'Stand tall, Kim Do-young': LG's Austin hits 18th home run, closing in by just one! On pace for 41 homers [Jamsil on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins foreign hitter Austin Dean (33) drew a large arc from his first at-bat, closely chasing the league's home run leader, Kim Do-young (23, KIA Tigers).

On the 10th, at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium, in a home game against SSG Landers in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, Austin Dean started as the first baseman and third hitter. In the bottom of the second inning, with LG trailing 0-2, he hit a solo home run to left field.

LG's lineup that day was Park Hae-min (center fielder), Moon Sung-ju (left fielder), Austin Dean (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (designated hitter), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Song Chan-ui (right fielder), Park Dong-won (catcher), Gu Bon-hyeok (third baseman), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher was Lachlan Wells.

SSG countered with Park Sung-han (shortstop), Jeong Jun-jae (second baseman), Guillermo Heredia (left fielder), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Kim Sung-wook (right fielder), Jeon Ui-san (first baseman), Ahn Sang-hyun (third baseman), Jo Hyung-woo (catcher), and Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder). The starting pitcher was Choi Min-jun.

The first run belonged to the visiting team, SSG. In the top of the first inning, leadoff batter Park Sung-han hit a ground ball to right field for a hit, and Jeong Jun-jae followed with a triple to left-center field, scoring the first run. Guillermo Heredia then added a hit to left field, making the score 2-0.

But LG had Austin Dean. In the bottom of the first, Park Hae-min flew out to center field, and Moon Sung-ju grounded out to shortstop. Austin Dean then crushed a 142 km/h two-seam fastball from Choi Min-jun, who was working inside, sending it far over the left-field fence. It was a 113.1-meter flight, his 18th home run of the season.

Before this game, Austin Dean had hit 17 home runs in 60 games, maintaining a pace for 41 home runs. Starting with a solo home run, he built momentum. He is now just one home run behind Kim Do-young, who leads the KBO League with 19 home runs.

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

*This content was translated by AI.