'Championship Contractor' Fedek, 152 km Hurling Pitch Delivers Perfect Debut with 6 Innings, 7 Strikeouts! Samsung Defeats Lotte for Third Consecutive Victory, Solidifies Top Spot [Daegu On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Samsung Lions surged to a third consecutive victory and further solidified their top position, led by the brilliant performance of 'Championship Contractor' Chris Fedek (30), who hit two home runs.

On the 18th, Samsung secured a decisive 5-0 victory over the Lotte Giants in a home game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park for the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League'. With this win, Samsung smiled for three consecutive games. Meanwhile, Lotte suffered its third straight defeat.

Samsung's lineup for the day featured Kim Ji-chan (center fielder), Kim Sung-yoon (right fielder), Koo Ja-wook (left fielder), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Diaz (first baseman), Ryu Ji-hyuk (second baseman), Kim Young-woong (third baseman), Kang Min-ho (catcher), and Yang Woo-hyun (shortstop) in that order. Fedek was the starting pitcher.

Lotte countered with a lineup of Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Ko Seung-min (first baseman), Reyes (left fielder), Han Dong-hee (designated hitter), Noh Jin-hyuk (third baseman), Han Tae-yang (second baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Jo Min-young (right fielder), and Son Seong-bin (catcher). Na Gyun-an started on the mound for Lotte.

Samsung quickly took the lead starting in the bottom of the first inning. After one out, Kim Sung-yoon hit a double to left field, immediately creating a scoring opportunity. In the following at-bat, Koo Ja-wook connected with the first pitch from opposing starter Na Gyun-an—a 141 km/h cutter—and launched a massive two-run home run that traveled 126 meters over the center field fence. It was Koo's ninth home run of the season.

Samsung's offense did not stop. They steadily added runs in the third and fifth innings to extend their lead. In the bottom of the third, Kim Sung-yoon led off with a solo home run over the left-center field fence off Na Gyun-an's first pitch (127 km/h slider). This was Kim's third home run of the season. Later, in the bottom of the fifth, Koo Ja-wook's double and Choi Hyung-woo's single to right field set up a bases-empty opportunity with runners on first and third. Diaz then hit a sacrifice fly to left field, widening the score gap to 4-0.

In the bottom of the eighth, Samsung strung together Diaz's single to right field, Ryu Ji-hyuk's double, and a walk by pinch hitter Kim Hyun-jun to create a bases-loaded situation with one out. Kim Heon-goon then grounded into an infield grounder to third base, adding another run to make it 5-0. In the top of the ninth, Kim Jae-yoon was brought in to close out the game.

Fedek, making his debut for Samsung, earned the win with a scoreless performance of six innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out seven batters. The relief pitchers who followed—Lee Seung-min, right-hander Lee Seung-hyun, and Kim Jae-yun—all held the opposition scoreless, effectively managing the game. Conversely, Lotte's starter Na Gyun-an took the loss after a rough outing of five innings, allowing nine hits (including two home runs), striking out three, and surrendering four earned runs.

Samsung's lineup was powered by Ryu Ji-hyuk, who went 3-for-3 with multiple hits, while Kim Sung-yoon and Koo Ja-wook also contributed with multi-hit performances including home runs. Samsung recorded a total of 12 hits to dismantle Lotte's pitching staff. Lotte managed only two scattered hits from Reyes and Jeon Min-jae, bowing their heads in defeat.

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*This content was translated by AI.