'Just past 100 plate appearances,' they became different players: Doosan-NC fifth-place battle hinges on two foreign batters

*This content was translated by AI.

"Foreign batters should be observed for about 100 plate appearances."

This is a phrase often heard from managers and coaches at KBO League games. It means that newly arrived foreign batters may go through an adaptation period and trial-and-error phase, so their true abilities can only be evaluated after some time has passed.

After completing exactly '100 plate appearances,' two players have transformed into completely different hitters: Doosan Bears' Severino (27) and NC Dinos' Blaine (29). Severino made his KBO League debut on July 16 as Cameron's replacement, while Blaine took the field starting July 2 in place of Davidson (now with Kiwoom Heroes).

Both initially failed to show any notable performance, drawing comments like 'Was it a mistake to bring them in?' Severino hit just .229 with only 8 RBIs in his first 25 games. Notably, he did not hit his first home run until August 30, after 21 games. Blaine also struggled through mid-August, maintaining a batting average in the low .200s and hitting only two home runs.

However, once they surpassed 100 plate appearances, both finally began showing the expected performance. Severino started with a 4-for-2 game with 2 RBIs against SSG Landers on September 6 — his 100th plate appearance in the KBO League — and has since hit .500 with two home runs and nine RBIs over his last six games.

Blaine also delivered a 4-for-2 game with one home run against Doosan on August 19, his 100th plate appearance, and has shown clear signs of recovery in September, recording four home runs and 14 RBIs in 11 games.

More attention is focused on the bats of these two foreign batters because Doosan and NC are engaged in a fierce battle for fifth place at the end of the season. As of August 26, there was a nine-game gap between the two teams, but since then, Doosan has gone 5-9 while NC has posted an 11-3 record, narrowing the gap to just three games.

Moreover, when the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games baseball national team was called up on the 14th, Doosan lost three players — Kwak Bin, Choi Min-seok, and Park Jun-soon — while NC lost only Kim Ju-won, resulting in relatively less impact on their roster. Additionally, NC has six more games remaining than Doosan, giving them a chance to improve their winning percentage independently.

The two teams will play their final three-game series from the 29th to October 1 at Jamsil Stadium. This season's head-to-head record heavily favors Doosan with nine wins and four losses.

Doosan is fighting to hold onto fifth place, while NC aims to replicate last year's miracle of making the playoffs after a nine-game winning streak at the end of the season. It would be no exaggeration to say that the outcome for both teams depends on whether these two foreign batters — Severino and Blaine — can continue their current upward momentum.

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*This content was translated by AI.