'17 Stolen Bases in 119 Games for a Team?' Kiwoom Evokes the Record-Bottom 'Sammi Superstars' from 43 Years Ago

*This content was translated by AI.

'17 Stolen Bases in One Season.'

This is not an individual record; it is a team-wide story. That is the case for the 2026 season Kiwoom Heroes.

As of the 27th, Kiwoom has played 119 games and recorded a total of 17 stolen bases—the fewest among the 10th teams. It cannot even be compared to the 131 stolen bases by NC Dinos in first place, nor does it reach half of KT Wiz's 44 stolen bases in ninth place. Since Seo Geon-chang stole a base in the first inning of the July 29 Jamsil LG Twins game, Kiwoom has had no stolen bases for a month.

If we were to list individual stolen base rankings under the name 'Kiwoom,' who would be at the top? Currently, Park Min-woo (NC) leads with 38 stolen bases, while Jeong Jun-jae (SSG Landers) and Kim Sung-yoon (Samsung Lions) are tied for 13th place with 17 stolen bases each.

The team's leader in stolen bases is Lee Ju-hyung with four. He is followed by Park Ju-hong and Im Byung-wook, each with three. Seo Geon-chang and Lee Hyung-jong have two each, while Brooks, Im Ji-yeol, and Hira each have one. That is all. Davidson recorded one stolen base in a game against KIA Tigers on April 4, but he was playing for NC at the time.

It is not as if Kiwoom attempted stolen bases and failed repeatedly. This season, Kiwoom has failed in stolen base attempts only four times: Im Ji-yeol against Samsung on April 24 and June 18, and Seo Geon-chang against SSG on August 2 and LG on August 12. Of course, there may have been cases where they held back from attempting a steal, but in total, Kiwoom has attempted stolen bases (including both successful and failed attempts) only 21 times. As a result, their stolen base success rate stands at 80.95% (17 out of 21), ranking third behind KIA (85.0%, 68/80) and Lotte (81.0%, 81/100).

The record for the fewest stolen bases by a team in a single season in KBO League history dates back an impressive 43 years: 36 stolen bases by the Sammi Superstars in 1983. At that time, each team played only 100 games. Under the current 144-game format, the record for fewest stolen bases is held by KIA with 47 in 2020. If Kiwoom fails to add at least 19 more stolen bases in their remaining 25 games, they will set a new all-time worst record.

Stolen bases require both individual ability and team strategy to succeed. If either one or both of these elements were present, such an unprecedented record would not have been possible. In any case, the battery and infielders of teams facing Kiwoom can now breathe easier while playing defense.

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*This content was translated by AI.