Fresh off a run to the Korean Series, the Samsung Lions kicked off their offseason by bringing back two of their biggest contributors. The club announced on Monday that they had re-signed both starting pitcher Denyi Reyes and first baseman Lewin Diaz to one-year deals.
The 27-year-old Reyes will spearhead one of the league’s best rotations after an excellent KBO debut season in 2024. The Dominican right-hander posted a terrific 11-4 record while placing ninth in the league with a 3.81 ERA. As good as his regular season, Reyes took his game to another level in the postseason, allowing just one run over 20 ⅔ playoff innings.
100구넘게던져서힘빠져갈땐데
그냥온몸에힘주고던지는게보일정도라고
해캐가말해줌… 레예스제발나안아진짜제발
7회까지1실점완벽한천사피칭.. 🪽🪽 https://t.co/9fiG7rTFK0 pic.twitter.com/zsoxfLdHjc— 짱이님 (@whoiskooo) October 25, 2024
Diaz, meanwhile, didn’t join the club until August but quickly became one of the most potent bats in the league’s best offense. The former Miami Marlin posted a .282/.331/.518 line in 29 regular season at-bats before blasting three home runs in the second-round victory over the LG Twins. This included a 4-for-4, two home run masterpiece in a Game Two rout that gave the Lions what would turn out to be an insurmountable two-games-to-none series advantage. And though the Lions fell to the KIA Tigers in five games in the Korean Series, Diaz turned in another two homer performance in the final contest of the season.
Diaz and Reyes will undoubtedly be key figures as the Lions look to return to the Korean Series and capture their first KBO title since 2014.
