'5-Home Run Explosion' Diaz's Resurrection Secret: "He's Much More Fragile Than He Looks," Revealed by Park Jin-man

*This content was translated by AI.

Samsung Lions' foreign hitter Lewin Diaz (30) is making a perfect comeback as the weather turns hotter. In his last five games, he has displayed overwhelming power by hitting five home runs. This aligns perfectly with the firm trust and prophecy of Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man (50).

On the 4th, Diaz started at the cleanup spot and first base in the home game against the NC Dinos at the Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League,' recording one hit (one home run) and two RBIs in four at-bats.

In the bottom of the fourth inning with the team trailing 0-3, one out, and a runner on first base, Diaz's bat ignited. With a 2-ball, 1-strike count, he drove in an outside fastball (143 km/h) from NC's starting pitcher Chang-mo on the fourth pitch, sending it over the left-field fence for a two-run home run (his 11th of the season) that cut the deficit. Following two consecutive two-run home runs in the first and third innings of the previous day's (3rd) game, Diaz activated his home run power for two straight games, proving his sharp upward trajectory.

Especially with this home run, Diaz has shown an incredible pace of five home runs in his last five games, fully demonstrating the stature of a power hitter that Samsung expected of him.

Before the game, when reporters asked manager Park Jin-man about Diaz's performance, he smiled and expressed strong confidence. Manager Park said, "It seems like the weather has finally returned to what suits his home country, so he's in a good flow. He will get even better in the future," pointing to the reasons behind Diaz's performance.

In fact, Diaz's hometown is the hot island nation of the Dominican Republic in Central and South America. As Korea's full-scale summer heat begins, analysts say Diaz's body and hitting mechanism have finally found their proper rhythm. Although he hit four home runs in May, he also hit three home runs in three games in June. The more the weather resembles his hometown, the more his true form emerges.

Manager Park continued, "Didn't he do the same last season? He struggled a bit at the start of the season, but once the weather got warmer, he exploded incredibly." He then recalled Diaz's personality, revealing a surprising charm: "He looks robust and stoic on the outside, but in reality, he is an extremely fragile player." This highlights the leadership of the manager who warmly embraced Diaz's sensitive mentality, which had suffered greatly due to poor performance through early to mid-May. Although Diaz was dropped to the seventh spot in the lineup, he was quickly moved back to the heart of the batting order.

In fact, manager Park Jin-man never lost faith in Diaz throughout this season. The manager's firm belief that he would revive by accurately understanding the player's tendencies and adjusting to changes in weather and environment has lightened Diaz's burden. As the manager prophesied, Diaz has fully revived amidst Daegu's intense heat, firmly anchoring Samsung's core batting lineup.

Meanwhile, despite Diaz's home run, Samsung narrowly lost to NC with a score of 3-6. Although the home run was overshadowed by the team's defeat, confirming Diaz's resurrection is expected to be Samsung's greatest and a powerful weapon as they head into the full-scale summer race.

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*This content was translated by AI.