KBO News: Lewin Díaz Continues to Slug; Foreign Position Player Becomes First to Pitch in KBO Game

Finding valuable assets in the foreign player free agent market can help shape the season of a Korea Baseball Organization club.  

Typically, most foreign players have prior experience in Major League Baseball, such as Lewin Díaz of the Samsung Lions, who leads the league with 42 home runs. Where would the sixth-place Lions be without Díaz and his power? There’s a strong possibility they would not be in the hunt for the fifth and final postseason spot. Díaz had another stupendous week at the plate as the regular season rolls along.  

It’s time to check in on more of the latest news from the top professional baseball league in South Korea, the KBO. 

Díaz’s Power Surges Red Hot Lions – As mentioned, the Lions’ Lewin Díaz is scorching hot at the plate right now. The former Miami Marlins first baseman has hit a home run in four of his last five games, including a two-run shot in the seventh inning in Tuesday’s 6-2 win over the Doosan Bears.  

He went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs this past Sunday against the Kiwoom Heroes and hit his 39th dinger of the year last Friday in the Lions’ first game of their series against the last-place Heroes.  

Díaz signed a contract for $500,000 with the Lions in November after a 29-game stint with the club in 2024, during which he hit .282/.331/.518 with seven homers and 19 RBIs. The Lions are 7-1 in their last eight games.  

Davidson Takes the Mound for the Dinos – On Sunday, NC Dinos first baseman Matt Davidson became the first foreign player in KBO history to make a pitching appearance, per Dan Kurtz of MyKBO on X.  

Davidson entered Sunday’s game with two outs in the ninth inning as the Dinos fell to the Lotte Giants 17-5 in a laugher. He only needed two pitches to end the inning as Giants left fielder Hwang Seong-bin flew out to center field for the last out of the frame.  

From 2017-18, Davidson had back-to-back seasons with 20 or more home runs with the Chicago White Sox, and he threw 6 1/3 innings in relief during his time in MLB. The 34-year-old threw three innings in 2018 with the White Sox and 3 1/3 innings in 2020 with the Cincinnati Reds.  

KBO Surpasses 10 Million Fans – For the second consecutive year, the top professional baseball league in South Korea exceeded 10 million spectators, Yonhap News Agency’s Yoo Jee-ho reported Saturday.   

The KBO previously set the attendance record in 2024 with 10,887,705 fans, and it took 671 games to reach that number. To get 10 million fans this season, the KBO achieved this milestone in just 587 games.  

The second-place Hanwha Eagles sold out their league-leading 50th game of the year on Saturday at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, defeating the SSG Landers 5-0.  

KBO Standings as of Wednesday, August 27 
1. LG Twins (74-44-3) 
2. Hanwha Eagles (69-48-3)
3. SSG Landers (59-56-4)
4. KT Wiz (60-58-4)
5. Lotte Giants (60-58-5)
6. Samsung Lions (60-59-2)
7. NC Dinos (55-55-6)
8. Kia Tigers (55-59-4)
9. Doosan Bears (52-64-5)
10. Kiwoom Heroes (38-81-4)  

Where to Watch: Fans can stream the 2025 KBO season on the SOOP service. The KBO’s official YouTube page also posts game highlights and clips of other events, such as the All-Star Game and Golden Glove awards.  

WBN KBO: /news/category/south-korea 

Photo: Matt Davidson works against the Texas Rangers during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Friday, June 29, 2018, in Arlington, Texas. Texas won 11-3. Davidson, who usually plays outfield, was pitching the first time in his professional career. He’s since gone on to the KBO, where he became the first foreign position player to pitch in South Korea’s top league. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)