Lions pitcher Chris Paddack: proud Texan with ice in veins

Samsung Lions starting pitcher Chris Paddack is a proud Texan. The Austin native dons a full suit, completed with a cowboy hat and boots, on the day of his starts, and he once even asked his team interpreter to put on a suit himself earlier in the ongoing Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason.

Paddack also takes pride in his work ethic and his ability to rise to the occasion in key spots. The 30-year-old right-hander has been just the type of postseason workhorse that teams need to win championships, and thanks in large part to Paddack, the Lions are sitting two wins away from capturing their first Korean Series title since 2014. They lead the best-of-seven championship battle 2-1.

Paddack threw 295 pitches in a recent 10-day span. He made his KBO postseason debut Oct. 26 in Game 1 of the previous series against the Kia Tigers, making 94 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. Then he started Game 4 of that series on three days' rest on Oct. 30, throwing 99 pitches over 5 1/3 innings.

On Wednesday, he got the ball in Game 2 of the Korean Series, and he threw 102 pitches in seven innings.

After the Lions prevailed 3-2 in 12 innings that night, Paddack said he had never thrown that many pitches over such a short span in his career.

"But surprisingly, I feel great," he said. "Mentally, I feel like I am in a good spot, as well as physically."

Paddack then paid homage to a couple of pitching legends from Texas -- Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens.

Ryan is the all-time leader in Major League Baseball history with 5,714 strikeouts. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any pitcher in baseball.

"Back in the day, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, all the greats stateside, they pitched every four days," Paddack said. "So it is possible. Why not me?"

As for dropping Ryan's name, Paddack smiled and said: "He is from Texas. I like to represent."

"I didn't get to really watch him play very often just because he is of an older generation but seeing some of his highlights as a kid, he definitely was a role model for me," Paddack added.

Paddack cracked that he and fellow Texan pitchers have ice in their veins, able to stay cool, calm and collected under pressure.

"I made a joke to the guys in the clubhouse that we got ice. So if you are hurting or if you are sore, we got ice, and everything else will take care of itself."