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Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Top Moments of 2024

 Daniel Fox - World Baseball Network  |    Nov 5th, 2024 12:03pm EST

Here is a look at the best moments from a memorable and historic KBO season.  

Matt Davidson’s Home Run Barrage 

Matt Davidson, the owner of 303 career home runs across 15 professional seasons, came to the KBO with a power-hitting solid reputation. In 2024, however, the first baseman took it to another level, leading the KBO with 46 home runs and driving in 119. The 46 long balls were the most in the KBO since Mel Rojas. Jr hit 47 in 2020, a massive increase from 2023 when Roh Si-hwan led the KBO with just 31 homers.  Davidson’s heroics couldn’t quite lead the NC Dinos to the playoffs, but it was a season to remember for the 33-year-old veteran.  

Yang Hyon-jeong Becomes All-Time Strikeout Record Holder 

Despite registering his lowest strikeout rate since 2012, Yang Hyeon-jeong still recorded two major strikeout milestones in 2024. In a June 6 start against the Lotte Giants, the 36-year-old left-hander became just the second KBO pitcher to reach 2,000 career strikeouts, joining Hanwha Eagle legend Song Jin-woon. Yang would pass Song two months later when he struck out his 2,049th batter in another start against the Giants to set a new KBO all-time strikeout record. Yang would cap off his story-book season with two starts in the Korean Series victory over the Samsung Lions to earn his third KBO title.  

Choi Jeong Sets Home Run Record 

Yang wasn’t the only KBO legend breaking records in 2024. With his April 24 longball against the Lotte Giants, longtime Landers third baseman Choi Jeong set a new KBO career record with his 469th career home run, passing Samsung Lions great Lee Seung-yuop. The 37-year-old Choi showed no signs of slowing down, as he finished the year with 37 round-trippers, his most in a season since 2017. Choi will now enter the 2025 season just five home runs short of becoming the first player to eclipse 500 in a career.  

Doosan Bears Score 30 runs 

Though they would get eliminated in the wild-card round of the KBO playoffs, the Doosan Bears still made history in the 2024 season. Facing the eventual champion KIA Tigers, the Bears set a new KBO record with 30 runs in a single game. Canadian first baseman Jared Young led the way, who went 5-for-6 with a pair of home runs and 8 RBIs. Kim Jae-hwan and Kang Seung-ho also went yard in the rout, and catcher Kim Ki-yeon tallied a five-hit game of his own and drove in four. Every member of the starting lineup collected at least one hit and reached base at least twice.  

Victor Reyes Sets Single-Season Hit Record 

With a ninth-inning single on the season’s final day, Lotte Giants outfielder Victor Reyes set a new KBO record with his 202nd hit. The record was previously held by Seo Geong-chang, who tallied 201 hits with the Nexen Heroes during the 2014 season. In his first season in the KBO after years with the Detroit Tigers, Reyes finished second in the league with a .352 average and drove in 111 runs. His durability also played a major factor in his record-setting season, as he played in all 144 Giants games and led the league with 574 at-bats.  

 Choo Shin-soo Retires 

After 24 professional seasons, Korean Baseball Legend  Choo Shin-soo finally hung up his cleats following one last season with the SSG Landers. In a 16-year MLB career spent with the Mariners, Indians, Reds, and Rangers,  Choo posted a .277 career average and tallied 1,671 hits, by far the most by a Korean-born player. His 218 home runs, meanwhile, were the most by an Asian-born player until Shohei Ohtani passed him this season. After his 7-year/$130 contract with the Texas Rangers ended after the 2020 season, Choo signed with the SSG Landers for his last four professional seasons. Despite entering his 40s, Choo remained a productive player, posting a .263/.388/.424 line from 2021-2024. This season, however, saw him play in just 78 games, but he returned in time to receive a standing ovation during the Lander’s final game.  

A Thrilling Chase for the Playoffs 

Though the Kia Tigers quickly wrapped up the top seed with a week to go (more on them later), the chase for the final two playoff spots came down to the wire. The Doosan Bears clinched the fourth seed on the final weekend of the season, meaning that the fifth seed would come down to a play-in game between the KT Wiz and the SSG Landers. For much of the game, it looked like the Landers would be the ones to claim the final spot, as they held a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the eighth. The Wiz quickly put their first two runners on, and superstar Mel Rojas Jr. blasted a three-run homer to give the KT a 4-3 lead they would never relinquish. 

 

KT Wiz Make Playoff History 

Thanks to a pair of dominant pitching performances, the KT Wiz became the first four seed to defeat a fifth seed in KBO playoff history when they took down the Doosan Bears. The wild-card series in the KBO is heavily stacked against the lower seed, as the Bears needed just one win in two home games to advance to the opening round. However, nobody told Wes Benjamin and William Cuevas about the odds, as each Wiz starter turned in scoreless starts in a pair of shutout outings. Though the Wiz bats wouldn’t fare much better, the combined five runs proved enough to take the two games and move on to the Wild-Card series. 

Wiz Walk-Off Twins In The Playoffs 

Though neither would advance to the Korean Baseball Final, the KT Wiz and the LG Twins engaged in the most entertaining game of the KBO postseason. The Wiz held a 5-3 lead in the top of the eight before a two-run rally spearheaded by a clutch Kim Hyun-soo single tied the game at five. The teams would trade blown opportunities until the bottom of the 11th when light-hitting catcher Sim Woo-ju chopped a single off the glove of reliever Park Young-hyun to bring in the winning run. 

Kia Tigers Claim Their 12th KBO Title 

When it was all said and done, the team that claimed the 2024 KBO title was the best in the KBO all season. The top-seeded Kia Tigers swiftly defeated the Samsung Lions in five games to clinch their 12th KBO title in as many tries. After soundly defeating the Lions in three of the first four games, the Tigers overcame an early 5-1 deficit to win Game 5 6-5 and clinch in front of their fans for the first time since 1987. Longtime Tigers second baseman Kim Sun-bin won Series MVP after collecting ten hits in the five games.  

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