Faces different from last year’s title holders are heating up this year’s title competition.
In the batting category, foreign hitters Guillermo Herredia (SSG Landers), Matt Davidson (NC Dinos), and Austin Dean (LG Twins) are ranked first in batting average, home run and RBI, respectively.
Heredia boasts of remarkable accuracy by posting a batting average of 0.361 through Sunday. If she finishes the season with the top batting average, she will become the third foreign batting champion after Cliff Brumba in 2004 and Eric Thames in 2015.
Since joining the KBO league last year, Herredia posted a batting average of 0.323 (fifth) last season. She has displayed even hotter bat this year, tying with Mel Rojas Jr. (KT Wiz) in the most hits category with 167 hits.
However, the team needs to keep an eye on counterattacks from Victor Reyes (Lotte Giants), who had 165 hits in the most hits category. Reyes has 163 hits, while Lotte has 25 more games to play. As SSG, which includes Herredia, has 20 fewer games to play, and KT, which includes Rojas, has 18 more games to play, there is a possibility that Reyes will come from behind at the last minute.
Austin, who is in his second KBO League season with Herredia, is also showing off his batting skills this year. He is targeting the first LG batter with 117 RBIs, overwhelming second-ranked Herredia (98 RBIs).
Davidson, who is in his KBO League debut season, is also leading the title competition by steadily producing home runs.
Among domestic hitters, Kim Do-young is aiming for his first career title.
Kim has been atop in the number of runs scored (120 points) and slugging percentage (0.644). He is also ranking second in the home runs (34 homers) and on-base percentage (0.420), and third in the batting average (0.345). He is competing for the top spot in all areas of attack index, including joint third in RBIs and fourth in hits (162 hits). 안전놀이터
In the stolen base category, Cho Soo-haeng (Doosan Bears) is leading the way with 59 hits. He effectively reserved the title by far beating over second-ranked Jeong Su-bin (Doosan Bears), who has 46 steals.
Among last year’s batting title holders, Hong Chang-ki (LG) is the only one to maintain the No. 1 on-base percentage (0.440) this year.
Last year, pitcher Eric Peddy (St. Louis Cardinals), who played for the NC Dinosaurs, won the title. Peddy achieved the triple crown in ERA, multiple wins and strikeouts.
Kyle Hart (NC), who is keeping his position as a pitcher, is poised to take over the title as a pitcher. Peddy is leading in ERA (2.35) and strikeouts (157). He is ranking second (12 wins) in the multiple wins category.
Won Tae-in (Samsung Lions) is leading the competition with 13 wins. If Won wins first place with multiple wins, it will be the first time in seven years that a Korean pitcher with multiple wins will be born since Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA) in 2017.
The race for the “Save King” is a mixed race.
“Stone Buddha” Oh Seung-hwan (Samsung) is in the lead with 27 saves, but he is coming out as an intermediate pitcher, not a closer, after returning to the second division due to a recent slump.
Jung Hae-young, who leads KIA’s leading competition, is aiming to turn around with 26 saves.
Noh Kyung-eun (SSG), who made 31 holds, is leading the race. Noh Kyung-eun, who entered the professional league in 2003, is aiming at her first title in her 22nd year since debut.
