Park Jin-man also praises Fedek! "More perfect than expected → Must have been under pressure... No wonder he has MLB experience"

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Jin-man (50), manager of Samsung Lions, gave a thumbs-up to "new foreign pitcher" Chris Fedek (30), who delivered an overwhelming performance in his KBO League debut.

On the 18th, Samsung Lions secured a decisive 5-0 victory over Lotte Giants in their home game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park as part of the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League'. With this win, Samsung continued its three-game winning streak and further solidified its top position, now leading by 2.5 games over second-place LG. Meanwhile, Lotte fell into a three-game losing slump amid a silent offense.

This was Fedek's debut in the KBO League as the starting pitcher. Over six innings, he allowed just one hit and one walk, delivering a masterful performance that completely disrupted the timing of Lotte batters while striking out seven. He recorded his first win with a scoreless outing after throwing 85 pitches. His fastball reached speeds up to 152 km/h. Fedek mixed in various breaking balls including curveballs, two-seam fastballs, cutters, forkballs, and changeups.

After the game, manager Park Jin-man could not hide his excitement. Regarding Fedek, he said, "He showed a more perfect performance than I expected. It must have been stressful for his first KBO League game, but he pitched exceptionally well." He added, "His variety of pitches was impressive, his control was stable, and his slide step to hold runners at first base was excellent." Park praised him repeatedly, noting, "It's clear that his extensive Major League experience wasn't in vain."

Manager Park also applauded the offense, which delivered 12 hits across singles and doubles, as well as the scoreless bullpen. He stated, "In the lineup, Koo Ja-wook hit a two-run home run to ease Fedek's burden early on, while Kim Sung-yoon and Ryu Ji-hyuk showed strong performances with multi-hit games. The relievers who entered in the later innings—Lee Seung-min, Lee Seung-hyun, and Kim Jae-yun—were also perfect." He expressed his gratitude for their contributions.

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*This content was translated by AI.