Yang Seok-hwan (33), the captain of the Doosan Bears, became the first person to hit 30 home runs-100 RBIs against his former team, the LG Twins. The native right-handed hitters from the Bears (including the full-length OB Bears) became the first to hit 30 home runs-100 RBIs in 24 years, following Shim Jung-soo of the Hercules in the 1999 season and Kim Dong-joo of the “Boss Bear” in the 2000 season.
Yang Seok-hwan started as the fifth batter and first baseman in the first game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 21st, and led his team to a 14-7 victory by scoring two hits, six RBIs and three runs from four times at bat, including multiple home runs.
After getting on base with a pitch ball in the first inning, Yang was out by foul play at the third baseman in the second inning and grounded out to shortstop in the fifth inning, respectively. However, his bat exploded in the second half of the game.
It was in the top of the sixth inning when Doosan was trailing by a gap of five to seven points. Taking the batter’s box with runners on the second base with one out, Yang hit a two-run shot off Kim Yoo-young to cross the left fence. Yang’s 32nd homer for this season. 스포츠토토
With this two-run shot, Yang became the 92nd player in the KBO league to hit the 30th homerun-100 RBI mark. He became the 11th right-handed hitter in the Bears’ history and the third in 24 years since Shim Jung-soo in 1999 and Kim Dong-ju in 2000. It was the first time that Yang Seok-hwan, who joined the pro league in 2014, recorded 30 homeruns-100 RBIs. On top of that, he also recorded the most homeruns by right-handed hitters in Korea (formerly Shim Jung-soo in 1999 and Kim Dong-ju in 2000, and 31 homeruns in 2000). In addition, he set a career record of 600 RBIs (81st in KBO history) along with this homerun.
Yang’s performance didn’t end there. In the top of the eighth inning, when his team was chased again by two points, 7-9. Yang hit a three-run shot with runners on the second and third bases with no outs against LG’s changed pitcher Lee Jong-joon. In fact, it was the game-winner. In the end, Doosan was able to win the first game by scoring five runs in the eighth inning alone. Doosan lost the following game 0-2, so this first-round victory was invaluable.
After graduating from Baekwoon Elementary School, Shinil Middle School, Shinil High School, and Dongkuk University, Yang joined the LG Twins in 2014 and played 125 games since his debut as a professional player in the 2015 season. After that, he became LG’s main third baseman, and joined the Sangmu Club to become the home run king of the Futures League (13) in 2019. However, as LG recruited the main third baseman Kim Min-sung ahead of the 2019 season, Yang’s position began to change as well. Eventually, he played in only 40 games in the 2020 season and wore the Doosan uniform through a 2:2 trade in March, just before the opening of the 2021 season. This has become a great move for both himself and his team. He has become a perfect starting player and marked 20 home runs for three consecutive years until the last season. After the end of last season, he hit a jackpot in signing a free agent contract with Doosan for up to 7.8 billion won (4,800 million U.S. dollars) for 4+2 years. And he is leading the team with Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop’s strong trust and captain’s armband.
After winning the first game of a doubleheader on Monday, Lee said, “It was a day that confirmed the captain’s presence. The two-run homer in the sixth inning and the three-run homer in the eighth inning all came out as very important moments. Congratulations on Yang’s first 30 home runs and 100 RBIs since his debut.”
Yang Seok-hwan said after the game, “I feel good because I won an important game first. It is the result of the players working together. Everyone has not lost concentration,” adding, “The 30 home runs-100 RBIs are a record I have dreamed of since I was a child.” I am honored and feel good to have achieved the record with home runs in important situations. I am also happy to be able to achieve the Bears’ most home runs at this historic Jamsil Baseball Stadium. It means more to me because Jamsil Stadium will disappear soon and Dome Stadium will be built.” Yang Seok-hwan then promised, “I will prepare well for the rest of the games and show good performance to the fans.”
