"He should have had 150 RBIs..." 'Strikeout Leader' Hilliard, who ended the streak of bad luck, surged to the top of KT in a late push

*This content was translated by AI.

Leading the team in home runs and RBIs, yet topping the league in strikeouts. He missed countless opportunities to drive in more runs. Head coach Lee Kang-cheol (60) felt deep regret watching Sam Hilliard (32, KT Wiz).

Hilliard started as the cleanup hitter and left fielder in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game against Hanwha Eagles at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 2nd. He went 5-for-5 with two hits (one home run), one strikeout, two RBIs, and one run scored, leading his team to victory.

Before the game, Coach Lee expressed regret over Hilliard's recent slump. "It's a relief that the streak of bad luck has passed. He missed several games at 99 RBIs," he said. "He absolutely should have won the RBI title. In the early part of the season, with runners on second and third, first and third, or bases loaded, he kept striking out. At that time, (Choi) Won-jun, (Kim) Hyun-soo, and (Ahn) Hyeon-min were hitting well and driving in runs. Runners were always on base, yet instead of infield grounders or outfield flies, he just struck out. If he had performed at this level back then, he would have reached 150 RBIs," he lamented.

This is no idle complaint. Hilliard leads the team in home runs and RBIs this season, but while his batting average stood at 0.288 through May, it dropped to 0.254 with runners in scoring position. His 141 strikeouts this season rank first in the entire league. That's more than double the second-place player on his team, Choi Won-jun (70 strikeouts), meaning he struck out far more often in scoring situations, prompting sighs from Coach Lee Kang-cheol. As the manager trailing the leading Samsung Lions by just 0.5 games, these are understandable frustrations.

Today's game was not entirely satisfying either. Hilliard struck out with no outs and runners on first and third in the bottom of the first inning. In the second inning, with two outs and runners on first and second, he drove in a run with an infield single. Thanks to luck, the infield hit allowed runner Choi Won-jun to reach third base, and taking advantage of a defensive lapse, he scored at home plate.

He also flied out to left field as the leadoff hitter in the fifth inning and grounded out to the second baseman with no outs and a runner on first in the seventh, but in the bottom of the eighth, with his team leading 6-4, he hit a solo home run that crushed Hanwha's comeback hopes. With two outs and no runners on base, he smashed a high fastball from pitcher Joo Hyun-sang clocked at 143 km/h, sending the ball 125 meters over the center field wall for a massive solo shot.

Starting with that home run, KT batters hit five consecutive hits to add three more runs. Even after allowing two solo home runs in the top of the ninth, they secured a comfortable victory.

The possibility of winning the RBI title remains open. Thanks to today's performance, Hilliard has recorded a .296 batting average (439 at-bats, 130 hits), 31 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 84 runs scored in 112 games, with an on-base percentage of 0.365, slugging percentage of 0.560, and OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.925.

His RBI total now ties him for second place with Lewin Diaz (Samsung), trailing only Austin Dean (LG) with 111 RBIs. Having shed the streak of bad luck and recorded RBIs in two consecutive games, if he maintains this late-season momentum, the RBI title remains within reach. Most importantly, having reliable support from Choi Won-jun, Kim Hyun-soo, and Ahn Hyeon-min ahead of him could be his greatest asset.

As Coach Lee noted, Hilliard himself felt frustrated recently. After the game, Hilliard said, "I haven't been able to deliver the performance I wanted lately, so today I had a strong desire to make solid contact." He added, "Especially facing an aggressive pitcher today, I believed I should trust my abilities and swing aggressively at every plate appearance."

He continued, "While I'm happy about the home run, I'm even happier that I made good contact through the swings I wanted. And I'm glad the team won." He also shared, "With 99 RBIs over several games, I felt some mental pressure, but now that I've reached 100 RBIs, that burden has lifted, and I feel my desired performance is gradually returning."

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*This content was translated by AI.