Austin recorded two hits and three RBIs in four at-bats against the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 7th, increasing his personal RBIs to 121 this season. As a result, he broke the number of RBIs (119) for a single season for LG, which was set by Chae Eun-sung (currently Hanwha Eagles) in 2018 and Kim Hyun-soo in 2020.먹튀검증
“I tend not to care about (individual) records,” Austin said. “However, no RBI has been recorded since 118 RBIs (three consecutive games). People around me thought, “When are you going to break the record?”
Austin told this newspaper in an interview in late July, “I want to be remembered as a player like Kelly. I will inherit his legacy.” It was shortly after Casey Kelly left after ending his six-year companionship with LG.
Austin, who is in his second season in the KBO League, is making a remarkable achievement like Kelly. As the LG first baseman who hit .313 with 23 home runs and 95 RBIs last year, he embraced the Golden Glove for the first time in 29 years since Seo Yong-bin in 1994.
Austin achieved 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in a season for the first time since his debut in the club’s history last month. Starting with Jang Jong-hoon in 1991, a total of 47 players had 30 home runs and 100 RBIs 86 times until last year, but none of them had played for LG. In 2000, Charles Smith (35 home runs and 100 RBIs) hit 20 home runs for Samsung before moving to LG in a trade and adding 15 home runs.
Austin is also aiming for the first RBI king in the club’s history. Among the 10 clubs, LG is the only club that has produced no RBI king. As of Tuesday, Austin had 121 RBIs and is well ahead of Matt Davidson (NC Dinos, 109) who is ranking second in the league. “Now I don’t have to think about setting an individual record (the highest number of RBIs in a season), so I can play baseball without any pressure,” Austin welcomed. This is a positive factor for securing the RBI king.
Kelly was the best foreign pitcher in the history of the LG Twins. As an LG player, he became the champion of multiple wins for the first time in 21 years since Shin Yun-ho, and holds the record of the most wins (73 wins) by a foreign player. He pitched in more than five innings in 75 consecutive games, the most ever in the Korean pro baseball league.
Austin is also leaving a clear mark on the history of foreign hitters at LG. Also, like Kelly, he has excellent fusion power and good fan service.
Austin, who has posted a batting average of 0.320 with 31 home runs and 121 RBIs this season, has upgraded to a higher level compared to last year. He ranks first in all categories of batting average, home run, RBI with 93 points and slugging percentage (0.587). “If I win an award at the end of this year, I would like to attend the award ceremony in Korea (after visiting the U.S. after the season),” Austin said. He has established himself as a “Korean-style foreigner.”