Cam Aldred, a temporary substitute for the KIA Tigers, has fallen to the Doosan Bears’ lineup. If he fails to display competitiveness against a team centered on right-handed hitters like this, he will inevitably face deep agony both at Kia and the field. If this continues, we cannot guarantee that Aldred will be transferred to a full-time position.
Aldred started against Doosan in Gwangju on July 30 and allowed 91 pitches, 8 hits, 4 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 7 runs in 4.1 innings.
Aldred, who joined the team as a temporary substitute for former foreign pitcher Will Crow, had three wins and one loss with an earned run average of 3.43 48 strikeouts and 18 walks in WHIP 1.17 in eight games before the game. Kia should decide on its official switch by August 14, the deadline for replacing foreign players who can play in the postseason.
KIA manager Lee Bum-ho told reporters before the game on the 30th, “We need to check how the opposing team’s batting line is different from when they first saw Aldred’s ball and when they saw it for the second time. When he is against a team with a lot of left-handed hitters, he has the best performance, but when he is against a team with a lot of right-handed hitters, he is weak. When he first faced Doosan, he was sluggish (six hits and six runs in three innings), so we will see what kind of pitching he will make today.” 스포츠토토
Lee is closely monitoring Aldred’s fastball speed and ball speed decline. The team’s data team also wants to analyze Aldred’s pitching in detail to help decide whether to accompany him or not.
“I will also take a closer look at my fastball and pitching speed. I will be competitive when my fastball reaches 146-7 kilometers per hour from the third to fourth innings. The sweeper will also be able to communicate better only when the fastball reaches 140 kilometers per hour. As the pitcher has to take the second turn in important situations, he needs to closely monitor his pitching capability and pitching speed. If his ball speeds up by 2-3 kilometers per hour than expected, there is a chance that his pitching capability will deteriorate. I will continue to monitor and make a decision on the replacement date.”
Contrary to Lee’s expectations, Aldred started to falter from the first inning. After hitting a two-run homer off Yang Seok-hwan in the top of the first inning, Aldred also gave up a two-run double to Kim Ki-yeon in the top of the second inning. Aldred allowed Heo Kyung-min to score additional runs in the top of the third inning when he hit a timely hit to center field with two outs and runners on the second base.
In the end, Aldred was replaced by Lim Ki-young at the top of the fifth inning with one out and runners on the first and third bases. As Lim allowed additional runs, Aldred’s number of runs increased to “seven.” Aldred posted a speed limit of 148 kilometers per hour on the day, but also a minimum speed of 136 kilometers per hour on the day. The maximum speed of the two-seam fastball was 147 kilometers per hour and the minimum speed of 135 kilometers per hour, showing a wide variation.
Kia seems to be agonizing over whether to replace Aldred. In the order of rotation, the match between the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on August 4 and the Samsung Lions in Gwangju on August 10 will inevitably be the deadline for Aldred. It is curious whether the Kia club will seek a foreign pitcher who is currently serving as a second player in the Korean Series or decide whether to replace Aldred as a regular worker.
