'19 Stolen Bases in June' Lotte's Hwang Seong-bin Substituted Mid-Game Due to Neck Swelling... Will His Challenge for the All-Time KBO Monthly Record of 4 More Stolen Bases End 'Like This'?

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants' speedy player Hwang Seong-bin (29) faces a crisis as his record-breaking attempt comes to a halt.

On the 28th, Hwang Seong-bin was substituted in the top of the fifth inning during the home game against LG Twins at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, replacing Kim Dong-hyeok.

According to a Lotte club official, the substitution was due to swelling in his neck. While not a serious injury, it was regrettable that he could not bat again as he was challenging for the KBO monthly record for most stolen bases.

Hwang Seong-bin posted a batting average of 0.298 (25 hits in 84 at-bats) over 22 games in June, showing strong hitting form, and successfully stole bases 19 times out of 22 attempts. According to the KBO, this places him tied for fifth all-time in monthly stolen bases, sharing the spot with 1995's Jeon Jun-ho (Lotte), 2001's Jung Soo-geun (Doosan Bears), and others.

The all-time record is held by Lee Jong-beom (Haitai Tigers) and Jeon Jun-ho (Lotte), who both stole 23 bases in 1993 while competing for the stolen base title. Hwang Seong-bin trails by four bases. Following them, Lee Jong-beom stole 22 bases in 1994, and Lee Hae-chang (Cheongbo Pintos) stole 20 bases in 1987.

On this day, Hwang Seong-bin was attempting to reach fourth place all-time. In the bottom of the third inning with Lotte trailing 0-2 and no outs with a runner on second base, he hit a sharp single through the middle of the plate off Jang Hyun-sik's off-target pitch, driving in one run with a two-run single.

During Noh Jin-hyuk's at-bat, he attempted to steal second base but was tagged out by a throw from Lee Ju-heon, who noticed the move. Later, in the bottom of the third inning when the bases were loaded following Go Seung-min's grand slam, he was out on a ground ball to the pitcher.

Now, Hwang Seong-bin has only the the 30th game against Jamsil Doosan Bears remaining. His career high for stolen bases in a single game is two. With four stolen bases needed to break the monthly record, achieving it has become virtually impossible.

Meanwhile, Lotte hit 14 hits in total, defeating LG 11-9 and securing a winning series with two wins and one loss.

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*This content was translated by AI.