Four-seam is No. 1 in Korea...The 158-kilometer fastball MVP was also frozen, KIA players were shocked

Aug 05, 2025

Four-seam is No. 1 in Korea...The 158-kilometer fastball MVP was also frozen, KIA players were shocked
Lotte starter Gamboa 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/



"I think one four-seam fastball is the best in Korea. It looks like a pitching machine is throwing."

This is what KIA Tigers catcher Kim Tae-gun left after experiencing the ball of Lotte Giants foreign pitcher Alec Gamboa. KIA's batting lineup met Gamboa for the first time on the day.

Gamboa started against the Busan KIA Tigers on the 5th and pitched six ⅔ innings, 107 pitches, four hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts and two runs. Lotte's batters lost 0-2 to KIA ace James Nail, taking their third loss of the season (7 wins), but Gamboa's ball was impressive enough.




Gamboa mixed sliders (17), changeups (10), and curves (1) as she pushed with fastballs (79). The maximum fastball speed was 158km and the average speed was 154km. That's how good the fastball was, but he lost a point because the ball increased as he lost strength.

Last year's showdown with MVP Kim Do-young drew attention. Kim Do-young recovered from his hamstring injury and is playing his first first team game in two months. KIA manager Lee Bum-ho expected Kim Do-young to not easily adapt to Gamboa's fastball, but nothing happened. It seemed that it took a little more time to recover the senses in practice.

Gamboa faced Kim Do-young for the first time in the top of the first inning with one out and runners on second base. He froze Kim Do-young at the plate by hitting 157km/h, 154km/h, and 157km/h and 158km/h fastballs. Then, he dropped a changeup at the ball count of 2B2S and struck out swinging.




Four-seam is No. 1 in Korea...The 158-kilometer fastball MVP was also frozen, KIA players were shocked
The game between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 5th, and Kim Do-young is regretful as he was struck out by Gamboa's ball in the top of the 4th inning. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.05/
Four-seam is No. 1 in Korea...The 158-kilometer fastball MVP was also frozen, KIA players were shocked
The game between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 5th, and Gamboa applauds Reyes, who caught Kim Tae-gun's ball with a good defense in the top of the 3rd inning. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.05/
The same goes for Kim Do-young's second at-bat as a leadoff hitter in the top of the fourth inning. In the ball count of 1B1S, he threw three fastballs with 155km/h in a row to strike out the rookie.

Gamboa also took the mound in the seventh inning as the 0-0 balance was not broken until the sixth inning. Gamboa, who had already lost a lot of power due to her power pitching, slowly shook. The leadoff hitter Na Sung-bum was replaced by Park Jung-woo when he picked up a walk and faced off. Wisdom hit an infield hit deep to the left of the shortstop to become first and second base with no outs. Oh Sun-woo then hit a ground ball in front of the pitcher, and Gamboa made an error that he couldn't catch while groping the ball twice, loading the bases with no outs. The fixer was Kim Tae-gun. He hit a timely two-run hit to make it 0-2.

Kim Tae-gun, who finished the final shot, said "I really think one of the four points is the first place in Korea. I think the pitching machine is throwing. It really flies that fast. I can't see it quickly, but it feels like it's coming in like this. I felt like I lost a lot of strength (when I hit the final)" he said.




Nail, who had a luxury pitching match with Gamboa, said, `We are actually very close enough to text each other on the weekend before this game. I think we did our best because we met each other as opponents. Gamboa will be a little disappointed, but I think she was able to win in the seventh inning because the team scored in an important situation as Gamboa's physical strength fell"I raised my thumb to my friend.

Four-seam is No. 1 in Korea...The 158-kilometer fastball MVP was also frozen, KIA players were shocked
The game between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 5th, and Kim Tae-gun, with no outs, hits a two-run timely hit in the top of the seventh inning and cheers. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.05/
Four-seam is No. 1 in Korea...The 158-kilometer fastball MVP was also frozen, KIA players were shocked
Gamboa leaves the mound after two runs in the top of the seventh inning against KIA and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 5th. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.05/




This article was translated by Naver AI translator.