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Eight wins in opening month, Hwang laughs at 'unprecedented' foreigner one-two punch
After struggling with foreign pitching for the past three seasons, the Kia Tigers have solved that problem this season with the best foreign one-two punch in the KBO. Just one month into the regular season, Will Crowe and James Nail have combined for eight wins.
Through the 20th, Crowe and Nail have continued their upward trajectory, going 4-1 with a 3.12 ERA in five games and 26 innings and 4-1 with a 1.14 ERA in five games and 31⅔ innings, respectively. The two pitchers have been responsible for a whopping eight wins, which is quite a difference when compared to the SSG Landers (one win) and KT Wiz (two wins).
The most recent KIA foreign pitchers to reach double-digit wins were Drew Gagnon and Aaron Brooks in 2020 (over 11 wins), but none of the foreign pitchers who joined KIA from 2021-2023 reached the 10-win plateau. The burden has fallen squarely on the shoulders of the Korean starters and bullpen.
After finishing sixth in the regular season last year and missing the postseason, Kia once again realized the importance of foreign pitching, and the team made a concerted effort to sign foreign players during the offseason. While the organization was later in assembling its foreign one-two punch than other teams that locked in signings early, the club was more cautious than ever.
In the process of signing a foreign pitcher, the Kia scrutinized the pitchers on their shortlist. They wanted to make sure they didn't miss anything, whether it was big league experience, pitches, or injury history, and after much deliberation, they signed Crowe on January 7th of this year. Twelve days later, he was signed, nailed, and stamped. With 11 days left before departure for spring training, they finalized the contract with the foreign pitcher.
At the time, Kia manager Shim Jae-hak said, "Foreign players are the biggest pillars of the team, but the foreign pitchers who have come to Kia in recent years have not been able to play a good role, so we hope that the new pitchers will become one of them. If that happens, the left and right sides will be balanced," he said.
Crowe and Nail showed promise in spring training and have been improving since early February. Both players found their rhythm and showed off their powerful pitches out of the bullpen, which caught the attention of catchers and coaching staff alike, especially Nail's "sweeper.
Above all, the players' desire to succeed in the KBO was strong. Crowe and Nail quickly integrated into the team after joining spring training and actively communicated with the Korean players. They even advised some pitchers directly. With more than a month to go until the start of the season, Kia's expectations were growing.
Kia's imagination was a reality as he was confident that the foreign one-two punch would be successful. Crowe and Nail, who have been honing their skills in practice and exhibition games, are quickly racking up wins and are tied for the team lead in wins. Both Crowe, who struggled to digest innings early in the season, and Nail, who struggled in exhibition games, have adjusted.
The bullpen has also gotten better as the starters have gone longer innings. Jeon Sang-hyun, Choi Ji-min, and Jung Hae-young have established themselves as the go-to guys, while Jang Hyun-sik, Kwak Do-gyu, and Park Jun-pyo are fulfilling their roles. Kia's team bullpen has a 3.21 ERA, which is first in the league.
Kia has played 23 games through 20 days. They still have 121 games left. The coaching staff, including Lee Bum-ho, is wary of the possibility that Crow and Nail could be targeted by other teams. However, judging by the way things have gone so far, Kia's move to recruit foreign pitchers has been a success. It's one of the biggest reasons why Kia has been able to hold onto its lead in the standings despite a rash of injuries.