'With' KBO Career 100 Home Runs, LG's Austin Dean Achieved It in Less Than 4 Years! First KBO 9th Career 100-Home Run Record in '6 Years' Since Mel Rojas Jr.

*This content was translated by AI.

No nine was needed. LG Twins' Austin Dean (33) hit his 100th career home run in the KBO League, becoming the ninth foreign player to reach the milestone with back-to-back home runs.

On the 2nd, Austin started at third in the batting order and first base in the visiting game against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season. In the bottom of the third inning with two outs and a runner on second, he launched a two-run home run to left-center field.

The 128.8-meter flight distance marked his 14th home run of the season and his 100th career home run in the KBO. Only 109 players have reached 100 career home runs in the KBO's 45-year history. However, when limited to foreign players, the number drops to just eight. This is largely because players who perform exceptionally well often move overseas, while those who underperform are quickly replaced.

The eight foreign batters who have surpassed 100 home runs are Tyrone Woods (formerly of Doosan Bears, starting in 2000), Jay Davis, Tylson Brito (both formerly of Hanwha Eagles), Cliff Brumby (formerly of Heroes), Karim Garcia (formerly of Hanwha), Eric Thames (formerly of NC Dinos), Jamie Romak (formerly of SSG Landers), and Mel Rojas Jr. (formerly of KT Wiz). Notably, no foreign player has reached 100 home runs since Rojas Jr. achieved the record on June 25, 2020 — a gap of six years.

Austin achieved this in less than four seasons. After joining LG in 2023, he led the team to its first Korean Series championship in 29 years with a .313 batting average, 23 home runs (third in the league), and 95 RBIs.

In the 2024 season, he set a personal best with 32 home runs (sixth in the league). Last year, his third season, he hit 31 home runs (fifth in the league), marking back-to-back 30-home run seasons and helping LG win another Korean Series title.

This year, he is poised to capture the MVP award, which he has not yet won. So far this season, Austin has posted a .333 batting average (71 hits in 211 at-bats) in 53 games, with 13 home runs, 41 RBIs, 40 runs scored, a .413 on-base percentage, a .607 slugging percentage, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.020.

Notably, on May 31, he started as the third batter and designated hitter in a game against Jamsil KIA Tigers, hitting a two-run home run against Yang Hyeon-jong in the bottom of the fifth inning. This was his 13th home run of the 2026 season and his 99th career home run in the KBO. He hit his 100th home run in the very next game without needing a ninth home run, sharing the joy with fans.

In the first at-bat of the first inning, Austin reached base with an infield hit to the third-base side. In the bottom of the third inning with two outs and a runner on second, Park Hae-min hit a double down the right-field line. Austin then drew two balls from Han Cha-hyun before driving a slider inside to the opposite field for a home run.

This was a crucial game for determining the first-place team. Heading into the game, first-place LG stood at 33 wins and 20 losses, while second-place KT was at 32 wins, 1 tie, and 20 losses — a gap of just 0.5 games. Third-place Samsung Lions, with 31 wins, 1 tie, and 20 losses, trailed KT by only 0.5 games, forming a tight three-team race.

For this game, LG lined up Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin (first baseman), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Cheon Seong-ho (designated hitter), Park Dong-won (catcher), Song Chan-ui (left fielder), Lee Young-bin (third baseman), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher was Im Chan-kyu.

KT countered with Choi Won-jun (right fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (designated hitter), Ryu Hyeon-in (first baseman), Sam Hilliard (left fielder), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Bae Jung-dae (center fielder), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Han Cha-hyun.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.