Lotte Giants' new foreign pitcher Alex Gamboa showcased a powerful pitching performance, earning his first win in his Korean debut. He recorded a speed of 155 km/h on his final pitch, sealing a perfect outing.

On the 3rd, Gamboa started in the game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Busan's Sajik Stadium, pitching 7 innings with 99 pitches, allowing 2 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 6, completing a flawless outing.

He threw 59 fastballs with a peak speed of 155 km/h, 21 sliders, 12 curves, and 7 changeups, perfectly handling the Kiwoom lineup.

This was Gamboa's second appearance of the season and his first home game at Sajik Stadium. He completed his debut on May 27 against Samsung, pitching 4⅔ innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 walk, 2 hit-by-pitches, and recording 9 strikeouts with 4 earned runs. He struggled, allowing a stolen base after his pitching routine—bending over—was deciphered. However, the power of his pitches was confirmed.

After allowing a triple steal against Samsung, Gamboa completely changed his setup. On this day, he continued to pitch without his usual bending routine. Even with the change in his pitching routine, Gamboa continued to throw his pitches.

He started fresh by striking out Song Seong-mun, getting Choi Ju-hwan to pop out to right field, and striking out Lim Ji-yeol in the first inning. The offense added 4 runs in the bottom of the first, allowing him to easily return to the mound in the second inning.

However, after inducing the leadoff batter Kim Keon-hee to a groundout to second, he allowed a single to Lee Hyung-jong and another single to Oh Seon-jin after a 10-pitch battle. All the balls were weakly hit but went toward the outfield. However, with one out and runners on first and second, he induced a groundout from Song Ji-hoo to the first baseman and caught Oh Jun-seo for a pop-up to shortstop, escaping the jam.

From the third inning, he delivered a perfect performance. He struck out the leadoff batter Park Soo-jong, got Song Seong-mun to ground out to second, and Choi Ju-hwan to pop out to second in the third inning. In the fourth, he handled Lim Ji-yeol with a groundout to second and Kim Keon-hee with a groundout to short, striking out Lee Hyung-jong on a swinging strikeout.

In the fifth inning, he faced the leadoff batter Oh Seon-jin in an 8-pitch full-count battle, but induced a groundout to shortstop. He also got Song Ji-hoo to ground out to third base, and Oh Jun-seo to pop out to right field. He achieved three consecutive innings without allowing a run, putting him in a winning position.

In the sixth, he allowed a leadoff walk to Park Soo-jong after a full count. This ended 11 consecutive batters without a hit and marked the first leadoff batter to reach base and the first walk. However, Gamboa remained unfazed and went on to get Song Seong-mun to pop out to left field, Choi Ju-hwan to foul out to the first baseman, and Lim Ji-yeol to ground out to third base, getting through the sixth inning.

He returned to the mound in the seventh inning. He struck out Kim Keon-hee, induced a groundout from Lee Hyung-jong to shortstop, and struck out Oh Seon-jin, who had been troubling him that day, on three pitches. His 99th pitch of the day reached a velocity of 155 km/h. He exited the mound to cheers.

After the game, Gamboa said, "The fans' support and response were immense. My adrenaline surged, so I threw hard. Thanks to their support, I was able to pitch like that." He added, "I felt that there were many fans during my last appearance in Daegu. But this time, everyone was our team's fans, so I am grateful."

He continued, "It felt really good. Thanks to the fans cheering me on, my adrenaline surged, and I felt great enough to think I could throw even more. I could have this experience because of the fans."

In his last outing against Samsung, he confirmed the tenacity of Korean batters and their agility on the bases at the same time. Therefore, on this day, Gamboa quickly fixed his unique routine of bending over that had caused the triple steal. And he did not allow any runners on base. He remarked, "Korean batters tend to wait until the pitches they are targeting come, often foul-tipping to stay alive. Therefore, I need to think a little more about what decisive pitch to throw and train to be more perfect," and added, "Since Korean batters have good base-running, not allowing runners on should make it easier for me to pitch comfortably."

On this day, Gamboa's two older brothers watched the game with him, and after the game, he gifted a water ceremony to his younger brother. He said, "My two brothers have lively personalities. I am really thankful they could come all the way to Korea to watch me pitch like this. I love you both so much," with a smile.

Manager Kim Tae-hyoung also congratulated him, saying, "Gamboa took charge for 7 innings with a shutout. Congratulations on your first win as a starter in Korea." Foreign hitter Víctor Reyes also said, "I wholeheartedly congratulate Gamboa on his first win in the KBO League. Thanks to Gamboa, it seems the game flowed easily up to the seventh inning. His pitching was so good that it allowed the players to defend comfortably."

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