“Is this real life?” After a walk, Choi Won-jun throws his bat down → Team huddle → Tears flow — What happened?… The race for the most hits title has turned out like this

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Lotte Giants foreign hitter Victor Reyes (32) has taken a commanding lead in the race for the most hits against Choi Won-jun (29) of the KT Wiz.

Reyes started as the No. 1 designated hitter in an away game against the KIA Tigers at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the 11th during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, recording two hits and one run in four at-bats.

With this, Reyes has reached 207 hits this season, overtaking Choi Won-jun, who has 205 hits, by a margin of two to take the lead in the most hits category.

Reyes is on a strong upward trend, having recorded hits in seven consecutive games. Reyes hit one single in the home game against the LG Twins at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium on the 10th. It was his 205th hit of the season. With that hit, he reclaimed the position of holder of the single-season most hits record from Choi Won-jun, who had reached 204 hits earlier on the 7th. The situation continues where the record is broken every time one of them records more hits than the other.

Then came the game against KIA in Gwangju on the 11th. Reyes appeared as the leadoff hitter in the top of the first inning, attacking the fifth pitch from KIA starter Adam Ottavino to hit a double down the left field line.

It did not end there. In the sixth inning, Reyes also recorded a hit and scored a run. With two outs and no runners on base, Reyes attacked a curveball for the sixth pitch with a 2-2 count against Ottavino, pulling out a single to left-center field. After reaching third base on Na Seung-yeop’s infield hit and Go Seung-min’s walk, Reyes scored on Han Dong-hee’s grand slam. Ultimately, Lotte won 4-1, led by this bases-loaded home run.

On the other hand, Choi Won-jun showed signs of agitation after drawing a walk, including throwing his bat onto the ground.

Choi Won-jun started as the No. 1 hitter and right fielder in an away regular season game against the Samsung Lions at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the same day, recording one hit and two walks in four at-bats.

Choi Won-jun appeared as the leadoff hitter in the first inning and was out on a foul fly to the catcher on the second pitch against Samsung starter Ariel Hurdado. In the third inning, he came to bat as the leadoff hitter and reached base on a walk after a six-pitch at-bat.

After a strike that grazed the outside zone on the first pitch, three balls in the high outside corner followed consecutively from the second to the fourth pitch. When a ball came in a similar location instead of a strike on the fifth pitch, Choi Won-jun swung and missed. Ultimately, he picked out a sinker fastball in the low inside corner for the sixth pitch, reaching base on a walk.

So what angered Choi Won-jun? Although he drew a walk, Choi Won-jun appeared quite angry, throwing his bat onto the ground to express his emotions. While walking to first base, he also spoke with Samsung first baseman Ryu Ji-hyuk, expressing dissatisfaction toward Hurdado about something.

Afterward, Choi Won-jun reached second base on Kim Min-hyeok’s walk and successfully stole third base during An Hyun-min’s at-bat. He then attempted to score on An Hyun-min’s ground ball to third but was thrown out by the throw. Even after the top of the third inning ended, broadcast footage captured KT captain Jang Sung-woo gathering all the players after the inning to say something. Although he did not name anyone specifically, it is reported that he criticized an attitude that prioritizes achieving personal records over the game. Near the end of the game, Choi Won-jun was also caught on camera wiping away tears while having a long conversation with Jang Sung-woo.

After drawing a walk in the fourth inning, Choi Won-jun grounded out to first base in the fifth. Reaching base on an error by the pitcher in the sixth, Choi Won-jun hit a line drive single to right field in the ninth, narrowing the gap in hits with Reyes to two. The race for the most hits is not over yet. KT will play their final regular season game against Samsung, and Lotte will play their final regular season game against Doosan.

Meanwhile, along with the race for the most hits, the competitions for the home run title and the wins title are also very intense. KT’s Hilliard added two home runs on this day, moving to a tie for first in the home run category with 44 alongside KIA’s Kim Do-young. Kim Do-young will play his final game against LG on the 12th. The race for the most wins is also fierce. With Im Chan-gyu of LG securing a co-leadership in wins with 15, tied with KT’s Go Yeong-pyo (15 wins), Im Chan-gyu is scheduled to start again in the final game against KIA on the 16th. If Im Chan-gyu earns the win, he will surpass Go Yeong-pyo to become the sole wins champion.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original