'It's not over until it's over.'
A famous saying in baseball was reenacted exactly as is. Professional baseball's Samsung Lions finished the three-game weekend series as a winning series with a dramatic walk-off victory.
Samsung beat the Hanwha Eagles 7-6 in a home game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 3rd. The hero of the walk-off was foreign hitter Lewin Díaz.
Díaz came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, trailing 4-6, in a no-out, runners on first and second chance created by consecutive hits from Kim Ji-chan and Choi Hyung-woo. The opponent was Hanwha's foreign pitcher Zach Cushing.
The count was an unfavorable 2 balls and no strikes, but Díaz did not waver. On the third pitch he pulled a sweeper for a three-run homer to right field. Distance 105 meters. He ended the game with a single swing.
Samsung beat Hanwha 7-6 to close out the three-game weekend series as a winning series. Starter Ariel Jurado did not get the win but pitched well, allowing five hits (two home runs) in six innings with two walks, two strikeouts and three runs. Kim Jae-yoon, who went to the mound in an eighth-inning, two-out, bases-loaded crisis, became the winning pitcher with 1 1/3 scoreless innings and one walk.
Díaz finished with a walk-off home run among his line of two hits in four at-bats, three RBIs and one run scored, and Choi Hyung-woo, with four hits in four at-bats including a home run, two RBIs and one run scored, overtook Son Ah-seop (Doosan Bears) to become the new holder of the KBO's individual all-time hit record.
After the game Díaz said, "I've had a tough few weeks and was trying to focus only on my timing," and added, "In my last at-bat I concentrated more with the thought 'what if I hit a home run,' and it produced a good result."
He added, "It was a back-and-forth game, but we showed good form both offensively and defensively. Because the players are focused every game, I think this result came about."
He also expressed hope that it would be a turning point out of his slump. Díaz said, "Early last season was worse than this year. I hope today's game becomes a stepping stone to getting better," and emphasized, "I won't worry about last season's numbers and will focus on this season."
Manager Park Jin-man also spared no praise. He said, "Díaz saved the team in the last minute. No doubt, he's a hero," and evaluated, "He showed good defense late in the game, and at the plate he produced a walk-off home run from an unfavorable count."
Buoyed by the dramatic blow, Samsung will have a rest day on the 4th and then play a three-game weekday series against the Kiwoom Heroes in Daegu starting on the 5th.
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