Lotte has acquired a top foreign pitcher for 400 million won. Although he allowed a triple steal with a folded bow in his debut game, he immediately attempted to change his routine and became an 'untouchable pitcher' throwing an astonishing fastball.

In professional baseball, new foreign pitcher Alex Gamboa of the Lotte Giants started on the 8th against the Doosan Bears in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League's ninth game of the season, pitching 6⅔ innings, allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, striking out 5, and giving up 2 runs, accumulating his second win of the season (1 loss). It was a valuable victory that rescued the team from a stretch of 4 consecutive losing series.

After the game, Gamboa said, "I think I prepared well for the game despite the short rest. And when I went on the mound, the adrenaline surged due to the support of Lotte fans. That's why I was able to show a good performance."

In the bottom of the 7th inning, leading 4-2 with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 3rd, Gamboa handed the mound over to Jeong Cheol-won. Did he not have the desire for a quality start plus in consecutive games? He responded, "I think it’s right to go along with what the team is operating. I believe the coaches saw something I couldn’t perceive. And since the team won because of my substitution, I respect that decision."

As Gamboa handed off the baton to Jeong Cheol-won and left the mound, he received enthusiastic cheers from the packed Lotte away fans in the 3rd base stands. When asked how he felt at that moment, he said, "It was an unbelievable situation, an unbelievable sight. I never expected to have this kind of experience. It sent chills through me."

Gamboa signed a contract with Lotte for a total amount of $330,000 (approximately 400 million won) on the 14th of last month, after Lotte waived Charlie Barnes. And on the 27th, he had his long-awaited debut against the Samsung Lions in Daegu, but became the losing pitcher after allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks over 4⅔ innings, striking out 9. He experienced the humiliation of allowing a triple steal due to his unique pitching motion, nicknamed 'folded bow.'

Gamboa immediately began to change his routine, and on the 3rd, against the Kiwoom Heroes in Sajik, he pitched 7 innings, allowing 2 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6, achieving a no-run victory without the folded bow, earning his first win.

Gamboa stated, "I changed my routine spontaneously after the first game. I felt that Korean baseball has runners who move very quickly, so I thought it would be better to change swiftly." He added, "The (folded bow) motion was something I did to have my own rhythm, but now I find my rhythm well without that posture," he smiled.

In that game, he allowed a surprise stolen base to Doosan's Kim Jae-hwan, who had only one stolen base previously, in the bottom of the 4th inning. Gamboa remarked, "I judged the possibility of a steal by looking at the runner's physique. In the case of Kim Jae-hwan, I thought he wouldn’t run, but he did. I will study about Korean runners more diligently in the future."

At the time of acquiring Gamboa, Lotte expressed anticipation for his average pitch speed of 151 km/h, and Gamboa threw a maximum of 157 km/h on that day, living up to his reputation. His RPM was 2531, with a vertical movement of 61.

Gamboa said, "The fastball is a good pitch for me, and it worked well when I matched the battery's rhythm today. Since the fastball was working well, I was able to use my breaking balls at better timing. The fastball was really good today," he added with a satisfied smile.

He was asked if he could show the dream velocity called 100 miles (161 km/h) in the future. He replied, "I will challenge myself. I will throw hard at least once," with an enthusiastic voice.

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