‘Ride to Go’ 2024 One player hit 30 home runs last year, and is on pace for 10 players this year
Home run, 1.5 times higher than the same period last year. The average league batting average also rose by nearly 2 pennies. Hitters “feel like the repulsion of the official ball has increased” According to the analysis, “The first ABS introduced is advantageous to batters,” the average ERA rose from 3.99 to 4.79.
From left: Choi Jeong, Rohas, Kang Baek-ho
Professional baseball Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha) won the title of home run king last year with 31 home runs. Noh Si-hwan was the only player to hit more than 30 home runs in the season. In 2022, only Park Byung-ho (35 home runs) hit more than 30 home runs. This year, Kang Baek-ho, Rojas (KT), and Choi Jeong (SSG), who are joint leaders in this category with 18 home runs as of the 11th, are maintaining the pace of 40 home runs. A total of 10 players, including three players, are on pace for 30 home runs. As of today, a total of 605 home runs have been hit during the 325 games played this season, which is more than 1.5 times more than the 397 home runs that were hit by the end of last year’s 326 games.
The batting average also points to ‘low pitching’. The overall batting average of batters increased by nearly two pennies from 0.258 to 0.275 last year. Last year, there were 14 batters who finished the season with a batting average of .300, but this year, as of today, 23 batters are recording a batting average of .300. The league-wide OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) also increased from 0.700 in the same period last year to 0.764 this year. Additionally, the number of stolen bases increased from 445 to 597.
One of the reasons cited in the field for riding and pitching is the repulsion force of the official ball. Since this exhibition game, there have been many batters who have said, “The batted ball goes farther than expected.” There were also cases where a ball hit while the hip was missing went over the fence.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced at the end of March that the average coefficient of restitution of the official ball was measured to be 0.4203 as a result of regular inspection of the official ball. It was at the top of the passing criteria (0.4034∼0.4234). The higher the coefficient of restitution, the farther the ball flies and the faster the speed. In the test at the end of April, the coefficient of restitution came down to 0.4149, but the players’ opinions are not much different from before. KBO’s position is, “There was no artificial adjustment of the coefficient of restitution.”
Some analyzes say that the Automatic Ball and Strike System (ABS), which the KBO first introduced this year, is giving hitters an advantage. KBSN commentator Seong-ho Jang said, “While the ABS handles the apex and top and bottom strikes well, it is quite tight on the left and right sides. Among KBO league pitchers, there are not many players who control the ball accurately enough to hit the left and right sides.” He also said, “After the introduction of ABS, the number of batters who take active swings before the count is high has increased. “As more balls are put in play, the batting average seems to be going up,” he added.
Amid the rise of batters, pitchers are struggling compared to before. The league-wide ERA rose from 3.99 in the same period last year to 4.79 this year. Although it is still mid-season, KIA foreign pitcher Nail (1.82) is the only pitcher with an ERA below the 2-point range. Last year, six pitchers finished the season with an ERA in the 2-run range.
Also, at this time last year, NC Peddy (11 wins) and LG Plutco (10 wins) recorded double-digit multipliers, but this year, 7 wins is the most. Doosan Alcantara (1 win, 2 losses, ERA 3.94) and LG Kelly (3 wins, 6 losses, ERA 5.06), who have been active as foreign aces representing the league for several years, are not as good as they used to be. It is not just foreign pitchers who are performing poorly. South Korea’s leading left-handed Troika Hanwha Ryu Hyun-jin (4 wins, 4 losses, ERA 4.09), SSG Kim Gwang-hyun (4 wins, 4 losses, ERA 4.92), and KIA Yang Hyeon-jong (4 wins, 3 losses, ERA 3.44) are also far from their prime. 섯다
