As sluggers duke it out for KBO home run title, sophmore and veteran shine on the mound
LG Twins' Austin Dean is neck and neck with Kia Tigers' Kim Do-yeong at the plate as the KBO enters its All-Star break.
Published
Austin Dean of the LG Twins celebrates after hitting a grand slam against the SSG Landers during the clubs' KBO regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Southern Seoul on June 10.YONHAP
The first half of the Korean baseball season saw a thrilling duel between two sluggers for the home run title. On the mound, a sophomore pitcher has established himself as one of the elite starters, while a sage veteran has sent a message across the league that he can still be a force.
LG Twins first baseman Austin Dean has been a complete package at the plate so far this KBO season. With the league entering the annual All-Star break Friday, Dean is among the leaders in every major offensive category except for steals.
Dean is tied for the home run lead with Kim Do-yeong of the Kia Tigers with 27 and ranks second with 83 RBIs. He leads the league with a .661 slugging percentage and 69 runs scored. He ranks third with a .339 batting average and 111 hits, while placing sixth with a .421 on-base percentage.
He has a chance to become the first hitter in 16 years to lead the KBO in these seven categories.
The Twins have never produced a home run king or an MVP in franchise history, and Dean may end both droughts this year.
Kim, the 2024 league MVP, will try to deny Dean's historic bid. Kim followed up his historic 2024 campaign with an injury-marred 2025 season, in which he only played 30 of the 144 possible games while dealing with three separate hamstring injuries.
Kim Do-yeong of the Kia Tigers rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the SSG Landers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on July 2.KIA TIGERS
Back healthy this year, Kim has been putting up massive numbers, with 27 home runs, 74 RBIs, 69 runs and a .616 slugging percentage. Mindful of his recent injury history, Kim is not stealing as often as before, with just five steals this year compared with 40 from his MVP season. But the 22-year-old is providing value elsewhere with his extra-base power.
Among pitchers, Choi Min-seok of the Doosan Bears has been a revelation. The 20-year-old is the league leader with a 2.33 ERA after 16 starts and is tied with two other pitchers, Adam Oller of the Tigers and Im Chan-kyu of the Twins, for the most wins with nine. Kim has thrown 11 quality starts — an outing in which a starter goes at least six innings and gives up three or fewer earned runs — to sit tied for second place.
With Choi leading the charge, the Bears own the best team ERA in the league at 3.90, and they also boast the best starting pitching ERA with 3.59.
Doosan Bears starter Choi Min-seok pitches against the Kiwoom Heroes during the clubs' KBO regular-season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on July 5.DOOSAN BEARS
In wins, Choi is one ahead of Ryu Hyun-jin, the 39-year-old left-hander for the Hanwha Eagles. The former MLB All-Star and 2006 KBO MVP has turned back the clock, going 8-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 15 starts. Ryu is fourth overall in ERA.
Ryu made his KBO debut with the Eagles in 2006 and spent seven seasons with them before taking his talent to MLB. This is Ryu's third season back in the Korean league. His ERA went from 3.87 in 2024 to 3.23 in 2025, and Ryu is now going for his fifth career sub-3.00 ERA season.
He has been the rock in an Eagles rotation that lost three key starters from a season ago — Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss both left for MLB, while Moon Dong-ju was ruled out for the season after only six appearances due to a shoulder injury.
Oller, in his second KBO season, has been the Tigers' ace, with his rotation mate James Naile going through an up-and-down campaign. The American right-hander has the second-lowest ERA at 2.36 and also ranks second overall with 108 strikeouts.
