Dixon Machado, a foreign player who played for the Lotte Giants in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League, is continuing his remarkable performance in Major League Baseball (MLB) spring training.

Machado, who signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs and is participating as an invited player at spring training, made a substitute appearance in the MLB spring game against the Texas Rangers on the 1st (Korean time) at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona.

In the 6th inning of the Cubs' defense, Machado came in as a substitute shortstop for leadoff hitter Vidal Brujan. In the 7th inning, while trailing 3-8, Machado had a chance to bat with one out and a runner on first base and calmly drew a walk off Jesse Chavez on the fifth pitch. The next batter, Hayden McLain, hit a three-run home run over the left-center field wall, scoring runs.

In the 9th inning, trailing 6-8 with one out and a runner on second base, Machado hit a ground ball to the second baseman, but luck was on his side. An error by the second baseman allowed the runner on second base to round third and score, and Machado advanced to second base. After two outs, Jordan Enwagu's timely hit brought the score to 8-8, tying the game. The Cubs finished the game with a 8-8 tie against Texas.

On that day, Machado recorded no hits on one at-bat, one walk, and two runs scored. Although he didn't get a hit, Machado has tallied five hits, five runs, two RBIs, and four walks in eight at-bats during spring training, with a batting average of .625, an on-base percentage of .750, and an OPS of 1.375.

On the 28th of last month, in a game against the Los Angeles Angels, he recorded one hit in one at-bat, one walk, and one run scored, while on the 27th against San Francisco, he had one hit in two at-bats and one run. He has mostly been substituted in during the middle of games but is showing a good batting form.

Machado played as a shortstop for Lotte in 2020 and 2021. At the time, Lotte decided to use a foreign shortstop for defensive stability in the infield and acquired Machado.

In 2020, Machado played in all 144 games, recording a batting average of .280, 136 hits, 12 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. Although his offensive power was not exceptional, he contributed significantly to the team with stable defense.

Successfully re-signed, Machado appeared in 134 games in 2021, recording a batting average of .279, 130 hits, 5 home runs, 58 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases. His defensive skills were overwhelmingly excellent in the league, but compared to other foreign hitters in the league, who are sluggers or power hitters, his offensive capability was lacking.

Ultimately, Lotte did not re-sign Machado ahead of the 2022 season after deciding to acquire a foreign hitter with power. Machado left after recording a batting average of .279 with 266 hits, 17 home runs, 125 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases over two seasons at Lotte.

Machado wanted to continue playing for Lotte. He preferred to play in Korea with stable guarantees rather than facing an unstable life in the minor leagues, but he had a tearful farewell. As he left Korea, he expressed sincere gratitude to Lotte and the fans.

After returning to the United States, Machado signed a minor league contract with the Cubs in 2022 and later received a call-up to the majors from San Francisco. He played in five big league games, recording three hits in 15 at-bats (batting average of .200). In 2023 and the previous year, he signed minor league contracts with Houston in hopes of returning to the majors but played only in the minor leagues both seasons. This year, he signed a minor league contract with the Cubs again and is challenging the major league stage.

Meanwhile, before a spring game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 21st, Machado warmed up on the field and approached Kim Hye-sung, who is playing for the Dodgers, to greet him with a warm handshake. Kim Hye-sung noted, "He is a player who is very good defensively, and we have a connection from when we often talked while playing in Korea."

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