Indeed, everything is in heaven and earth. New foreign hitter Lewin Diaz of the Samsung Lions has made three home runs in seven games, contributing to his team’s second-place performance.
Diaz started as the team’s fourth batter in the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League home game against the Lotte Giants at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 25th, and led the team to victory by shooting a three-run shot in the bottom of the sixth inning.안전놀이터
It was the decisive homerun. Back then, Samsung led the game 7-0, thanks to Park Byung-ho’s grand slam and six RBIs, but allowed a two-run lead in the top of the fifth inning by getting hit by three homeruns. However, Diaz, who came out from the second and third bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, did not miss the opponent team’s real throw and continued his swing, leading to a superior large ball, ultimately resulting in the game.
It is already his third home run. Diaz made a strong impression by drawing an arch against the Changwon NC Dinos on the 17th, when he made his KBO League debut, and then launched his second home run in about a week against the Daegu Lotte Giants on the 23rd. Two days later, he reported his third home run against the Lotte Giants in Daegu on the 25th. Samsung won all three games when Diaz’s home run came out.
Diaz is Samsung’s third foreign hitter this season. David McKinnon, whom he recruited at the start of the season, showed good performance with a batting average of 0.294 in 72 games, but was replaced with just four homers, while Ruben Kadenas, a substitute foreign hitter, also made a strong impression by hitting two home runs in the first three games, but was replaced after seven games due to injury. Both players showed good performances in the early days of their recruitment, and they were considered lucky stars, but the last one was not good enough.
Diaz is the third foreign hitter to be dramatically brought in a day before the “postseason available” foreign player deadline (August 15), and quick adaptation was the key, but he has succeeded in adapting immediately and is leading the team’s rise.
He is fast adapting to both the KBO league and the team. When he said “My blood is blue” at the cheering squad that recently became MVP of the team, he also performed the home run ceremony, the crown ceremony of the team, and the movement of the parent company’s smartphone perfectly, boosting the mood of the team. He is displaying stellar performance, ranging from his hot slugging capability to mood-making.
Amid Diaz’s stellar performance, Samsung has secured the No. 2 spot. The gap with the No. 1 KIA Tigers is 5.5 games, which is still far, but the team widened its gap with the No. 3 LG Twins by two games. With the KT Wiz ranking fifth in the postseason, the team stands at a seven-game gap. At this rate, Samsung is poised to return to the fall baseball league for the first time in three years since 2021. Samsung is on a roll thanks to foreign hitters who have changed well.