The difference between the top five and the sixth to tenth positions exactly matches the number of 'walks obtained' [Shin Hwa-seop's Sports Inside]

*This content was translated by AI.

In baseball, various metrics such as hitting, pitching, fielding, and base running determine victory or defeat. Among these, the most striking record in the early stages of the KBO League this season is the "walk." As of the 15th, after each team has played 15 games, the distinction between the top five teams (ranked 1st to 5th) and the bottom five teams (ranked 6th to 10th) in terms of winning percentage aligns precisely with the number of "walks" batters have drawn.

The most representative baseball statistics—batting average, home runs, and earned run average (ERA)—show notable discrepancies from win-loss percentage rankings. LG Twins, tied for second place, posted a team batting average of .260, ranking sixth, while Hanwha Eagles, tied for seventh, recorded .278, ranking third. In home runs, solo leader Samsung Lions hit 12, placing seventh, while LG also hit 9, landing ninth. Conversely, NC Dinos and Lotte Giants, both in the lower tier, each hit 16 home runs, tying for second place. In ERA, Lotte and NC ranked second and third, respectively, with figures of 4.18 and 4.47.

The clear indicator separating top-tier and bottom-tier teams is "walks." All teams ranked 1st through 5th in winning percentage also rank within the top five in walks. Samsung leads with 82, followed by SSG Landers (76), KT Wiz (75), LG (73), and KIA Tigers (71). On the 14th, Samsung also drew a record 18 hit-by-pitches and walks in a single game against Daejeon Hanwha.

On the other hand, the five teams with the lowest winning percentages failed to draw a relatively high number of walks. Lotte had the fewest with 50, followed by Kiwoom Heroes (55) and Doosan Bears (59).

Getting a walk requires more than just a keen eye. It demands the ability to focus at the plate, discern the pitch, and possess the tenacity to engage in a persistent battle with the pitcher.

It is worth noting the per-plate-appearance pitch count rankings for this season. While the league average stands at 3.90, LG's "on-base machine" Hong Chang-ki, despite struggling at the plate with a .157 batting average, forced pitchers to throw the most pitches at 4.69. It is no coincidence that KT's Ahn Hyun-min (batting average .365) and SSG's Park Seong-han (batting average .481) secured third and fourth place with 4.60 and 4.46 pitches, respectively.

Son A-seop (38), who recently transferred to Doosan, has also vividly demonstrated why he is the KBO League's all-time hits leader with 2,620 hits. On the first day of the trade, the 14th, he started as the second batter against SSG, drawing two walks and hitting one home run. On the 15th, he recorded one walk and one hit. In two games across nine plate appearances, he reached base five times, injecting vitality into his team's lineup. His average pitches per plate appearance stands at 4.11 (37 total pitches).

Pitchers' "giving up free passes" also shows a strong correlation with team standings. Joint second-place LG and KT allowed the fewest walks, with 50 and 53, respectively. However, last-place Kiwoom ranks at least third with 57 walks allowed, while SSG surrendered 73 walks, the third-highest total behind Hanwha (95) and Doosan (74).

Even in "walk margin," calculated as walks drawn minus walks issued, the win-loss records of teams ranked 1st to 5th and those ranked 6th to 10th are identical. In the early stages of the 2026 season, the fortunes of each team are thus divided by walks.

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*This content was translated by AI.