Only things to get better are left, and coach Kim Tae-hyung smiled at the 155km Gamboa.

Jun 04, 2025

Only things to get better are left, and coach Kim Tae-hyung smiled at the 155km Gamboa.
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants



"The ball is good. It was a really good throw."

Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung laughed happily for the first time in a long time.

Coach Kim Tae-hyung, who met at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 4th, threw well about Alec Gamboa's good pitching the previous day. It was a really important game because it was my second appearance, but it will get better in the future."




Gamboa pitched a perfect pitch against the Kiwoom Heroes in Busan on the 3rd with a maximum of 155km of fastballs and two hits, one walk and no runs in seven innings. He showed off his hot presence, saying, "Thanks to the support of Busan baseball fans, I was energized."

The head coach said "The first game was a bit chaotic, but the ball was okay then, too. I hope it will be an opportunity to gain confidence in the future," he said with a smile.

Only things to get better are left, and coach Kim Tae-hyung smiled at the 155km Gamboa.
photo courtesy of Lotte Giants
The number of pitches was 84 until the sixth inning, and the seventh inning was subtle, but it was the coach's decision to push ahead. Gamboa, who put down the pressure, showed off her encouraged tension in the seventh inning, and showed off her dignity of striking out with a 155km fastball with 99 pitches.




Gamboa was basically a pitcher who was close to two pitches of fastball-slider, but on this day, he threw a curve and change-up every inning, trying to control his speed.

It is encouraging that none of the fastballs were hit with a straight hit. On the other hand, the slider is fast enough to shoot up to 146km, so it is expected that it will be hit by a bat wielded at normal fastball timing. Like his debut, he was powerful against left-handed hitters, while he also seemed to be somewhat difficult against right-handed hitters.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung said, `If the slider is not controlled at the right time and is pushed to the center, it can be hit. Wasn't it the same in the last match against Samsung?" he said, citing concerns and improvements. Then "You have to take the ball mix differently depending on the batter's tendency." The part that needs to get better and better in the future, he stressed.




Only things to get better are left, and coach Kim Tae-hyung smiled at the 155km Gamboa.
The game between the Hanwha Eagles and the Lotte Giants at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 25th. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung is lost in thought. Daejeon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.05.25/
In the absence of Hwang Sung-bin, concerns about the leadoff continue. Jang Doo-sung's existing shortcomings are being highlighted again as his batting condition slightly declines. Jeon Min-jae has a batting style, but considering his physicality as the main shortstop, it is too much to entrust the leadoff.

"It's good to have a left-handed hitter who grabs powerfully at No. 2. Ko Seung-min is good at No. 2 to 3, and Yoon Dong-hee has a good batting sense, so you can go to No. 3. However, Jang Doo-sung is a concern now. I keep getting it right, but there is an urgent hit coming out. Jeon Min-jae seems to be the perfect number six. Both attack and defense hope for nothing more than that at the current level."



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.