Could there have been such a one-two punch in the history of Kia Tigers?

Foreign pitcher Adam Oller achieved his 10th quality start. On the 7th, he took the mound as a starter in a game against the Hanwha Eagles at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, holding the mound until the 7th inning. He had an impressive performance with 7 innings, 6 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, 9 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs. He did not reach 7 wins due to a lack of support from the team’s batting lineup.

The 4th inning was the only crisis. He allowed a hit to Ha Ju-suk but seemed to escape the inning after striking out two batters and getting one to pop out. However, immediately after allowing a stolen base, he gave up a timely hit to Lee Jin-young. Following that, Roh Si-hwan hit a double, and Choi In-ho was hit by a pitch, before giving up another hit to Choi Jae-hun, resulting in 2 earned runs.

Afterwards, he went until the 7th without allowing any runs and achieved a quality start plus. His fastballs exceeding 150 km/h and powerful breaking balls were overwhelming. However, the batting lineup did not perform well, and he finished his outing with a 2-2 tie. The game ended without a walk-off in the 10th inning and he gave up a timely hit to Lee Jin-young in the top of the 11th, losing 2-3.

That day marked his 10th quality start. He showed such stability on the mound and leads the rotation alongside ace James Naile. Their contributions are now so similar that it’s difficult to tell who the true ace is. Naile has not had the luck of wins, but he maintains a strong performance with an ERA of 2.77 and 8 quality starts. The combined 18 quality starts of the two pitchers are tied for first place alongside Hanwha’s Ponce-Weiss one-two punch.

Such foreign one-two punches have been rare in the history of the Tigers. Since Aquilino Lopez and Rick Guenther led the team to victory in 2009, they are considered the best foreign duo. At that time, Lopez pitched 190⅓ innings with a record of 14 wins and 5 losses and an ERA of 3.12, while Guenther pitched 161⅓ innings with a record of 13 wins and 4 losses and an ERA of 3.24. Lopez was instrumental in winning the Korean Series with 2 wins.

Even in 2017 when they won, there was a powerful foreign one-two punch with Hector Noesi and Pat Dean. Hector pitched 201⅔ innings with a record of 20 wins and 5 losses and an ERA of 3.48. Dean did not reach 10 wins but pitched 176 innings with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses and a respectable ERA of 4.14. They each contributed a win in the Korean Series on their way to victory.

In the 2024 season, Kia won without a full-time foreign one-two punch. Naile led the rotation with top-notch pitching, but Will Crow left after just 8 games due to an elbow injury, necessitating backup foreign pitchers. With a strong batting lineup and bullpen, they clinched the championship. Kia successfully re-signed Naile, who led them to the 2024 title, and newly acquired Oller. If Oller performs to expectations, hopes for a consecutive championship are strong.

Oller responded with a brilliant performance. Naile maintained his renowned pitching while performing alongside Oller, mirroring the contributions of foreign punchers from 2009 and 2017. He might be seen as the strongest foreign pitcher in the team's history. Nevertheless, Kia remains in 7th place. The injuries to Na Sung-bum, Kim Do-young, and Kim Sun-bin have been significant, and the bullpen has been inconsistent. The level of agile baseball has not matched last year, and detailed performance is lacking. However, if the foreign punchers continue to perform robustly, there is a chance for a rebound. This makes Oller's 10th quality start hopeful.

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