New Samsung Lions pitcher Chris Paddack aims to end KBO championship drought

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- He has been with the Samsung Lions for barely over a week, but starting pitcher Chris Paddack has already learned about the history of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club.

The American right-hander has studied the Lions' Korean Series championship banners that decorate the walls inside their home stadium, Daegu Samsung Lions Park, in the southeastern city of Daegu. And he has noticed that the Lions, once a KBO dynasty, have not won a title since 2014. Having been brought in to strengthen the rotation for the first-place club this year, Paddack said he would like nothing more than to end the drought and add a new banner that will say "2026."

"I am excited to do everything I can on and off the field to help this team win and make the fans excited to win because they haven't won since 2014," Paddack told Yonhap News Agency in an interview at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Thursday before his team took on the Kiwoom Heroes. "And we see that every time we walk in the clubhouse at home. That last banner says 2014. But then if you keep walking, it says our story isn't ending. It is going to be rewritten, and to be a part of that, I think it would mean a lot to me, a lot to this organization and a lot to the fans."

Paddack, 30, recalled his conversations with older teammates -- "grandfathers of the team," Paddack said with a grin -- in his first days with the Lions about their drive to win a championship, in particular with his 40-year-old catcher Kang Min-ho.

"He said, 'Hey, I have been playing for 23 years, and I don't have a ring. I want you to help us,'" Paddack said. "And that means a lot. There is a lot of pressure that comes with that, but pressure is a privilege. The guys in there, man, we talk about it. That is what winning teams do. They show up expecting to win, and they talk about it like, 'Hey, October, November, we are going to win.'"

The Lions are in a good spot to snap their drought. Through Thursday, they are leading the KBO with a 55-34-2 (wins-losses-ties) record, 2 1/2 games ahead of the KT Wiz. If they finish the regular season at the top, the Lions will earn a bye to the Korean Series, where first-place teams have won the championship about 85 percent of the time.

The Lions have climbed to the top despite a series of injuries that threatened to derail their campaign. Notably, former major league pitcher Matt Manning, their prized offseason signing in December, did not even throw a regular-season pitch for them, as he was forced to leave spring training in February due to elbow problems. The Lions acquired Australian pitcher Jack O'Loughlin in March as a temporary replacement, but the left-hander struggled from late June to early July following a solid spring, prompting the Lions to pivot to Paddack.

It has been a whirlwind for Paddack, who last pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers on June 29 and made his KBO debut less than three weeks later, last Saturday.

Paddack made a strong first impression by tossing six shutout innings against the Lotte Giants in a 5-0 victory in Daegu. Paddack held the Giants to one hit and struck out seven for his first KBO win.

"As a ballplayer, that's what you envision, right? I want to have success early and often to show the fans what I am capable of, show this team that I can contribute whenever it really matters in the playoffs," Paddack said. "I was excited; I was nervous. A new culture, a new atmosphere, so a lot of emotions, in a good way. And being able to get my first win behind some really good offense, to go six strong innings in front of the home fans in Daegu, it meant the world."

Paddack, who made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres in 2019, pitched for three clubs this year alone. He started with the Miami Marlins, the team that drafted him in 2015, but he was released in May after seven appearances. Paddack landed with the Cincinnati Reds but became a free agent in June following six outings.

The Rangers signed him on June 29 and had him pitch the same day, but Paddack was gone three days later. The Lions then pounced on the pitcher who was seeking a change of scenery.

Paddack revealed that he had been "very close" to signing with the Lions a week before the Rangers acquired him.

"Once I pitched for the Rangers, I didn't expect to get released in 24 hours. I told my agent I need a reset to get back to myself and go to somebody that wants me to pitch," Paddack said. "And that is when the Lions called, saying that they were interested. I said, 'Absolutely.' First-place team, let's go win some games in a new culture, a new atmosphere, a new country. I have never left (the United States) before so it is all new for me. But everybody has welcomed me with open arms, and speaking for myself and my family, it means a lot.

"I am proud of myself because I have stayed ready for the moment. I knew, even though I got released from the Rangers, I had another opportunity somewhere," he continued. "Two and a half weeks of not throwing in a game can be a lot on the shoulder and elbow. I think I have done a really good job of keeping my body in shape to where I was able to go six innings strong."

Paddack said he came away from his first game impressed with KBO hitters' ability to put the ball in play. The pitcher recalled that Giants leadoff man Hwang Seong-bin, the very first batter he faced in the KBO, fouled off a curveball that nearly hit the plate, something that most MLB hitters would have swung on and missed.

"I had to make some adjustments and had to expand the zone to see how far they are willing to chase," Paddack said. "And I have noticed they do chase a lot. So that definitely comes down to how well I can execute my pitches in those big moments. But overall, the bat-to-ball skill here really is impressive."

When he is not busy studying KBO hitters, Paddack has been trying to immerse himself in the Korean culture.

"I am trying to spend a couple of minutes a day learning the (Korean) alphabet, because I think it would mean a lot to the fans if I could maybe write my name or understand something to give back to this culture and to this country," Paddack said. "The food, amazing. I love it. I have tried a lot of different things that I normally wouldn't try in the States, and I have learned that my taste buds like it."

All in all, Paddack said he could not have asked for a more enjoyable start to his time in South Korea.

"Man, it has been a fun ride so far," Paddack said with a smile. "I know we have a lot of games left, and I know the expectations from the fans are just going to continue to get higher. And I am going to do my best to make sure that when I grab that ball from the skipper every fifth or sixth day, I am ready."