 99 pitches thrown by Gamboa on the day, the slowest was a 125km curve thrown in the fifth inning. There is a whopping 30km difference from the maximum fastball speed. This is enough speed difference to embarrass Kiwoom hitters. There is a reason why Yoo Kang-nam pointed out it as a point of controlling the level.

Yoo Kang-nam added "I was a little shaken in the seventh inning against the first batter (Kim Gun-hee), but I think I threw better against the back hitters."

Will Gamboa be Lotte's `overwhelming ace' who waited and waited. First of all, it's a good start.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.