NC Dinos foreign hitter Matt Davidson (34) was substituted early in the third inning after striking out six consecutive times. The former home run king's reputation is at stake.

On the 9th, Davidson started as the fourth hitter and first baseman in the away game against KT Wiz in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Suwon KT Wiz Park, recording 0 hits in 2 at-bats and 2 Samjin, before being replaced in the third inning.

From the first inning, with 2 outs and a runner on first, Davidson struck out swinging on the fifth pitch of the high fastball by KT's left-handed starter Emmanuel De Jesus. In the third inning, with 1 out and runners on first and second, he struck out again, swinging at a high fastball that came inside on the fourth pitch.

After finishing the inning, Davidson was replaced by a defensive substitute, Seo Ho-cheol, before entering the bottom of the third inning and exited the game.

Davidson also went 0 for 4 with 4 Samjin in the game against KT the previous day (8th). After being fooled by changeups from starter Koh Young (38) in all three at-bats, he struck out swinging on a high fastball from closer Park Young-hyun in his last at-bat in the ninth inning. He added 2 more Samjin from similarly high fastballs. With a staggering six consecutive at-bats resulting in Samjin and completely missing the timing on a similar pattern, NC manager Lee Ho-jun boldly played the substitution card.

The KBO League's record for the most consecutive at-bat Samjin is held by Kiwoom’s Park Joo-hong. He struck out consecutively in 9 at-bats from the July 8 game against Doosan to the September 22 game against Hanwha.

Davidson hit .306 (154 hits in 504 at-bats) with 46 home runs and 119 RBIs in 131 games last year, surpassing Kim Do-young (KIA, 38 home runs) to become the home run king. He re-signed with NC for a maximum of $3.2 million on a 1+1 year deal, and this year he has a .273 batting average (12 hits in 44 at-bats), 3 home runs, and 12 RBIs over 12 games.

While the performance is not bad, he has struck out 16 times in 50 at-bats, resulting in a strikeout rate of 32.0%. This is an unavoidable tax for a power hitter, but it is noticeably higher than last year's strikeout rate of 25.0% (142 Samjin in 567 at-bats). His batting average dropped sharply to .111 (2 hits in 18 at-bats) with no home runs, 1 RBI, no walks, and 11 Samjin over 5 games in April, raising concerns.

Using the shock therapy of taking Davidson out early, NC lost 1-4 amidst a stagnant lineup. The only run came from consecutive doubles by Kim Hwi-jip and Kim Hyung-jun in the second inning. Seo Ho-cheol, who took over for Davidson, performed well with 1 hit in 2 at-bats and 1 stolen base, but it was not enough to change the course of the game.

NC starter Logan Allen pitched 6 innings, allowing 5 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, 1 hit-by-pitch, and striking out 3 while giving up 2 runs in a quality start, but he suffered his second loss of the season due to a lack of offensive support. Logan, who delayed his first win once again, was satisfied with lowering his earned run average from 3.44 to 3.33.

In the bottom of the third inning, KT took the lead with a walk by Mel Rojas Jr. followed by a two-run home run from Jang Seong-woo. Jang Seong-woo lifted Logan's fourth pitch, a high fastball, over the center field wall. It was a distance of 125 meters, marking his first home run of the season. In that game, Jang Seong-woo stood out with 2 hits in 3 at-bats and 2 RBIs, contributing significantly. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Kang Baek-ho hit a two-run homer against Jeon Sa-min, solidifying the victory with a distance of 125 meters, marking his second home run of the season.

KT's pitchers also shone. Starting pitcher De Jesus held up well with 3 innings, allowing 3 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 1 run, but he left early due to pain in his left adductor muscle. Reliever Son Dong-hyun followed up with 2 innings without allowing a hit, no walks, 3 strikeouts, and no runs, earning his second win of the season.

The bullpen squad, consisting of Woo Gyu-min, Kim Min-soo, Won Sang-hyun, and Park Young-hyun, all pitched 1 inning each without allowing any runs, maintaining the lead. Woo Gyu-min earned his third hold of the season, Kim Min-soo his fifth hold, Won Sang-hyun his third hold, and Park Young-hyun his fourth save.

By securing a winning series with two consecutive victories over NC, KT marked 7 wins, 6 losses, and 1 draw. NC, suffering its second consecutive loss, fell to 5 wins and 7 losses.

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