Despite 14 scoreless innings against Kiwoom, pitcher struggles with control and velocity in return game

[OSEN=Busan, Cho Hyung-rae reporter] Lotte Giants' Alex Gamboa was pulled before completing the 4th inning in his return game. The de facto target pitching ended in vain.

Gamboa started in the final regular-season matchup against the Kiwoom Heroes at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 20th, recording 3⅓ innings, 9 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 8 runs, 7 earned runs, and 84 pitches before being pulled. The team also suffered a crushing 5-15 defeat, dropping to 6th place the next day.

He took the mound for the first time in ten days since the September 9th Hanwha game at Sajik. He skipped one start due to elbow pain and returned to the mound for the Kiwoom game on this day.

He was originally scheduled to start in the Daegu Samsung game on the 16th. However, he skipped the start due to elbow pain. Fortunately, there were no abnormal findings, and he immediately prepared for the Daegu Samsung game on the 17th. However, the game was canceled after a ground structure collapsed during training.

He was expected to start in the Changwon NC game on the 19th, but Na Gyun-an took the mound, and Gamboa's start was adjusted to the Sajik Kiwoom game on the 20th. It was a de facto target start. Kiwoom was also the bottom-ranked team, and their head-to-head record against NC was different.

Gamboa had a 1-1 record with a 4.02 ERA in three games against NC this year. In contrast, he had only good memories against Kiwoom. In two games, he struck out 15 batters over 14 innings without allowing a single run. He allowed only three hits.

Despite the risk of elbow pain, there was trust in Gamboa. He also had a full ten days of rest. However, the risk came like a massive tsunami.

Signs were not good from the first inning. He allowed a lead-off two-out double to Park Joo-hong and then committed a wild pitch, leading to a bases-loaded, no-out scoring threat. He battled Song Seong-mun to a full count and allowed a left-field lead-off two-run homer on a 154 km/h fastball.

After giving up two runs, he got out Lim Ji-yeol on a groundout to third, struck out Kim Keon-hee, and got Joo Seong-won on a groundout to second, completing a three-up, three-down inning. The offense immediately scored two runs in the bottom of the first, but it was regrettable that they only scored two runs despite getting five walks and one hit by pitch.

With the score tied 2-2, he struggled through the second inning. He allowed a poorly hit left-field single to Lee Joo-hyung. He got Yeo Dong-wook on a flyout to center field but allowed a single to Oh Jun-seo, leading to a one-out, first and third scoring threat. However, he induced a groundout to shortstop from Song Ji-hoo, turning a double play to escape the scoring threat.

In the third inning, he got lead-off hitter Park Joo-hong on a foul fly to third base but allowed a double to Song Seong-mun. With one out and a runner on second, he got out Lim Ji-yeol on a groundout to shortstop and struck out Kim Keon-hee to navigate the inning.

He finally collapsed in the fourth inning. He allowed a lead-off double to Joo Seong-won. He got out Lee Joo-hyung on a line drive to shortstop but walked Yeo Dong-wook, leading to a one-out, first and second scoring threat. He allowed an RBI double to Oh Jun-seo that cleared the left fielder's head, marking his third run allowed. With one out and runners on second and third, he allowed a two-RBI middle-infield hit to Song Ji-hoo, extending the lead to 5-2.

The defense did not help. After getting Park Joo-hong on a groundout to first with one out and a runner on first, first baseman Kim Min-sung threw a wild throw to second base. The threat continued, and he allowed a right-field RBI single to Song Seong-mun. Gamboa was eventually pulled before completing the fourth inning.

Reliever Park Jin then committed another wild pitch and allowed a two-RBI middle-infield hit to Lim Ji-yeol. He continued to give up runs, allowing a right-field RBI single to Kim Keon-hee. Gamboa's run total increased to 8 runs (7 earned runs).

On this day, Gamboa's fastest fastball reached 155 km/h, with an average velocity of 152 km/h. He threw 22 sliders, 17 changeups, and 7 curveballs. However, his fastball velocity appeared lower than before and had become predictable. The slider's break was also flat, and this time his control was clustered down the middle.

It was also bad luck for Gamboa that poorly hit balls extended to the outfield, but ultimately, he failed to perform as the ace. The team showed support, but they did not achieve their goal.

With Gamboa failing to act as the ace, the game's momentum had already shifted. Relievers Park Jin, Lee Min-seok, and Velasquez were brought in but failed to contain the Kiwoom lineup. They painfully lost a game they should have won with the ace's start. At the same time, Samsung and KT, competing for fifth place, both won their games.

Lotte Giants' Gamboa Fails in Target Start, Allows 8 Runs