158km is the best after Ponce, but the prelude to KIA's all-out war...KIM DO YOUNG is here. We traded

Aug 06, 2025

158km is the best after Ponce, but the prelude to KIA's all-out war...KIM DO YOUNG is here. We traded
The game between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 5th, and the nail on the first and second bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning are happy after dealing with Reyes with a double play. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.05/



"Kim Do-young is back, and good players have joined the team through good trades. I think the performance will be more important in the future."

This is the words of KIA Tigers ace James Nail. KIA finally started a last-minute spurt as a whole. On the 28th of last month, he succeeded in reinforcing the bullpen by bringing pitchers Kim Si-hoon and Han Jae-seung in a trade with the NC Dinos, and on the 2nd, last year's MVP batter Kim Do-young returned to the first division. Foreign pitcher Adam Oler, who left due to elbow inflammation, will return to the game against the Lotte Giants in Busan on the 6th. There is no more negative electricity.

Nail started against Lotte in Busan on the 5th and led the team to a 2-0 complete victory with 94 pitches, two hits, two walks, one strikeout and eight strikeouts in six innings. Nail became the winning pitcher for the first time in 51 days since the match against Changwon NC Dinos on June 15.




Nail is 6-2 with 128 ⅓ innings, 122 strikeouts and a 2.38 ERA in 21 games this season. In the ERA category, nail is second to Hanwha Eagles ace Cody Ponce (1.68). However, while Ponce won 13 games, Nail won only about half of Ponce's. This means that there were frequent cases of not receiving help from the batters or setting fire to the bullpen.

Everything was perfect on this day. After Nail completely blocked six innings, the bullpen continued the flow. Sung Young-tak (1 inning), Han Jae-seung (1 inning), and Jeon Sang-hyun (1 inning) blocked the remaining three innings without allowing a run.

The lineup first met Lotte left-hander Alec Gamboa and struggled. Gamboa tied KIA's batting line up to the sixth inning with a fastball of up to 158km.




It was effective that Gamboa bought time to lose strength as nails kept the mound equally. Gamboa, who took the mound in the seventh inning, lost control in the aftermath of his all-out pitching, and eventually allowed Kim Tae-gun to make a timely two-run hit with no outs. At the moment when it was really necessary, Kim Tae-gun's two points divided the fate of the two teams. It was the moment when Gamboa's full-strength pitching, which took a maximum speed of 158 kilometers, was buried.

158km is the best after Ponce, but the prelude to KIA's all-out war...KIM DO YOUNG is here. We traded
KIA starter Nail is pitching hard in a game between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 5th. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.05/
158km is the best after Ponce, but the prelude to KIA's all-out war...KIM DO YOUNG is here. We traded
KIA won 2-0 in a match between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 5th. Nails and Kim Tae-gun are sharing their joy. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.05/
Nail said "I'm very happy to win today's game (5th). It was a very important game in the second half, and I'm glad I started the week very well. Of course, I thought I had to do well today, and I kept trying not to give as many points as possible on the mound because it was difficult for batters to score points because he was a good pitcher."

Consolation continued for Gamboa, who played a luxury pitching match together.




Nails "We are very close enough to text each other on weekends before the game, but we did our best because we met as an opposing team in the game. Gamboa said, "I'm a little sorry, but I think I was able to win because I got the score right then as I lost my stamina in the seventh inning."

It was also a day when he shook off all the sorry feelings that he couldn't break his losing streak as an ace during the seven consecutive seasons. Nail emphasized that Kia only needs to go up further. KIA recovered to fourth place with 49 wins, 4 draws and 47 losses in the season.

Nails "I always try to win every time I take the mound. Whenever I take the mound, I think it's best to create a situation where the team can win. If you play baseball, you can lose consecutive games, and I think it's really fortunate that the losing streak came out in July. It could have been more fatal for the team if it came out in September or a little more important situation. I think it's a relief, and since Kim Do-young came back and brought good players to the team through a good trade, I think the performance will be a little more important in the future," he said emphatically.

KIA will try to win its fourth consecutive game with Aller at the forefront on the 6th. Since it is a return match, the number of pitches will be limited to about 70 pitches. Prior to his injury, Oler was 8-3 with 95 innings, 107 strikeouts and a 3.03 ERA in 16 games.

Nail is "Oller is one of the best pitchers in the league. Just having such a player enter the team rotation is a great help. You have to play an important role in the ranking competition. When I watched him throw the ball, he was throwing a good ball, and there was no mental burden, so I'm looking forward to Oler's game"He expected his victory to extend to Oller.

158km is the best after Ponce, but the prelude to KIA's all-out war...KIM DO YOUNG is here. We traded
KIA won 2-0 in a match between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 5th. Nail and director Lee Bum-ho are sharing their joy. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.05/




This article was translated by Naver AI translator.