“I will treat RAY to dinner.”

Foreign pitcher Tucker Davidson of the Lotte Giants secured his first victory after three attempts and four chances. On the 12th, Davidson started in a game against the NC Dinos at Busan's Sajik Stadium, throwing 101 pitches over six innings, allowing two hits, five walks, and striking out seven, all while not allowing a single run. The team won 2-0, claiming the victory in a rain-shortened game in the 8th inning, marking his debut win.

That day, Davidson utilized a four-seam fastball (37 pitches) reaching up to 151 km, a slider (34 pitches), a forkball (14 pitches), a curve (10 pitches), and a sweeper (6 pitches), dominating the NC batters.

In the 1st inning, he retired lead-off hitter Kwon Hee-dong with a groundout to first base and Kim Ju-won with a groundout to second base. After two outs, he allowed Son Ah-seop to reach base due to a fielding error by the second baseman but retired Davidson with a flyout to right field.

In the 2nd inning, he handled lead-off hitter Park Han-gyeol with a flyout to shortstop and struck out Kim Hwi-jip. After walking Oh Young-soo, he faced a two-out, one-on situation but ended the inning by preventing a stolen base.

However, he started to falter from the 3rd inning, creating crises each inning. After a walk to Kim Hyung-jun and a single to Seo Ho-cheol, he was in a first-and-second no-out jam. He was fortunate in dealing with the challenging batter Kwon Hee-dong, who attempted a bunt but kicked the ball with his leg as he ran to first, resulting in an out due to hitting the ball while outside the batter's box. With one out and runners on first and second, he retired Kim Ju-won with a flyout to left field, creating a two-out, bases loaded situation. However, he overcame the crisis by inducing a swinging strikeout with three four-seam fastballs against Davidson.

In the 4th inning, he issued a walk to lead-off hitter Park Han-gyeol and committed a pick-off error at first base. He also allowed a walk to Kim Hwi-jip. However, he struck out Oh Young-soo and Kim Hyung-jun in succession and caught Seo Ho-cheol's flyout to left field, getting out of the jam. He gradually regained stability. In the 5th inning, he walked lead-off hitter Kwon Hee-dong. However, he struck out Kim Ju-won and got Son Ah-seop to ground into a double play, ending the inning. In the 6th inning, he struck out both Davidson and Cheon Jae-hwan in succession and retired Kim Hwi-jip with a flyout to center field, completing a quality start pitching through six innings.

As evidenced by the five walks he issued that day, his control was erratic. However, he managed to fill the conditions for victory by overpowering each crisis with force and receiving help from the defense before leaving the mound.

After the game, Davidson noted, “I feel really good to have secured my first win. I'm happy I can check KBO's first win off my checklist now.” He added, “Every first win and victory I've had in every league is important, and my first win in KBO is no different. It feels great to be able to walk the path I've worked hard on.”

On the 25th of last month, he completed his debut match with a stellar performance, pitching 7 innings allowing 3 hits (1 home run), 2 strikeouts, and 1 earned run against Incheon SSG. And on the 30th against KT, he showcased another quality start, pitching 6⅓ innings, allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, and 2 earned runs. However, he did not secure a win in either game. Then, on the 6th against Doosan, he collapsed drastically, pitching 2⅔ innings, allowing 6 hits, 3 walks, 1 strikeout, and 3 earned runs. He had to confront his lack of experience and management skills.

Reflecting on his previous outing against Doosan, he stated, “I try to eat up as many innings as possible, but in the case of the last Doosan game, I was replaced in the 3rd inning, and I feel I burdened the bullpen, so I’m sorry.” He mentioned, “I will use this as a lesson and be more attentive in every outing going forward.”

To regain his shaky control that day, he communicated a lot during the game. He said, “I talked with the coaching staff and catcher Jeong Geun about getting as many strikes as possible and being a bit more aggressive.” He continued, “We discussed trying out more varied pitching when the count is in our favor. We had many conversations to navigate the game.”

He received a lot of help from the defense in that victory. In particular, the defense of Victor RAY, who started in left field, laid the foundation for Davidson's win. At one point in the 3rd inning with one out and runners on first and second, he chased after a line drive hit by Kim Ju-won to left-center and made a critical catch to relieve the pressure. Then in the 4th inning, with two outs and runners on first and second, he sprinted forward to make a diving catch on a fly ball hit by Seo Ho-cheol. Davidson raised both arms in praise and warmly greeted RAY. RAY also contributed further by adding a run in the 5th inning, playing a supportive role in both offense and defense for Davidson.

Davidson remarked, “If it weren’t for Victor (RAY)'s super catch today, we wouldn’t have had this victory,” and with a smile, he said, “I will treat RAY to dinner,” expressing his gratitude to RAY in a material way.

As a result, Davidson's season record now stands at 4 games, 1 win, with an earned run average of 2.45 (22 innings, 6 earned runs). He walked 12 batters, which is high, but it can be seen as temporary. He managed the game effectively and sustained the mound.

He emphasized, “It’s important for me and the team to secure as many wins as possible because that’s the only way we can reach the autumn playoffs. Therefore, I plan to throw as hard as I can in every outing.”

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