Lotte's fans are just waiting for fall, but the shock is gone...When are you coming back?

Sep 15, 2025

Lotte's fans are just waiting for fall, but the shock is gone...When are you coming back?
KT-Lotte match held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 28th. Gamboa is wiping her sweat after finishing the fourth inning without losing a point. Busan = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.8.28/



He won the league's monthly MVP as soon as he arrived. I thought my grades were falling a little, but I finally complained of abnormal symptoms.

The Lotte Giants urgently replaced the starting pitcher. Lotte announced Park Jin-young as a starting pitcher in an away game against the Samsung Lions at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 16th.

Park Jin is one of the key resources of Lotte's bullpen this season. The only starting pitcher will be a substitute against the Doosan Bears on April 27, when the season was early. He even pitched as many as three innings in relief against SSG Landers just three days ago. Considering various factors such as the number of pitches and breaks, a normal start is not possible.




Initially, Lotte's starting pitcher for the day was Alec Gamboa in the rotation. However, there was inevitable reason to replace the starting pitcher. It's an injury.

Lotte said on the 15th "The reason for the replacement of the starting pitcher is that Gamboa complained of discomfort in her left elbow. In the two consecutive games against Samsung, we will take a rest without taking the mound, and we will check whether he will take the mound again after the game on the 19th."

It's a bolt out of the blue. Currently, Lotte is in a situation where one game and one game are very important. Lotte, which is ranked sixth with a 50% win rate, is three games behind SSG, 1.5 games behind KT, which is ranked fourth, and 0.5 games behind Samsung, which is ranked fifth.




In a desperate situation after slipping from third place, he recently recorded two consecutive wins by one point against KIA and SSG, saving the spark of hope again.

Lotte's fans are just waiting for fall, but the shock is gone...When are you coming back?
The game between KT and Lotte at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 3rd. Lotte's Gamboa, who is pitching as a starter. Suwon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.09.03/
In particular, two games against Samsung on the 16th and 17th are very important. If the team wins both games against Samsung, which is a 0.5-game gap, it can push Samsung to sixth place. In addition, if we ride the flow, we can sufficiently close the gap with the third and fourth places.

In this situation, it would be fatal if Gamboa 'Ace' skipped the rotation. The team should immediately start an all-out bullpen game against Samsung on the 16th. Park Jin-jin is unable to play many innings, and naturally, there is a lot of bullpen consumption. For Lotte, which is struggling to do its best every game, it is a difficult reality.




On top of that, the key is whether Gamboa can take the mound as soon as possible. Gamboa can't be out of the season here because the team is in such an important situation and the regular season is just around the corner. However, if the elbow discomfort does not disappear completely, he is also hopeless.

Even if Gamboa watches her condition while resting for two consecutive away games against Samsung, she has to throw a bullpen on the 17th, two days ago, to take the mound against Changwon NC on the 19th. He can take the mound in normal condition only when he rests for another day and catches pain and there is no abnormality in bullpen pitching. Otherwise, the mound will be pushed back to the match against Kiwoom in Busan on the 20th or the week after that.

Lotte's fans are just waiting for fall, but the shock is gone...When are you coming back?
The game between the Lotte Giants and the Hanwha Eagles at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 10th. Lotte Gamboa is catching her breath. Busan = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.09.10/
You can get even more angry if you try too hard to take the mound. Gamboa was in trouble with eight runs (three earned) in four innings against Hanwha on the 10th, his most recent appearance. Considering that he took the mound after a six-day break, he may have felt uncomfortable with his elbow from this point on. After all, if you are not in good health, even if you take the mound, it is likely to lead to a large number of runs, so you should approach it carefully even if you are in a hurry.

Lotte was full of dreams to advance to the fall baseball and postseason this season. It seemed possible enough, and it seemed like it was coming before real eyes. However, the fall in the second half of the year led to a drop in the rankings, and now it is time to aim for a real last chance.

Will he be able to successfully rebound at the last minute. First of all, the departure of 'Ace' seems so painful.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.