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Australian pitcher O'Loughlin looking to make most of 'incredible opportunity' in KBO

Published: 24 Mar. 2026, 12:12

Australia's pitcher Jack O'Loughlin throws against Chinese Taipei in the fourth inning of a World Baseball Classic game in Tokyo on March 5. [AP/YONHAP]

One last-minute phone call changed the trajectory of Australian pitcher Jack O'Loughlin's career this month.

O'Loughlin had himself a strong World Baseball Classic (WBC) earlier in March in Tokyo, a stint that included 3 1/3 strong innings against Korea in the teams' final Pool C game.

Australia lost to Korea 7-2 to fall just short of qualifying for the quarterfinals. The players would go their separate ways, with a couple of O'Loughlin's teammates, pitcher Lachlan Wells and shortstop Jarryd Dale, on their way to Korea to begin the new KBO season.

Little did O'Loughlin know he would soon join them.

The 26-year-old signed with the Samsung Lions as a short-term injury replacement on March 16. He is on a six-week, $50,000 contract, with the Lions scrambling to find a full-time replacement for starter Matt Manning, who is out with an elbow injury.

"I did not expect it at all. I was talking to a few teams back in the United States, and then at the last second, right before I got on the plane to go back to Australia, I got a phone call about coming to Korea to play for the Samsung Lions," O'Loughlin told reporters before a preseason game last week. "I didn't expect it at all, but it was awesome to hear about that, and I'm looking forward to it."

O'Loughlin, who tossed two shutout innings against the NC Dinos last Friday in his KBO preseason debut, had one not-so-minor problem, though.

"I was actually through customs. My bags were checked, and then I had to tell them I wasn't getting on the flight, collect my bags and make it back out and change my destination to Korea instead," he said. "It is a very difficult procedure. I had to go up to the gate security and tell them. Then I was taken up through separate security back into where you would originally enter the country and go back through customs to get out back into Japan. And then I waited a couple of days and got on a flight to Korea."

Administrative hurdles aside, O'Loughlin said he was looking forward to making the most out of "an incredible opportunity."

"I've always wanted to play around the world. Obviously, being from Australia, the United States is considered playing around the world," he said with a smile. "So when I had an opportunity to come play in Korea, I was very excited. It's something I wanted to do for a while. I'd like to play everywhere, if possible, one day. So it was an easy choice to make when I had the opportunity."

And O'Loughlin also made sure to reach out to those with prior KBO experience, including Wells, who pitched for the Kiwoom Heroes as a temporary injury replacement last year before signing a one-year deal as an Asian quota player with the defending champions LG Twins.

Fans cheer during a KBO preseason game between the Samsung Lions and LG Twins at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on March 22. [NEWS1]

"He was one of the first people that I talked to about coming over here," O'Loughlin said of the fellow left-handed pitcher. "He loves it here, and I only heard good things about it from him. So it was definitely an easy choice to make of coming to Korea."

O'Loughlin, who has previously pitched in the U.S. minor leagues and in his native Australia, said his biggest strength is an ability to pound the strike zone.

"I can throw every pitch I have for a strike," he said. "I use them in all counts. So I would say it's probably my pitchability, my ability to pitch throughout a game."

Fans cheer during a KBO preseason game between the Samsung Lions and LG Twins at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on March 22. [NEWS1]

After reaching the Korean Series in 2024 and then being eliminated in an earlier round in 2025, the Lions are expected to make another push for a title this year. O'Loughlin said he'd love to be a part of that for longer than six weeks.

"My goal is to help the team win, do everything that I can to help the team win," he said. "And then obviously after the six weeks, hopefully I've been out to help the team and potentially stay for the rest of the season."

Yonhap