“I’ve never had a celebration like this.”
Cam Aldred (KIA Tigers) started the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League KT Wiz match at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 14th and won his KBO League debut by pitching five hits, one walk and seven strikeouts without losing a point in five innings.
KIA announced its contract with Aldred on April 29. Aldred was issued a work visa on May 5 and made his debut at a game against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on May 8. In his debut game, he became a losing pitcher by allowing six hits, three walks, four strikeouts, and six runs in three innings.
Aldred, who took the mound for the second time in the KBO League after a five-day break, faced KT’s batters, which lead to Mel Rojas Jr. (right fielder), Bae Jung-dae (center fielder), Kang Baek-ho (catcher), Jang Sung-woo (designated hitter), Hwang Jae-gyun (third baseman), Moon Sang-cheol (first baseman), Kim Min-hyuk (left fielder), Oh Yoon-seok (second baseman) and Kim Sang-soo (striker).
Aldred, who started the game by catching Rojas with a fly ball to the left field in the bottom of the first inning, was on the verge of being runners on the first and second bases with two outs, with a hit by Bae Jung-dae, a hit by Kang Baek-ho, and a walk by Jang Sung-woo. However, he managed to secure a safe first inning by striking out Hwang Jae-gyun.
Aldred’s shoulder eased as he received eight runs through the second inning. In the bottom of the second inning, he struck out Moon and Kim Min-hyuk, and grounded out Oh Yoon-seok to shortstop. In the third inning, he got consecutive hits by Rojas and Bae Jung-dae after one out, but Kang Baek-ho was out on a fly to left field and Jang Sung-woo was out.
Aldred faced a second crisis in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out, Moon and Kim Min-hyuk had consecutive hits, making it to the first and third bases. However, he took a breather by striking out Oh Yoon-seok, induced Kim Sang-soo to hit a grounder to the third base, and managed to catch the preceding runner at the second base to escape the crisis. In the fifth inning, he blocked Rojas, Bae Jung-dae, and Kang Hyun-woo with three outs before leaving the mound.
From the sixth inning, the bullpen was in operation. Kim Gun-guk allowed one run in two innings and Kim Do-hyun allowed two scoreless innings. KIA won a landslide victory 11-1.
After the game, Aldred said, “It was a very good game. Batters gave me a lot of points from the beginning of the game, so I was able to pitch with comfort. I think that was a good result.” 퀸알바
Regarding KBO League hitters, he said, “KBO League hitters are actively making contact. He is very aggressive with baserunning even when he goes out on the floor, and I was very impressed with that,” but added, “I am also gradually adapting.”
Aldred defended well until the second inning against Doosan on Tuesday. However, he allowed one run in the bottom of the third inning, and gave up five runs in the fourth inning. However, he pitched five scoreless innings in the game against KT, showing his potential.
Regarding the difference between the last match and this match, Aldred said, “The last match was my debut match, so I couldn’t distribute my energy from the beginning. I think I was shaken in the fourth inning because I used too much energy in the beginning,” and added, “I modified my energy distribution today. I think I got good results because I took good care of my physical strength.”
After the game, KIA teammates waited for Aldred to conduct a broadcast interview. It was to give water salute to congratulate them on winning their first victory. KIA’s team prepared a variety of things including water, coffee, and drinks. Yang filled a water bottle with water and poured it on Aldred. Some players used an ice box.
Aldred said, “I’ve never received such a congratulation since I was born. I’m very happy to have team members who congratulate me like this,” adding, “I’m grateful to be on this team now. I like my team members very much and I like my fans who support me.”
