Diaz moved by Park Jin-man's encouraging words: "No need for 50 home runs → 20 is enough"

*This content was translated by AI.

"No need for 50 home runs; hitting just 20 is enough."

Samsung Lions foreign hitter Lewin Diaz (30) credited Manager Park Jin-man (50) with a warm word as the key to overcoming the severe stress and slump he experienced in the early part of the season.

Ahead of the 2026 KBO League All-Star Game held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul Songpa-gu on the 11th, Diaz met with on-site reporters and said, "Actually, I didn't expect to perform as well as last year this season, but I was surprised that so many fans would come to congratulate me." He bowed his head and added, "After seeing the All-Star voting results, I felt deeply grateful to the fans."

Diaz did not participate in the Home Run Derby due to the physical burden of playing in all first-half games for Samsung. He smiled and said, "I'm not disappointed at all. Watching the derby up close allowed me to rest for a day, which was actually good." Regarding his substitution during an LG Twins game in Daegu near the end of the first half due to dizziness, he explained, "I had been feeling dizzy before the game, and it worsened as innings progressed, so I requested to be substituted ahead of the second half and the All-Star Game. It seems the hot weather in Daegu caused significant fluid loss. Now that I've rested, I'm completely fine," reassuring fans.

Diaz's first-half performance included a .295 batting average (332 at-bats, 98 hits), 16 home runs, and 71 RBIs — not poor results overall, yet he felt some personal disappointment. This was partly because of his outstanding performance last season with 50 home runs and 158 RBIs. Reflecting on the first half, Diaz said, "There were significant ups and downs between good and bad days. I prefer consistency," adding, "I will work hard in the second half to maintain that consistency."

During a slightly more difficult first half compared to last season, it was Manager Park Jin-man's words that supported Diaz. Diaz revealed, "When I was feeling stressed and worried early in the season, the manager came to me and said directly, 'Don't worry. You don't need 50 home runs; hitting just 20 is enough.'"

He continued, "The manager also told me, 'You're working hard not only on offense but also on defense, so please don't worry about not hitting home runs.' Thanks to those words, I was able to stay mentally calm and it really helped a lot." He expressed deep trust and gratitude toward Manager Park.

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*This content was translated by AI.