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| ▲ In this file photo from July 11, 2021, Baek Jung-hyun of the Samsung Lions pitches against the Lotte Giants in the top of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Baek Jung-hyun of the Samsung Lions takes a moment on the mound against the Doosan Bears in the top of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Sept. 5, 2021. (Yonhap) |
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Lions' starter Baek Jung-hyun was named the top player in South Korean baseball for the July-August period Wednesday.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Baek led five candidates in the voting by media and fans, earning a converted 70.23 points. Lotte Giants' reliever Kim Won-jung was a distant second with 11.15 points.
The KBO lost three weeks' worth of action in July due to coronavirus-related cancellations and the Olympic break, and decided to cover the past two months to award the prize.
And Baek enjoyed his best stretch of the season in July-August. In six starts over those two months, the 34-year-old left-hander went 5-0 with a 1.16 ERA, leading the KBO in wins in that span and ranking second in ERA behind Ryan Carpenter of the Hanwha Eagles.
During this period, Baek held the opponents scoreless in 25 2/3 straight innings, the second longest run by a KBO pitcher this year. Baek also owns the longest such streak for this year, a 28 2/3-inning run from May to June.
Baek also struck out 35 batters to rank fourth over that period, and pitched at least six innings in all six starts.
For the season, Baek is 11-4 with a 2.54 ERA. He is fourth in ERA and tied for third in wins, one behind co-leaders, Won Tae-in of the Lions and Eric Jokisch of the Kiwoom Heroes.
An eighth overall pick at the 2006 draft, the late-blooming Baek spent the early part of his career bouncing between the bullpen and the rotation. He began receiving some opportunities to start in 2017 and then became a full-time starter in 2018.
He has already set a new personal best in victories and will likely finish the season with the lowest ERA of his career.
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