'Wah, crazy!' 'KKKKKKKK' — A staggering 8 consecutive strikeouts! 'Top speed 152km/h' Riley ties the all-time record for foreign pitchers alongside Anderson.

*This content was translated by AI.

It was an overwhelming performance that naturally drew exclamations of 'Wah, crazy!' NC Dinos right-handed foreign pitcher Riley Thompson (30) has etched his name in KBO League history with a monumental record.

Riley made his season debut as the starter in a game held at Changwon NC Park on the 28th, delivering a truly possessed strikeout spectacle. From the very first batter of the game, he dominated the opposing lineup, striking out Hyura, Kim Geon-hee, and Park Chan-hyuk in the top of the first inning. The momentum continued into the top of the second, where he recorded three consecutive strikeouts against Im Byung-wook, Eo Jun-seok, and Yeo Dong-wook. In the top of the third, he struck out leadoff batter Seo Geon-chang and the following batter, Choo Jae-hyun, completing a historic 8 consecutive strikeouts.

Although his consecutive batter record was unfortunately halted after issuing a walk to An Chi-hong, Riley's strikeout instinct remained unquenched. He struck out Hyura again in the next at-bat to finish the inning, then in the top of the fourth, he struck out Kim Geon-hee, Park Chan-hyuk, and Im Byung-wook in succession, recording three consecutive strikeouts to wipe out the entire inning. He unleashed a truly terrifying strikeout show on the mound.

Riley's 8 consecutive strikeouts recorded today tie the all-time record for foreign pitchers in the KBO League. This matches the foreign pitcher consecutive batter strikeout record (8) and the foreign pitcher consecutive strikeout record in a single game set by SSG Anderson on September 10, 2025, in a game against NC in Changwon, placing him in a joint first-place position in history. With this record, Riley joins Anderson as the all-time leaders for consecutive strikeouts by a foreign pitcher.

Even when expanding the scope to all-time career records, this is a feat that can be counted on one hand. Riley's 8 consecutive strikeouts rank joint 6th all-time in the KBO for consecutive batters struck out and joint 3rd all-time for consecutive batters struck out in a single game. He has rightfully joined the lineage of league legends such as Lee Dae-jin, Seon Dong-yeol, and Jeon Byeong-du.

According to the pitching analysis chart provided by the NC club, Riley's performance was proven by the numbers on this day. His fastball reached a top speed of 152 km/h, and he threw 46 fastballs (minimum 145 km/h) out of a total of 99 pitches, the most of any pitch type, to intimidate batters. He mixed in a forkball with a top speed of 138 km/h (21 pitches), a slider at 141 km/h (18 pitches), and a curveball at 133 km/h (14 pitches), completely stealing the timing of the opposing lineup with a perfect pitch mix. He maintained excellent control with 62 strikes and 37 balls.

His final line was 5 innings, 4 hits allowed, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs. Armed with explosive velocity and a terrifying strikeout instinct in the early innings, Riley proved the caliber of an ace for NC before leaving the mound.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.