'37 Home Runs, 132 RBIs Pace': How High Will LG's Austin Climb? Yeom Kyung-yeop Erases Even the Worry of Batting Fourth

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins foreign hitter Austin Dean (33) is showing hot hitting form even in his new role as the fourth hitter.

On the 9th, Austin started as the fourth hitter and first baseman in the visiting game against Hanwha Eagles at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ball Park in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, going 3-for-4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored in a standout performance.

LG lost 3-11 due to scattered hitting and a crumbling pitching mound, but Austin shone alone. In the top of the 1st inning with two outs and a runner on first, Austin crushed a sweeper from Wang Yencheng that came in on the outside, driving a hit to left-center field.

Austin was on fire even in scoring position. In the top of the 3rd inning with LG trailing 1-2, one out, and runners on first and third, he aggressively pursued a hit despite a favorable 3 balls, 0 strikes count, eventually connecting a inside fastball to a one-run double to center field. He immediately answered a mistake pitch with extra-base power. Coming up as the leadoff hitter in the top of the 4th, he sent a first-pitch fastball, which was squarely in the middle, all the way to the end of the left-field wall. This was already his 11th game of the season with three or more hits.

As a result, Austin's season statistics stand at a .381 batting average (147 at-bats, 56 hits), 9 home runs, 32 RBIs, 30 runs scored, a .442 on-base percentage, a .667 slugging percentage, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.109 across 35 games.

With a pace of 37 home runs and 132 RBIs, he exudes the aura of the league MVP. Just looking at his key hitting metrics confirms this. As of the end of the game on the 9th, Austin leads the league in hits, is tied for second in home runs, second in runs scored, third in RBIs, second in batting average, fifth in on-base percentage, first in slugging percentage, and first in OPS.

This also completely erased the worries of LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (58), who had been struggling to find a new fourth hitter after Moon Bo-kyung (26) was sidelined with a left ankle ligament injury. Ahead of the Daejeon Hanwha game on the 8th, Manager Yeom said, "The fourth spot is missing, and I worry about it every day. (The gap caused by Moon Bo-kyung's injury) has lasted a month, and it seems everyone feels burdened when batting fourth. Still, we have to try various things and see what fits." He added, "Austin is actually supposed to bat third, but this time we tried putting him fourth."

Since taking the fourth spot in the game on the 8th, he has been on fire with consecutive three-hit games. While hitting follows cycles and he has only played 35 games so far, it is also a point of interest to see just how high Austin can climb.

Entering his fourth year in the KBO, Austin contributed to LG's long-awaited Korean Series championship in his debut season with 23 home runs and 95 RBIs. Since then, driven by his intense love for LG, he has recorded 20 or more home runs and 95 or more RBIs for three consecutive years. Last year, despite playing in 116 games, he hit 31 home runs and drove in 95 runs, tasting his second Korean Series victory, yet he remains thirsty.

Austin focused his training this spring with the sole goal of a full-time, injury-free season. His belief is that if he can maintain his health and condition, he will be able to deliver results. After the victory against NC Dinos at Jamsil on the 1st, Austin said, "Things are going as planned. Playing last season, I realized I wasn't in my best condition. I felt a sense of personal responsibility for that, and it seems my good preparation during the off-season is leading to positive results, which makes me feel good."

He further emphasized, "I truly believe it is very important to maintain my condition by playing games every day. I think playing every day without injury increases the team's probability of winning."

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*This content was translated by AI.