'Home Runs + Slugging Percentage' Kim Do-young, 'ERA + Strikeouts' Kwak Bin, 'Batting Average + On-Base Percentage' Koo Ja-wook: KIA and Doosan Cry Out for Help... Samsung Under a Dark Cloud

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

All 720 games of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League have concluded. With only the postseason remaining, all pitching and batting title holders have been determined. This year, a total of three players achieved multiple titles. Each was a key player who led their team to the postseason.

Kim Do-young (23, KIA Tigers) has once again become the most notable star in the league, following his Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2024.

In 135 games, he posted a .308 batting average (153 hits in 496 at-bats), 45 home runs, 118 RBIs, 120 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases, along with a .413 on-base percentage, a .647 slugging percentage, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.060, claiming the double crown in home runs and slugging percentage.

Kim Do-young, who delivered a near 40-40 season with 38 home runs and 40 stolen bases in 2024, hit even more home runs this time despite having fewer games played due to his participation in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

In particular, he hit four home runs in 10 games in October and displayed immense presence by smashing a decisive two-run home run in the game against the LG Twins on the 12th that secured his team's direct berth to the Junior Playoffs. Furthermore, Kim Do-young, who edged out Sam Hilliard (KT, 44 home runs), who was tied for first in this category, by one home run to claim the double crown, is preparing for the postseason with the resolve to bring a championship to his team and win the MVP again, just as he did in 2024.

Among pitchers, Kwak Bin's (27, Doosan Bears) resurgence stood out. Kwak Bin, who had previously been criticized for underperforming relative to his potential, finally emerged as the league's top pitcher this season.

In 27 games, he pitched 161 innings, recording an 11-7 win-loss record, a 2.24 ERA (Earned Run Average), and 197 strikeouts, claiming the titles for lowest ERA and most strikeouts.

He had previously been labeled a "chicken heart" for shrinking in postseason play only. In his career, he has an 0-3 record with a 7.58 ERA in six postseason games.

As Kwak Bin has firmly established himself as the best pitcher in South Korea after going through this year's World Baseball Classic (WBC) and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, expectations are even higher for his performance in the postseason.

There is another double crown winner among the batters: Koo Ja-wook (33, Samsung Lions), who claimed his first career batting title. Koo Ja-wook had his best season this year, appearing in 114 games with a .371 batting average (156 hits in 420 at-bats), 15 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 88 runs scored, along with a .458 on-base percentage, a .581 slugging percentage, and an OPS of 1.039.

Koo Ja-wook, who has a career batting average of .322 but won his first batting title this year, also ranked first in on-base percentage. As the team captain, he leads the squad and demonstrates remarkable focus with a .414 batting average in scoring position, yet a sigh escapes when thinking about the postseason.

Koo Ja-wook collapsed due to an injury during a baserunning play in the game against the Daegu Hanwha Eagles on the 30th of last month. He suffered damage to the biceps femoris tendon in his left hamstring. This recalls the 2024 postseason. At that time, Koo Ja-wook led the team's lineup with exceptional hitting form but was injured during the Playoffs and ultimately had to watch his team finish as runner-up without playing in the Korea Series.

Koo Ja-wook, who was injured ahead of the postseason, has recovered enough that there is no hindrance to his movement, but it would be a stretch to expect him to play defense. Since the postseason requires pouring out one's full strength at the plate more than ever, concerns are growing about whether he can perform baserunning normally and about the possibility of re-injury.

Since Samsung has secured a direct berth to the Playoffs and is scheduled to play in the first game on the 25th, they have more than ten days of leeway, but it remains unknown whether he will recover fully during this period to take the field.

Hilliard (32, KT), who engaged in a fierce home run race with Kim Do-young until the end, recorded 139 RBIs to become the title holder in that category. Choi Won-jun, who posted a career-high season with a .356 batting average and 208 hits in his first year after transferring, also won the runs scored title (125 runs). The two batting aces are expected to contribute their strength toward KT's second championship in the postseason.

The rise of KT players among pitchers was also prominent. Ko Yeong-pyo (35), who added five wins (one loss) since September to reach 15 wins, tying for the most wins with Lim Chan-gyu (34, LG Twins), along with So Hyoung-jun (25), who claimed the winning percentage title (.769), and Sugimoto Kouki (26), who won the saves leader title with 25 holds, have all completed their preparations for KT's championship.

Kim Jae-yoon (36, Samsung Lions), who ranked first in this category for the first time in his career with 35 saves; James Neal (33), who recorded a non-award record of most innings pitched (183 innings) and led in quality starts (20); and Adam Ottavino (32), who led in batting average against (.204)—the KIA foreign investor duo are also expected to provide significant support to the team in the postseason.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original