From the on-base champion to the batting champion, and even the scoring champion. He won three crowns and reached 300 bases, a dream for the second time in history. Here is the team’s first regular season win in 29 years. At this level, wouldn’t he be a worthy candidate for regular season MVP?
As the 2023 season came to a close, the MVP competition seemed to be cooling off. This is because NC Dinos’ Eric Peddy, who was ranked first in most wins and earned run average, rose to the top in strikeouts due to Kiwoom Heroes’ Ahn Woo-jin being out for the season due to injury, increasing the possibility of him achieving the pitcher’s Triple Crown.
Noh Si-hwan of the Hanwha Eagles, who was considered to be Peddie’s opponent, was ranked first in home runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage, but since he was participating in the Asian Games, it was impossible to guarantee that he would be first in home runs and RBIs. However, Noh Si-hwan’s RBI has increased noticeably recently. As of the 28th, Noh Si-hwan has 96 RBI, 12 points behind the second-place LG Twins Austin Dean (84 RBI). In terms of home runs, the gap of 5 between Noh Si-hwan and Choi Jeong (SSG) has not been narrowed. There is also talk that if Noh Si-hwan wins the triple crown, he could compete with Peddie.
Another competitor is coming up here. This is Hong Chang-ki, the ‘immovable top hitter’ of the LG Twins. Hong Chang-gi, who maintained an on-base percentage of .454, maintaining a large gap with 2nd place Doosan Yang Eui-ji (0.412) and virtually confirmed the on-base title, recorded 3 hits and 3 runs in 5 at-bats against Jamsil SSG Landers on the 16th, scoring 99 points. He surpassed Kiwoom Kim Hye-seong (97 points) by two points to take first place in scoring, and his batting average hit .344, beating NC Son Ah-seop (0.339) and SSG Heredia (0.337). Ranked first in batting average, runs scored, and on-base percentage. As of the 16th, Hong Chang-gi had reached base a total of 253 times with 154 hits, 78 walks, and 21 walks on base, and mathematically, he could reach base 301 times. This will be the second time in history that he will surpass the 300 on base record, following Hanwha Kim Tae-gyun’s 310 in 2016, which recorded the most on base in a single season. Hong Chang-ki will leave behind a record that marks him as the undisputed ‘king on base’.
If the season ends like this, the three triple winners will be competing for the regular league MVP spot.
Although not all-time great in terms of personal records, Eddie became the fourth pitcher to achieve the pitcher triple crown, following ‘national treasure’ Sun Dong-yeol (1986, 1989, 1990, 1991), Ryu Hyun-jin (2006), and Yoon Seok-min (2011), and became the first foreign pitcher to do so. becomes the first.
If Noh Si-hwan becomes the home run and RBI king, he will make history as the first person born since the 2000s to become the home run and RBI king in the KBO League. If LG wins the regular season, Hong Chang-ki will not only win three crowns but also receive plus points for leading the team to victory for the first time in 29 years.
However, there is still about a month left until the remaining games are scheduled. You never know what might happen due to the irregular schedule. It is said that Peddie also has a high possibility of the triple crown, but in terms of ERA, he ranks first with 2.21, which is only 0.08 different from Doosan’s Alcantara (2.29), which ranks second. In the game against KIA on August 31st, he showed an unexpected slump by allowing 7 runs in 3 innings, so we cannot guarantee whether he will be able to maintain first place in ERA until the end.
The Asian Games national team will be convened starting on the 23rd and will be away until the end of the Asian Games, so it is unclear how the competition for team rankings and the title will develop in the meantime.
BY: 스포츠토토
