'7th Batter After 620 Days' Diaz Delivers Stunning Effect → Back-to-Back-to-Back Home Runs 'Bang Bang' [Daegu On-site]

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Samsung Lions' Diaz (30) hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the 7th spot in his first appearance in 620 days. The lineup adjustment produced a stunning effect.

On the 30th, at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, Diaz launched two home runs in consecutive innings during the 3rd and 4th innings against the Doosan Bears.

Primarily batting 4th, Diaz had been pushed down to the 7th spot due to recent offensive struggles. In the bottom of the 3rd, trailing 0-1, he came to the plate as the leadoff batter and hit a solo home run off opposing starter Choi Seung-yong. On a 3-2 count, he connected with the 8th pitch, a slider clocked at 134 km/h, sending it over the right-field fence. The distance was 115 meters. This was his first home run in six games since the match against the Lotte Giants on the 22nd.

Leading 4-1, Diaz again batted leadoff in the bottom of the 4th. On a 1-1 count, he drove Choi Seung-yong's 3rd pitch, a 113 km/h curveball, into the seats in left-center field. The 115-meter shot was his 8th home run of the season and his 3rd career back-to-back-to-back home run.

Last season, Diaz posted a .314 batting average with 50 home runs and 158 RBIs. This season, prior to today's game, he had a .293 average with 6 home runs, showing somewhat reduced power. In particular, over his last five games, he hit .182 (4 hits in 22 at-bats) with no extra-base hits. He went hitless in consecutive games against SSG Landers on the 28th and Doosan on the 29th.

Samsung manager Park Jin-man explained ahead of the game that he adjusted Diaz's lineup: "His current pace seemed to have dropped, so I decided to have him bat in a slightly more comfortable spot rather than in the heart of the order."

Diaz, who joined Samsung in August 2024, made his second career start as the 7th batter. On September 17, 2024, in a game against Doosan at Jamsil, he batted 7th and recorded 2 hits in 4 at-bats, including 1 home run and 1 RBI. The following day, on September 18, against the Suwon KT Wiz, he batted 4th and hit a three-run home run.

Manager Park said, "After batting 7th in July 2024, he seemed to improve a bit. He hasn't been able to execute his swing properly for several games, so we made a change." As expected by the manager, Diaz immediately hit two home runs, signaling his return to form.

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*This content was translated by AI.