Oler had a lot of experience in starting, so his routine seemed clear on the mound."

New foreign pitcher Adam Oller (31) of the KIA Tigers made a good impression on his first bullpen session. Oller pitched the first bullpen session at the Lake Part Baseball Complex in Irvine, California, the site of his first spring camp on Thursday (Korea time). While checking six pitches including four-seam fastballs, cutters, changeups, curves, sliders and slobs, Oller threw a total of 20 pitches and left the mound.스포츠토토

Aller posted a maximum speed of 145 kilometers of fastballs. Considering that he moved up the schedule about a week earlier than the previous spring camp in time for the accelerated opening of the season, it can be said that he has been working out very well. Since no full-strength pitching is allowed in the bullpen, there is no big problem if the speed of his pitches is within the normal range.

"I threw lightly as much as 75 percent today. I still have a lot of time, so I'm going to take it step by step. I'm in good physical condition right now," Aller said, expressing satisfaction with the result of his first bullpen pitching.

Kia Tigers coach Lee Bum-ho and pitching coach Chung Jae-hoon closely watched Oler who started pitching for the first time. It is no exaggeration to say that Oler is a key player who will decide whether to seek the championship for the second consecutive year.

Coach Chung said positively, "Oller had a lot of experience in starting, so he seemed to have a clear routine on the mound, and the angle of the breaking ball seemed good. I will prepare well for the opening by increasing the intensity little by little in the remaining bullpen pitching."

KIA had a hard time because it failed to establish a proper one-two punch for foreigners while achieving the overall championship title last year. Ace James Nail renewed his contract for a total of 1.8 million U.S. dollars by winning 12-5 with 149 ⅓ innings and an ERA of 2.53 in 26 games last year, but the remaining spot remained a question mark. Since Will Crow left the team due to injury, the team has continued to recruit substitutes for foreigners, but the team struggled due to poor performance and below-expectations results. While Crow left with five wins (eight matches), Cam Aldred had three wins (nine matches), Eric Lauer had two wins (seven matches) and Eric Stout had one win (four matches). Kia has secured 11 wins by employing four foreign pitchers excluding Nail, but hopes to complete a 20-win duo this year with only two players, Nail and Aller.

The last time KIA had a foreign 20-win duo was five years ago. Aaron Brooks and Drew Gagnon won 11 games side by side and combined for 22 wins. From 2021 to 2023, there was no foreign pitcher with 10 wins for three consecutive years, so bad luck continued, and last year, Nail appeared and won 10 games, paying a lot of money.

KIA Tigers' new foreign pitcher Adam Oler started pitching in the bullpen for the first time. KIA manager Lee Bum-ho (left) and coach Kim Joo-chan are watching Oler's pitching from behind. Photo courtesy = KIA Tigers
Aller is a right-handed pitcher with a height of 1m93 and a weight of 102kg. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 2016 draft and started playing in the rookie league step by step. He gained opportunities for the last three consecutive seasons in the Major League from 2022, and played for four seasons in the Minor League Triple-A. Last year, his average fastball speed was 93.7 miles (151 kilometers).

In the Major League, he played for two seasons since his debut in 2022 as a member of the Oakland Athletics, and moved to the Miami Marlins last year as a starting pitcher. In all, he pitched in 36 games (23 starts), recording 5-13 losses, 136 ⅓ innings, 95 strikeouts, and 6.54 ERA.

After embracing the active major leaguer Aller, KIA general manager Shim Jae-hak said, "Oller's average speed is the same, and in a way, he started as a low-ranking designated player and continued to come up through the league from the bottom. He signed with us when it is a little uptrend. Miami is not a strong team, but I have expectations because it is an uptrend that shows some performance by steadily throwing innings."

Recalling how hard it was to replace foreign pitchers during the last season, Shim said, "Even though the field was tough, I think the last season went back to some extent because the front desk staff did a good job of filling up the situation. I hope that the three (foreign) players will stay healthy for a year without changing in the new year. Just because a year goes by itself means a good result. I have such expectations that we can all spend a year together."

In order for Aller to accompany Kia this year, it is necessary to quickly adapt to the KBO league. Aller is starting from adapting to KBO official ball in the spring camp. ABS (automatic ball determination system) is also a task that Aller has to adapt to during the camp.

"It feels a little smaller than the official ball in the Major League, but I'm very satisfied because it fits well with my hand size. I think it will be an advantage in using various breaking balls," Aller said.

Meanwhile, Nail also threw her first bullpen session on the day. Her maximum fastball speed reached 147 kilometers already, and she was in good physical condition. Nail warmed up lightly by throwing 29 balls from the bullpen. She checked all five pitches, including four-seam fastballs, two-seam fastballs, sweeper, change-up and curveball.

"I rested well during the off-season, spending time with my family, and prepared for spring camp by exercising whenever I had time," Nail said. "Since it was my first bullpen session today (May 30), I focused more on command than on speed, and I am satisfied with the result. I want to prepare well and take the mound at Champions Field as soon as possible."