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.
KIA Tiger’s Kim Do-yeong Joins 30-30 Club
Kim Do-yeong, an infielder with the KIA Tigers, is only 20 years old and already reaching impressive milestones. Kim joined the 30-30 club on Thursday, which includes players who hit 30 or more home runs and steal 30 or more bases in one season. He hit a two-run home run to center field in the top of the fifth inning of a 12-1 win over the Kiwoom Heroes.
The third-year player is hitting .341 with 31 home runs and 34 stolen bases in 114 games in 2024 and is likely to play for Korea in November’s WBSC Premier12 2024. Jon Morosi of MLB Network noted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Kim is a name Major League Baseball fans should keep an eye on in the next few years.
According to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO on X, Kim is the youngest player in KBO history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in one season. He also reached the milestone in the least number of games in KBO history, at 111. Kim needs to play four more seasons in the KBO before he is eligible for the posting system.
KBO Reaches Eight Million in Attendance
Through the first 549 games of the 2024 KBO season, 8,036,505 fans took a trip to the ballpark, breaking a previous record from 2016. It took 693 games for the KBO to reach eight million fans in 2016, 144 more games than the 2024 season.
As of last Tuesday, the average KBO contest had 14,638 fans per game, and 47,978 people attended a KBO game on August 13, as reported by Kim Geun-han of Xports News on X.
What is there to pinpoint the outstanding attendance this season at KBO games? For one, the KBO is a competitive league, with no team 15 games below .500. Players such as possible future MLB star Kim Do-yeong and fan engagement with KBO cheerleaders help too.
Lewin Diaz Smashes Home Run in KBO Debut
Former Miami Marlins first baseman Lewin Diaz signed a contract with the Samsung Lions just last week and is already making a difference with his new team in a new country.
Diaz went deep in his KBO debut on Saturday in a 5-4 win against the NC Dinos, raking a solo shot over the right field wall to tie the game at three in the top of the sixth inning. Before the KBO, the left-handed hitter’s smooth swing guided him to 19 combined home runs in 75 games with the Piratas de Campeche and Diablos Rojos del México in Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.
Diaz can be a crucial contributor for the Lions in the heart of their order moving forward. His career 28.9 percent strikeout rate in 112 MLB games from 2020-22 was underwhelming, but the quality of pitching he will face in the KBO will be a few ticks below MLB arms. If Diaz can continue to be strong in the power department, the Lions should be more than happy with their new acquisition.
This Day in Korean Baseball History
On August 18, 2022, the NC Dinos defeated the KIA Tigers 14-8 in an offensive extravaganza, and one player from each team hit two home runs.
Catcher Yang Eui-ji went 2-for-6 with two home runs and five RBI for the Dinos, and left fielder Socrates Brito finished 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI.
Yang, now 37, is a nine-time KBO Golden Glove Award recipient for his defense as a catcher. The Dominican-born Brito is a two-time KBO All-Star and played 99 career MLB games from 2015-19 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays.
KBO Standings as of Monday, August 19
Watch KBO games using the global streaming platform SOOP.
Photo Credit: Kiwoom Heroes fans cheer during the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) League opening game between Kiwoom Heroes and Lotte Giants at Gocheok Skydome on April 02, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
