'Complete game + complete game, ERA 1.21' Abila vs. 'Batting average .413' Choi Won-jun vs. '14 home runs' Hillyard: KBO MVP voting for September-October begins

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Brilliant performances adorned the field until the end of the season. The competition for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League September-October Monthly Most Valuable Player (MVP) is also expected to be fierce.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced on the 14th that six players have been selected as candidates for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League September-October Monthly MVP.

In the pitching category, SSG Landers' Pedro Abila and Cho Byung-hyun, and KT Wiz's Davis Daniel, will compete for the September-October Monthly MVP award. In the position player category, KT's Choi Won-jun, Sam Hillyard, and Kiwoom Heroes' Matt Davidson are also in the running.

▲ SSG Abila

Abila, who has been performing as the league's top starting pitcher since joining the team in the second half, was even more dazzling in September-October. He made six starts, recording a 5-1 record and an ERA of 1.21. He ranked first in ERA, tied for first in wins, and was third with 40 strikeouts.

In particular, he pitched a total of 44⅔ innings during this period, maintaining his sole lead in the innings pitched category. This means he averaged more than seven innings per start. On September 4 against the Doosan Bears at Munsu, he recorded his first complete game win in KBO League history with a perfect nine-inning, five-strikeout scoreless performance. He also demonstrated his presence by securing a complete game win with nine innings, six strikeouts, and one run allowed on the 29th against the LG Twins at Munsu.

▲ KT Choi Won-jun

Among position players, the internal competition among KT players is heating up. KT's Choi Won-jun swept four batting categories in September-October. In 32 games, he recorded a .413 batting average, 57 hits, 35 runs scored, and an on-base percentage of .497, achieving first place in all four categories: batting average, hits, runs scored, and on-base percentage.

In particular, he led the hits category by nine hits over second-place Reyes (Lotte, 48 hits), showcasing powerful hitting at the end of the season. On October 6 against Kiwoom at Gocheok, he reached his 200th hit of the season before Reyes, becoming the third player in history to achieve 200 hits, following Seo Geon-chang in 2014 and Reyes in 2024.

Choi Won-jun finished the season with a total of 208 hits. Although he did not win the race for the most hits against Reyes, looking only at September-October, Choi Won-jun displayed a far more formidable momentum.

▲ KT Hillyard

While Choi Won-jun showed his prowess as a hitting machine, Hillyard was the ruler of extra-base hits. In 32 games in September-October, he recorded 14 home runs and 40 RBIs, ranking first in both categories to showcase the form of the league's top clutch performer.

Hillyard also posted top-tier statistics in other offensive metrics, including 33 runs scored (second), a slugging percentage of .697 (second), and 43 hits (third). In particular, on October 11 against Daegu Samsung, he hit home runs in his first two at-bats. He also achieved his first career three-consecutive-at-bat home run streak with a home run in the final at-bat of the October 7 game against Suwon Samsung. Hillyard, who won the Monthly MVP in July, is aiming for his second award of the season.

▲ SSG Cho Byung-hyun

SSG's Cho Byung-hyun firmly guarded the back end. He made nine appearances in September-October, recording eight saves to take first place in that category. After achieving his 17th save of the season on September 2 against Kiwoom at Gocheok, Cho Byung-hyun continued to rack up saves consistently after returning from the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games call-up period.

Through the October 9 game against Samsung at Munsu, he recorded eight consecutive saves, firmly protecting SSG's back end. During this stretch, he struck out 12 batters over 8⅔ innings while allowing no runs, recording an ERA of 0.00.

▲ KT Daniel

KT's Daniel has emerged as the team's new foreign ace. Since his KBO League debut in August, Daniel has performed with a 5-1 record (tied for first) and an ERA of 1.85 (fourth) in seven games in September-October. He demonstrated stable performance, recording five quality starts. In particular, he struck out 54 batters over 39 innings, leading the league in strikeouts by a margin of 10 over second-place Ko Young-pyo (44), proving his powerful pitching.

▲ Kiwoom Davidson

Kiwoom's Davidson has seen a revival in his power hitting. After moving from NC Dinos to Kiwoom this season, Davidson proved his value at the end of the season. In 23 games in September-October, he hit 12 home runs, placing second behind Hillyard. He ranked first with a slugging percentage of .806. He also recorded a .366 batting average (third), an on-base percentage of .438 (third), and 21 runs scored (tied for third), showcasing both precision and on-base ability.

The 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League Monthly MVP is selected monthly, jointly hosted by the KBO and Shinhan Bank, the title sponsor of the KBO League. The Monthly MVP, awarded to the player who performed best in the KBO League each month, is determined by combining fan votes and votes from the Korea Baseball Writers Association, with Choi Jong (수상) being selected.

Fan voting is available from 10 a.m. on the 14th until midnight on the 19th via Shinhan Bank's mobile application 'Super SOL'.

The Monthly MVP winner, selected through the final voting results, will receive a prize of 3 million won and a commemorative trophy. Additionally, to promote youth baseball development, a donation of 2 million won in the name of the winning domestic player will be presented to their alma mater middle school with the support of Shinhan Bank.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original