'Is this possible?' KIA's Kim Do-young faces sudden shift in situation → Scenario for LG to achieve first-ever history gains renewed possibility of becoming reality

*This content was translated by AI.

This year's KBO League home run race, which seemed destined to end with a victory for KIA Tigers' Kim Do-young (23), has suddenly taken a sharp turn. It is because LG Twins' Austin Dean (33) has begun climbing again on his home run pace. Will Austin truly become the first home run champion in LG Twins franchise history?

LG secured a 1-0 victory over Doosan Bears in an away regular-season game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 3rd.

With this win, LG extended its winning streak to four games, finishing with 67 wins, 51 losses, and 1 tie, maintaining sole possession of third place in the league standings.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Austin's one-man show led the team to victory.

Starting as the designated hitter at the third spot, Austin reached base with a double in his first at-bat in the first inning, tuning up his hitting form.

Then, in the top of the fourth inning when both teams were locked in a tight 0-0 tie, Austin's bat erupted. With one out and no runners on base, Kwak Bin, who has been performing as this season's KBO League top ace, stood on the mound.

Here, with a 2-2 count, Austin attacked an 8th pitch high fastball traveling at 157 km/h, drawing a solo arc that cleared the center field wall.

This was Austin's 36th home run of the season. The exit velocity was 168.7 km/h, launch angle 29.6 degrees, and distance 133.7 meters.

With this home run, Austin narrowed the gap to three with Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers), who leads with 39 home runs. Kim Do-young was scheduled to play in today's NC Dinos game but could not participate due to rain cancellation.

Kim Do-young hit his 39th home run of the season in a home game against Lotte Giants on the 26th of last month, setting a new single-season record for most home runs. However, he failed to hit a home run in the three games that followed. During that span, Austin closed the gap by three home runs.

Furthermore, Kim Do-young is now set to join the Asian Games national team and is expected to miss approximately half of the KBO League schedule for about two weeks.

In contrast, Austin is different. He can focus solely on completing the KBO League schedule alongside Kim Do-young.

LG has 25 games remaining, while KIA has 27 games left.

After the game on the 3rd, Austin said, "It was truly an important and significant victory. The games have been incredibly tight, but thanks to our pitching staff who held strong and overcame those challenges, we were able to win. This sweep should allow us to prepare even better for the next series."

He continued, "Kwak Bin is an incredible pitcher, and he was a tough opponent even when I faced him before. So today, my approach was to not be late on fastballs. Even in the home run at-bat, a really good pitch came in, and fortunately, I was able to make solid contact."

Finally, regarding Go Woo-seok who joined the team today, he expressed, "I met him for the first time today and greeted him with 'Hello, big leaguer.' He is quite a professional player. He must have felt and learned a lot while challenging himself in the United States. Ultimately, he achieved his dream of reaching the big leagues. I believe he will be a huge help to our team right now," showing high expectations.

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*This content was translated by AI.