'Kim Do-young overtaken' Austin makes 'another' LG history, first foreign investor to hit 20 home runs for four consecutive seasons! 5th in KBO... League leader in home runs [Gwangju on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins foreign hitter Austin Dean (33) surpassed competitor Kim Do-young (23, KIA Tigers) to reach 20 home runs first this season.

On the 16th, at the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the regular-season KBO League match against KIA Tigers, Austin Dean started as the third hitter and first baseman, hitting a solo home run to the left-field wall from his first at-bat.

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

KIA's lineup was Kim Min-gyu (left fielder), Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Na Sung-beom (designated hitter), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Byun Woo-hyeok (first baseman), Park Min (shortstop), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Park Jae-hyun (right fielder). The starting pitcher was Kesho Shirakawa.

Before the game, Austin Dean and Kim Do-young were tied for the league lead in home runs with 19 each. The matchup drew attention as Kim Do-young, challenging for the native home run champion title for KIA for the first time in 17 years, faced Austin Dean, who aimed to become the first home run champion in LG history.

In the fierce home run race, Austin Dean took the lead first. In the top of the first inning with two outs, Austin Dean found himself in a 0-ball, 2-strike count against Shirakawa's curveball and slider. However, he did not miss the fourth pitch, a flat curveball, and sent it over the left-field wall. A 125-meter home run, his 20th of the season.

With this, Austin Dean, who joined the KBO League in 2023, became the first foreign hitter in LG history to hit 20 home runs for four consecutive seasons. In the entire KBO League, this is the fifth time such a feat has been achieved, following Tyrone Woods (Doosan Bears) from 1998 to 2002, Jamie Romak (SSG Landers) from 2017 to 2021 (five consecutive seasons), Jay Davis (Hanwha Eagles) from 1999 to 2002, and Mel Rojas Jr. (KT Wiz) from 2018 to 2020 and 2024 (four consecutive seasons).

Additionally, this was the 106th home run in KBO history, and Austin Dean closed the gap to 6 home runs behind Tilson Brito (Hanwha), who holds the 7th place in all-time foreign player home run totals with 112.

Austin Dean hit 23 home runs in his first year with the LG uniform in 2023, immediately ranking third in the league in home runs. He followed up with 32 home runs in 2024 and 31 in 2025, surpassing 30 home runs for two consecutive seasons. His 32 home runs in 2024 remain his personal single-season record. He has recorded 20 or more home runs in all four seasons since his debut.

Austin Dean previously surpassed the 100th-home run milestone on June 2 against KT in Suwon, becoming the 109th player in KBO League history and the ninth foreign player to reach the mark.

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

*This content was translated by AI.