As the 2024 KBO season progresses, here is a look at the top news and notes from the past week in Korea’s highest level of professional baseball.
Two More KBO Games Canceled Due to Extreme Heat
This past Friday, the LG Twins and Lotte Giants game in Ulsan, South Korea, was canceled due to extreme heat. It was the first time in KBO history that the temperature was too hot for a game to occur.
Due to rising temperatures, Sunday’s games between the LG Twins, Lotte Giants, Kiwoom Heroes, and Doosan Bears were canceled. Dan Kurtz of MyKBO on X reported temperatures reaching as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit, and four fans from Jamsil were transported to the hospital because of heat stroke.
In comparison, the hottest Major League Baseball game ever took place on June 27, 1980, between the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins in Arlington, Texas. The two teams suffered through nine innings of 109 degrees.
Matt Davidson Crushes League Leading 33rd Home Run
NC Dinos designated hitter and infielder Matt Davidson hit his 33rd home run of the season on Sunday as his team defeated the KT Wiz 15-5. Davidson drilled a two-run blast over the left field wall in the top of the third inning off KT Wiz reliever Ju Kwon.
Davidson, 33, leads all KBO players with 33 home runs and is fourth with 85 RBI. He spent the 2023 NPB season with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, hitting 19 home runs in 112 games. Davidson’s career high in MLB was 26 home runs with the Chicago White Sox in 2017.
Davidson leads the Dinos in plate appearances (408), total bases (214), and runs (64). He won the 2013 Triple-A Home Run Derby with the Reno Aces, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate.
Zero Trades at KBO Trade Deadline
The KBO trade deadline was quiet—way too quiet. Zero trades were made on July 31, the last day for KBO organizations to strike a deal with another.
The closest news of a trade in the KBO this season was former NC Dinos MVP starting pitcher Erick Fedde moving from the Chicago White Sox to the St. Louis Cardinals. In MLB, nearly 100 players were traded at the trade deadline on July 30.
The trade deadline in the KBO may be less exciting than MLB’s due to the low number of teams (10). Organizations find foreign player reinforcements instead of attempting to swap multiple everyday players for superstars.
This Day in Korean Baseball History
On August 5, 2019, the Pittsburgh Pirates released South Korean third baseman Jung-ho Kang for his poor hitting performance. Kang hit .169 with 60 strikeouts in 185 plate appearances in 2019.
Kang agreed to a one-year contract with the Kiwoom Heroes in 2022, but the KBO denied the agreement due to his past issues with drunk driving incidents.
In international play, Kang represented Korea in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games and the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
KBO Standings as of Monday, August 5
Watch KBO games using the global streaming platform SOOP.
Photo Credit: Matt Davidson #64 of the Cincinnati Reds leans on the rail of the dugout during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Friday, July 24, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
