“The Endless Nightmare of Lions Park”: KIA’s Oler Throws a Poor 4 Runs in 2 Innings Even in the Do-or-Die Game 5 of the Playoffs → Yang Hyeon-jong Put Out the Fire [Game 5 On-Site Report]

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For Adam Oler (32), the “foreign pitcher” for the KIA Tigers, Daegu was truly a nightmare in itself this season. Unable to shake off the persistent “Daegu jinx,” he bowed his head at the final decisive moment that determined the fate of the postseason.

Oler took the mound as the starter in Game 5 (best-of-five series) against the Samsung Lions in the “2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason” Playoffs, held on the 1st at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. He was replaced after recording 2 innings pitched, 6 hits allowed, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, and 4 runs allowed (4 earned).

This season, Oler consistently struggled whenever he took the mound at Lions Park, which is often evaluated as “batter-friendly.” In a regular-season matchup on July 28, he collapsed with 7 hits allowed (1 home run) in 1 inning, 3 walks, and 8 runs allowed, suffering a harsh introduction to Daegu. The bad luck continued in the postseason. He started Game 2 of the Playoffs on October 27 but took the loss after pitching 4⅔ innings with 5 hits allowed (1 home run) and 5 runs allowed.

In the fateful Game 5, with the series tied at 2 wins and 2 losses, Oler took the mound aiming for revenge, but his start was rocky. In the bottom of the first inning, a 151 km/h four-seam fastball thrown to leadoff batter Kim Ji-chan drifted into the middle of the plate, resulting in a single to left field. Following Park Seung-gyu’s sacrifice bunt and a duel with Koo Ja-wook that ended in a base on balls, Oler found himself in a 1-out, men-on-first-and-second-base jam. He appeared to catch his breath by striking out Lewin Diaz on a swing-and-miss with a 153 km/h high fastball, but he was hit for a one-run single down the middle by Choi Hyeong-woo off a slider.

The bottom of the second inning was even more painful. After allowing a single to left field on a 150 km/h high fastball to Kang Min-ho with one out, Oler gave up a double to center-left field to Lee Jae-hyun despite throwing a cutter that sat low in the zone, creating a runners-on-second-and-third-base situation. He then allowed a two-run single to right field on a 148 km/h four-seam fastball that drifted into the middle of the plate against Kim Ji-chan’s first pitch. Subsequently, Park Seung-gyu hit a one-run single down the middle off a high, outside 150 km/h four-seam fastball. In an instant, the score widened to 0-4.

Oler ended the inning by striking out Koo Ja-wook and Diaz consecutively on looking strikeouts, but the bench’s patience had run out. After throwing 50 pitches, Oler handed the ball over to left-handed veteran Yang Hyeon-jong at the start of the bottom of the third inning while trailing 1-4, stepping off the mound with a bitter taste. Yang Hyeon-jong faced a 2-out, runners-on-second-and-third-base jam in the bottom of the third but did not allow any runs.

Oler had shown particular struggles only at Lions Park, regardless of whether it was the regular season or the postseason. He failed to overcome the wall of Daegu even in the most critical do-or-die match, leaving deep regret.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original