Park Dong-won, 1st in home runs, Noh Kyung-eun, 1st in holds, and more…KBO announces May MVP nominees
A total of eight players have been finalized as candidates for the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League Monthly MVP for May, as the fierce race for the lead has sparked fan support, including sellout crowds. SSG Landers’ Noh Kyung-eun and Seo Jin-yong, LG Twins’ Im Chan-kyu, and Samsung Lions’ Baek Jeong-hyun are among the pitchers, while LG’s Hong Chang-ki and Park Dong-won, KIA Tigers’ Park Chan-ho, and Doosan Bears’ Yang Ji-ji are among the batters.
SSG’s Noh Kyung-eun, who has accumulated 13 holds this season and leads the league in that category, performed like a veteran. In the month of May, she appeared in 12 games, did not allow a single game to be overturned, and totaled eight holds. She was especially calm in crunch time, allowing just one earned run in 14 2/3 innings pitched and maintaining a stellar 0.61 ERA.
SSG’s gatekeeper, Seo Jin-yong, was nominated for the monthly MVP award in May, following his April performance. Although his streak of sub-0.00 ERAs from the start of the season came to a halt with two earned runs and a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings, he secured the win in all eight save situations, leading the team in monthly saves and season saves with 18.
Returning to his starting spot after a brief absence, LG’s Lim Chan-kyu won all four of his starts, tying for the team’s most wins in May and acting as the team’s “win fairy.” His 1.13 ERA also ranked first in the league, solidifying his position as a starter.
Samsung’s Baek Jeong-hyun pitched with the stability of a “back show. After settling into a groove in mid-April, Baek continued his stellar performance in May, posting a 1.73 ERA and ranking third in the league. As a stalwart of Samsung’s starting rotation, Baek is aiming to win the monthly MVP award for the second time in two years after winning the monthly MVP award in July and August of the 2021 season.
LG’s Hong Chang-ki racked up a lot of hits in May with a total of 33, ranking first in the league in hits and batting average with a .384 average. He even had a four-hit game against Literary SSG on the 25th with his aggressive hitting. Not only did he live up to his reputation as a “run-scoring machine,” but he also posted a high slugging percentage of 0.470, ranking third in that category, and he also scored 14 runs, ranking second in that category, thanks to his high slugging percentage.
LG’s Park Dong-won, who leads the league in home runs, has emerged as a strong MVP candidate after finishing first in three categories. Not only did he hit nine home runs in the month of May alone, but he also posted a .787 slugging percentage to lead the league in home runs and slugging percentage. He was also a terror for opposing pitchers, leading the league in RBIs with 25, nine ahead of second place. Park Dong-won’s performance helped LG finish May in sole possession of first place.
KIA’s Park Chan-ho, the “Tigers Express,” was a standout in the batting average and RBI categories. With 32 hits in 84 at-bats in 21 games, Park maintained a high batting average of .381, while also finishing second in stolen bases with five, energizing the KIA lineup. His batting performance was a marked improvement from April, and he played a big role in the team’s turnaround.
After returning to his hometown team, Doosan, Yang also hit for the fences in May. He ranked third in batting average at 0.373 and second in on-base percentage at 0.472, among other offensive metrics. In particular, he hit home runs in three consecutive games, from May 13 against Jamsil KIA to May 16 against Gochuk Kiwoom. Yang’s performance has been a huge boost for Doosan, which is in the midst of a fierce standings battle.
The May Monthly MVP of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League will be selected by combining the votes of fans on the Shinhan Bank mobile application from May 3 to 7 and the votes of the Korea Baseball Writers Association journalists.
스포츠토토 The final results of the May 2023 MVP voting will be announced on the 8th, and the winner will receive a cash prize of KRW 2 million and a KRW 2 million donation from Shinhan Bank to the MVP’s home middle school in the player’s name.