Will the brutal history of foreign hitters, which has plagued the Samsung Lions this season, come to an end? New foreign player Lewin Diaz (28) scored a thrilling final goal in his debut match at his home stadium.스포츠토토
Diaz played as the fourth designated hitter in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League regular-season home game against the Lotte Giants at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 23rd, posting two hits, two RBIs and two runs in four at-bats.
Diaz, who played his first game of the first division at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, returned to the batting order for the fourth time in four games. Before the game, Samsung manager Park Jin-man said, “I think I’ve gotten used to it to some extent, and even for unfamiliar underhand pitchers, I’ve improved my coping ability a lot.” “We’ve been doing it without foreign hitters, but with Diaz’s arrival, we’ve gained weight in the lineup,” he said.
As expected, Diaz displayed strong batting performance. He struck out at bat in the first inning of the second inning, but had a right-handed hit with one out and a runner on the first base in the bottom of the fourth inning to create a chance for Diaz to garner a point. As the next batter Kang Min-ho hit a three-run homer to the left and right, Diaz was able to enter the home ground.
Diaz struck out once again in the sixth inning and took a breather, becoming the ultimate star of the game. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Samsung’s first batter Lee Jae-hyun technically hit a breaking ball, making a left-handed hit. Then, with one out, Diaz drew Park Jin’s low fastball, and made a two-run home run that looked like a bullet with a flying distance of 130 meters that hit the stands on the right side. It was Diaz’s second home run for this season and the first home run he made at the Samsung Lions Park in Daegu.
Samsung kept the lead until the end, winning 5-3, and Diaz’s home run became the final hit. He had a proper initiation ceremony in the first game of Lapak. After the game, coach Park Jin-man also praised Diaz, saying, “He was able to get the first step in the three consecutive games as he embodied the very image that the team wanted and fans wanted.”
Diaz, who met with reporters after the game, said, “Today was my first game at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, and I think I did well. I tried to save that part because it was batter-friendly, but I’m happy that this result came out.”
Regarding the home run situation, he said, “It was a tie, and I was most willing to be as aggressive as possible,” and added, “Let’s keep calm and hit hard only when we came into the strike zone because of a bad ball at the front at-bat, but we only thought about making an in-play ball, but we got a good result.”
Samsung Diaz (left) rejoices after hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning against Lotte in Daegu on the 23rd./Photo by Samsung Lions =
On the day, Samsung sold out its home spectators for the 19th time in this season. “I tried to enjoy the energy sent by spectators to the fullest,” Diaz said after watching many fans. “I will go to the post season, and I want to get good results from fans there as well.”
For this season, Samsung’s foreign hitter David McKinnon was kicked out after the first half due to injury and poor slugging capability. Even Ruben Kadenas, who was substituted for Samsung, was suddenly kicked out after seven games due to back pain. Samsung, which came in second even without receiving help from foreign players, is set to rebound by recruiting Diaz.
Diaz is well aware of this. “I’m here because I want to make a better impact on the team and create a chance for the team to win,” he said. “It’s good in that regard.”
Meanwhile, Diaz performed what he called a “folding ceremony,” in which he put his palms on and off the dugout after hitting the homer. The reason why he did this was revealed after the game. Diaz was given the Galaxy Z Fold, Samsung Electronics’ smartphone. “I asked Koo Ja-wook if I could do the ceremony if I hit a home run or a hit, and he told me to do it, so I did it,” he said with a smile.