*This content was translated by AI.
Hanwha Eagles' Heo In-seo (23) has taken the top spot in the competitive Sharing All-Star catcher category.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced the first interim results of the fan voting for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO All-Star Game 'Best 12' on the afternoon of the 8th. The fan voting to select the 12th players who will participate in the 2026 KBO All-Star Game will run until 2 p.m. on June 23. The second interim results will be announced on June 15. The final Best 12 roster, combining fan voting (70%) and player voting (30%), is scheduled to be released on the 24th.
The most anticipated battleground was the Sharing All-Star catcher category. This year's Sharing All-Star catchers are expected to face fierce competition, with last year's winning catcher Park Dong-won (36·LG Twins), national team mainstay Kim Hyung-jun (27·NC Dinos), and three other catchers all performing well.
The first interim results showed Heo In-seo leading in catcher home runs. Heo In-seo received 535,060 votes, narrowly surpassing second-place Park Dong-won's 515,890 votes. The gap between the two players is only 14,166 votes. Han Jun-su followed with 322,695 votes, Kim Hyung-jun with 116,291 votes, and Kim Geon-hee with 109,050 votes.
As of the 8th, Heo In-seo has a batting average of 0.289 (41 hits in 142 at-bats) in 50 games, with 11 home runs, 36 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.909, ranking tied for 8th in the league in home runs and 1st among catchers.
The overall top vote-getter was KBO Living Legend catcher Yang Eui-ji (39·Doosan Bears). As of 2 p.m. on the 7th, Yang Eui-ji received a total of 836,546 votes across the three voting channels (KBO website, KBO app, and Shinhan SOL Bank app), securing the most votes among all candidates in the first interim results. This accounts for approximately 52.5% of the total 1,593,982 votes cast.
Yang Eui-ji, who received the most votes (484,185 votes, 57.5% of the total) in the 2018 All-Star Game fan voting, aims to secure his second consecutive fan voting top vote-getter title this time as well, backed by fan support.
The second-highest vote-getter in the first interim results was Yang Eui-ji's teammate, Doosan's Son A-seop (38). Son A-seop secured 766,947 votes in the Dream All-Star designated hitter category, trailing Yang Eui-ji by 69,599 votes. Having been selected for the All-Star Best 12 six times previously, Son A-seop aims to become the first designated hitter to make the All-Star Best 12.
Doosan is showing clear dominance in the Dream All-Star. In the starting pitcher category, Kwak Bin; in the middle relief pitcher category, Kim Jeong-woo; and in the closer category, Lee Young-ha, swept the top spots in the pitcher category interim results. Following them, Yang Eui-ji leads in the catcher category, Park Jun-soon in the second baseman category, and Park Chan-ho in the shortstop category. In the outfielder category, Jung Soobin (1st in outfielders) and Kim Min-seok (3rd in outfielders) are positioned, and Son A-seop is in the designated hitter category. Samsung followed Doosan with Diaz in the first baseman category and Koo Ja-wook (2nd in outfielders) in the outfielder category. SSG's Choi Jeong topped the third baseman category.
In the Sharing All-Star, LG produced the most category-leading interim results. Leading the starting pitcher category with Song Seung-gi, the list includes Austin in the first baseman category, Shin Min-jae in the second baseman category, Oh Ji-hwan in the shortstop category, and Park Hae-min (1st in outfielders) in the outfielder category. KIA followed with Jung Hae-young in the middle relief pitcher category, Sung Young-tak in the closer category, Kim Do-young in the third baseman category, and Park Jae-hyun (2nd in outfielders) in the outfielder category. Hanwha followed with Heo In-seo in the catcher category, Moon Hyun-bin (3rd in outfielders) in the outfielder category, and Kang Baek-ho in the designated hitter category.
Furthermore, fierce competition is underway by position. In the outfielder category, where the top three are selected, Sharing All-Star's 4th-place KIA's Kim Ho-ryeong, with 526,870 votes, is trailing Hanwha's Moon Hyun-bin (528,226 votes) by a narrow margin of about 1,300 votes.
The enthusiasm of the 2026 KBO League season, which continues to set new records for the fewest games played, ranging from 1 million won to over 5 million spectators, is also reflected in the All-Star fan voting. The first interim results show a total of 1,593,982 votes, an increase of approximately 16.2% compared to the 1,372,012 votes cast during the first interim results of the 2025 All-Star Game.
Meanwhile, the KBO is conducting a prize giveaway event for baseball fans participating in the fan voting. The KBO will hold a daily lottery for fans who vote through the KBO website or app, selecting 10 winners.
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*This content was translated by AI.
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