By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, July 25 (Yonhap) -- Back on June 26, Matt Davidson played an emotional final game for the NC Dinos in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The American first baseman had been told only a couple of days earlier that this would be his last game with the Dinos, and Davidson made the occasion a memorable one by going 2-for-4 with three RBIs. He hit a ringing double in his final at-bat to lift the Dinos to an 11-4 win over the Kiwoom Heroes.

Davidson, who shed tears as he said goodbyes to Dinos teammates and fans after the game, did not know at the time he would soon be playing for the Heroes.

"I thought it could have potentially been my last game (as a player)," Davidson, 35, told Yonhap News Agency at Gocheok Sky Dome, his new home in Seoul, on Thursday, looking back on that June night. "I wasn't necessarily going to be done and retire, but you don't know if some team is going to sign you for the rest of the year or whatever. You never know with baseball. I had no idea until the next morning. And then it was like, 'All right, well, we got to pack up and go somewhere else.'"

After the Dinos placed Davidson on waivers, the Heroes put in their claim for the veteran slugger and had to wait for the mandatory seven-day period to pass before they could put him on their roster. Davidson made his Heroes debut July 4.

In the days leading up to his first game with his new club, Davidson worked out at the Heroes' minor league facilities while also trying to regroup mentally after his departure from the Dinos, whom he first joined in 2024.

"It was definitely tough. It took me a while," Davidson said of moving on from his first KBO team. "Luckily, (we had) the All-Star break. To have those six days off (from July 10 to 15) was really nice."

Davidson said he had trouble getting his bearings in the early days with the Heroes, and it showed in his numbers, as he batted only 3-for-15 with no home run or RBI in his first four games.

But he has been on fire since, posting a .414/.419/.793 line with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first seven games after the break.

Davidson had just eight home runs in 63 games with the Dinos this year, a far cry from the league-leading 46 homers he launched for them in 2024 and another 36 homers in only 112 games last year.

"After the All-Star break, I felt like I settled in a little bit and was able to focus," Davidson said. "I want to just get my form back to where I feel like I should be, just do that and finish the season strong."

Davidson had his first taste of the KBO postseason in 2025, when the Dinos won nine straight games to close out the regular season and storm into the wild card series. They failed to get past that stage, but their unlikely surge into October baseball was widely viewed as one of the most inspiring stories in the KBO last year.

When Davidson was released, the Dinos were in the thick of a battle for a postseason ticket, sitting two games out of fifth place. The Heroes, though, were mired in last place, seemingly headed for their fourth consecutive season in the league cellar. Davidson himself helped the Dinos hand the Heroes their 10th loss in a row in his final day there.

About a month later, things have not changed much. Through Thursday's action, the Dinos, at 42-45-1 (wins-losses-ties), were four games back of the final postseason spot but remain within striking distance with 56 games left. The Heroes, with a 33-59-2 record, were still in last place and have no realistic shot at playing meaningful baseball in October.

Essentially, Davidson has gone from a club fighting to get into the postseason to the one going nowhere fast. However, Davidson insisted he will not let any change in his playing environment dictate how he approaches games.

"I have always tried to never change based on the circumstances. I just try to perform the best I can every single day and try to put the best product on the field," he said. "You don't want to lose focus because all these games and all the at-bats are still very important.

"It is also important to prepare the team and even yourself, too. The next time you are in a spot to play the postseason, next year or whenever, you want to be able to be ready for that position as well," Davidson continued. "You never want to act like you are not playing for the postseason. Just play every day like you are supposed to win and play for playoffs, so that whenever you do get in that situation, it is not something new that you have to get stressed out about."

With one of the youngest rosters in the KBO, it may be a while before the Heroes, who last competed in the postseason in 2022, return to that stage. But Davidson said he likes what he has seen so far from his young and eager teammates.

"What stands out is just how young everybody is and how talented they are," he said. "They have a lot to prove and a lot of fun energy. They are still trying to figure out what's going to work for them and what's not going to work for them. So that is always exciting to be a part of."

jeeho@yna.co.kr

(END)

• 'Dracula' featuring Jennie maintains No. 5 on Billboard 100
• (LEAD) BTS headlines first halftime show at World Cup final
• Hybe to launch new 7-member girl group Tuide this year
• 'Agent Kim Reactivated' reigns atop Netflix's weekly non-English chart for 3rd week

• BTS headlines first halftime show at World Cup final

• Hybe to launch new 7-member girl group Tuide this year

• (LEAD) BTS headlines first halftime show at World Cup final
• Disney+ to release 2nd season of 'Made in Korea' in Sept.
• (LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. open shipbuilding partnership center to advance MASGA initiative

• (URGENT) S. Korea's Daejeon selected as host city for 2029 Invictus Games: veterans ministry

• KRX activates sell-side sidecar for KOSPI on sharp decline

• U.S. announces 12.5 pct tariffs on S. Korea, Japan over forced labor concerns
• (LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. open shipbuilding partnership center to advance MASGA initiative
• (LEAD) U.S. unveils forced labor tariffs of up to 12.5 pct on S. Korea, Japan, 58 other economies
• (3rd LD) SK Group chairman ordered to pay 944 bln won in asset division to ex-wife