Pitcher Named MVP, Rookie of the Year

For the first time in the 25-years history of Korean professional baseball, a player has won the two major regular season awards: Most Valuable Player and the Rookie of the Year.

On November 2, in a poll conducted by the press at the Grand Ballroom of Seoul Plaza Hotel located at Taepyeongno, Jung-gu, Seoul, Ryu Hyun-jin was recognized as the MVP by winning 47 out of the 92 votes, outpacing Lee Dae-ho (Lotte), who won 35. Oh Seung-hwan (Samsung) won 10.

In the survey for the best rookie held previously, Ryu won 82 votes to defeat Han Ki-joo (Kia, eight votes) and Jang Won-sam (Hyundai, two votes) by a landslide. After Ryu was elected as MVP in the first round of the vote, Ryu’s fans shouted for joy raising their placard high, which reads “Break down your prejudice. Rookies can be an MVP, too.”

With 18 wins, an ERA of 2.23, and 204 strikeouts, he won the first pitching triple crown after fifteen years since Sun Dong-yeol (current manager of Samsung) who was playing for Haitai then. Sun had won the triple crown for four times in 1986, 1989, 1990 and 1991.

Lee Dae-ho’s record was also remarkable, even though he lost the MVP. Lee took lead in four fields in hitting: a batting average of .336, 26 home runs, 88 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .571. It has been 22 years since Lee Man-soo (current chief coach of SK), in the Samsung jersey then, wore the last triple crown in hitting in 1984. Oh Seung-hwan also did a brilliant job saving in 47 games to set a new Asian record.

Besides Ryu, Lee and Oh, other players got different titles for specific fields. Kwon Oh-joon (Samsung) won the holding title with 32 holds and Jeon Joon-ho (Hyundai) won the winning percentage title with .778. Lee Jong-wook (Doosan) stole the most number of bases, 51, and Lee Yong-kyu (Kia) produced the most number of hits, 154. Yang Joon-hyuk (Samsung) took the title for the best on-base percentage with .445, while Park Han-yi (Samsung) took the one for most scores, 89.

why@donga.com