[Official] KT's Sam Hilaryed, with 70,000 fan votes, surpasses Samsung's Kim Ji-chan's 220,000 votes to win KBO July MVP! How did he overcome overwhelming fan support?

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz foreign hitter Sam Hilaryed (32) won the KBO League July MVP award, defeating Kim Ji-chan (25), who received overwhelming fan support.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) officially announced on the 10th that "Hilaryed was selected as the monthly MVP for July in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League."

This marks the first time since June 2020, when Mel Rojas Jr. won, that a foreign hitter for KT has been named monthly MVP. Hilaryed, selected as July's MVP, will receive a trophy and a cash prize of 3 million won.

Interestingly, Hilaryed did not secure sufficient fan support. In the fan vote, he received 70,002 votes, significantly trailing Kim Ji-chan, who garnered 228,406 votes. However, Hilaryed secured 22 out of 35 total reporter votes (62.9%), surpassing Kim Ji-chan's two votes in the overall tally. The KBO monthly MVP is determined by a 50% fan vote and 50% reporter vote weighting. Hilaryed finished with a total score of 39.67 points, while Kim Ji-chan scored 29.48 points, allowing Hilaryed to claim the July monthly MVP honor by a wide margin.

Looking at the statistics alone, the decision was understandable. Hilaryed played in 19 games during July, posting a batting average of 0.365 (27 hits in 74 at-bats), with nine home runs, 26 RBIs, and 17 runs scored. He also recorded an on-base percentage of 0.413 and a slugging percentage of 0.743, demonstrating exceptional offensive production. During the same period, he led the league alone in home runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage, significantly contributing to KT achieving a winning percentage close to 80% (14 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses; winning percentage 0.778).

His impact was also significant. Hilaryed surpassed his previous monthly record of eight home runs set in May, establishing a new personal best for monthly home runs. Additionally, during the July 17 game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium, he hit two home runs and drove in six runs, tying his personal single-game record for RBIs.

Kim Ji-chan also recorded impressive statistics over 20 games: a batting average of 0.431 (31 hits in 72 at-bats), nine RBIs, 17 runs scored, and six stolen bases, with an on-base percentage of 0.506 and a slugging percentage of 0.458. However, he struggled to gain the upper hand in terms of production and impact. Meanwhile, KT's So Hyoung-jun (25) received 19,350 fan votes and eight reporter votes, finishing third overall with a total score of 13.68 points.

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*This content was translated by AI.