Since 1982, when the Korean professional baseball began, there have been only two times when foreign batters have ranked first in the batting average.스포츠토토
The first player was Cliff Brumba from the U.S., who played for the Hyundai Unicorns in 2004. During that season, Brumba ranked first in all batting average (343), slugging percentage (608), and on-base percentage (4668), and became the first foreign hitter in the KBO league.
For 11 years since Broomba, the No. 1 batting average has again been attributed to domestic players. Lee Byung-kyu (retired, then LG Twins), Lee Dae-ho (retired, then Lotte Giants), Lee Hyun-gon (retired, then KIA Tigers), Kim Hyun-soo (LG, then Doosan Bears), Park Yong-taek (retired, then LG), Kim Tae-kyun (retired, then Hanwha Eagles), and Seo Geon-chang (KIA, then Nexen Heroes) set various records to become the batting champion.
The foreign hitter who broke the batting king trend that Korean players dominated was Eric Thames (then NC Dinos) in 2015. In the 2015 season, Thames won four gold medals (381, 130 points, 70.9 on-base percentage, and 497 on-base percentage) in the batting category and won the MVP of the league.
In the eight seasons since Thames, Korean players have again topped the batting average. Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants, then Kiwoom Heroes), Choi Hyung-woo (KIA), Kim Sun-bin (KIA), Kim Hyun-soo, Yang Eui-ji (Doosan), and Son Ah-seop (NC) took the position.
However, the situation is different this year. With the regular season nearing the end, foreign hitters are currently dominating the first and second place in batting average.
The player with the highest batting average is Guillermo Herredia (SSG Landers). Herredia has played 133 games this season, recording 21 homers and 189 hits in 528 times at bat, and is currently posting a batting average of 358.
The runner-up is also a foreign hitter. Victor Reyes of the Lotte Giants has recorded a batting average of 353 with 15 homers and 196 hits in 140 games at bat.
Korean hitters are chasing after him. Kim Do-young, who has emerged as the “KBO’s top star,” is ranked third with a batting average of 350, while Koo Ja-wook (Samsung, batting average of 343), and Song Seong-moon (Kium, batting average of 344) are also diligently following him.
However, considering the number of games left, some predict that Korean hitters will not be able to beat both Eredia and Reyes. If the season ends like this, a foreign hitter will rank No. 1 in batting average for the first time in nine seasons in the KBO League.
Foreign hitters from each team are evenly ranked first in the league in various batting indicators this season.
The first priority is Matt Davidson of the NC Dinosaurs, who ranks first in home runs. He has 46 arches so far, leading the league. Considering the gap with runner-up Kim Do-young (38 homers), Davidson will become the home run king.
Austin Dean, LG’s lucky star, is sitting at the top of the RBI list. Austin is on the verge of becoming the first RBI king in LG’s history with 130 RBIs in 138 games. Foreign hitters are also in the top ranks in RBIs. After Austin, Davidson, who hit 119 RBIs, tied for second, and Herredia and Koo Ja-wook, who have 115 RBIs, tied for third.
The batter who has had the most hits is also a foreigner. Reyes, who ranks second in batting average, is producing the most hits this season. Reyes also added two hits in the match against KIA at the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on Saturday. Reyes has produced 196 hits this season alone.
After the fall baseball challenge, Lotte fans’ eyes are on Reyes’ bat. If Reyes steps up to 200 hits in the remaining three games, he will be the first foreign batter to hit a record of 200 hits. Reyes hit 194 hits in the season against KT Wiz on the 24th, surpassing Son Ah-seop’s record of 193 hits in a single season.
If Reyes ends the season with the No. 1 hit, he will be the second foreign hitter in the KBO league to win this title. In 2019 and 2020, Jose Miguel Fernandez of Doosan produced 197 and 199 hits, respectively, becoming the player with the most hits for two consecutive years.
If Davison tops the home run list, it will be the first time in four years that a foreign hitter has won the home run king award since Mel Rojas Jr. (47 kt) in 2020. It is highly likely that Austin, a foreign hitter, will also take the lead in RBIs after Rojas (135) in 2020.