 |
| A game between the Doosan Bears and the KIA Tigers at Jamsil Stadium on the 4th. KIA Choi Hyung-woo is cheering after hitting a hit in the top of the second inning. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.06.04/ |
|
 |
| The Hanwha-NC match held at Changwon NC Park on the 30th. Moon Hyun-bin is delighted after hitting a two-run double with one out and runners on second and third in the top of the seventh inning. Changwon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.30/ |
|
Will last year's Mr. All-Star Choi Hyung-woo (KIA Tigers) be honored as his eighth best 12. So far, it seems to be losing ground to Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha Eagles).
KBO released the results of the first interim tally of the fan vote for the '2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO All-Star Game Best 12' on the 9th. Only two third baseman Kim Do-young (482,172 votes) and shortstop Park Chan-ho (402,800 votes) were ranked first in KIA, which has been strong in the Nanum All Star fan voting.
The team that challenged KIA's reputation is the Hanwha Eagles. Hanwha, which was only at the bottom of the list in the 2020s, is in second place this year, sending fans wild. In addition to this, the effect of Daejeon's new stadium is greatly contributing to the success of KBO. Five players, including Cody Ponce (615,492 votes), Park Sang-won (474,982 votes), Kim Seo-hyun (694,511 votes), Esteban Floral (598,929 votes), and Moon Hyun-bin (448,833 votes), are currently ranked first in each position.
This year's performance is mostly convincing, but the designated hitter section tilts its head. You can tell by looking at the difference in votes. Hanwha Moon Hyun-bin is in first place and KIA Choi Hyung-woo is in second place. Choi Hyung-woo received 421,459 votes, about 27,000 votes different from Moon Hyun-bin.
Moon Hyun-bin is faithfully fulfilling the mission of Hanwha's No. 3 hitter this year. He has a batting average of 0.314 (71 hits in 226 at-bats), eight homers, 37 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.859. He was classified as a designated hitter, but he contributed greatly to defense as an outfielder. He is making enough achievements to be selected as an All-Star.
 |
| The Hanwha-NC match held at Changwon NC Park on the 30th. Moon Hyun-bin, who scored on Lee Jin-young's hit with two outs and runners on first and second bases in the top of the seventh inning, is welcomed. Changwon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.30/ |
|
 |
| A game between the LG Twins and the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium on the 28th. Moon Hyun-bin is scoring in the top of the third inning due to Hanwha's Roh Si-hwan's timely hit with two outs and a runner on second base. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.05.28/ |
|
However, Choi Hyung-woo's impact cannot be ignored. Despite his 42-year-old age, Choi Hyung-woo is still the fourth batter of KIA with a batting average of 0.335 (70 hits in 209 at-bats), 10 homers, 37 RBIs and an OPS of 1.014 this season.
In particular, the performance award in May was great. Choi Hyung-woo ranked first in May with a batting average of 0.407, a slugging percentage of 0.721 and an on-base percentage of 0.505, tied for third with 35 hits and fifth with 23 RBIs, and was selected as the monthly MVP. It was the first monthly MVP award in eight years since May 2017, and the sixth career record. He also won the first monthly MVP award over the age of 40.
The reason why Choi Hyung-woo's performance in May drew more attention was because of the KIA team's situation. KIA was able to continue to hold out in the middle because Choi Hyung-woo was holding the center despite major unfavorable factors such as Na Sung-beom (calf), Patrick Wisdom (back), Kim Sun-bin (calf) and Kim Do-young (hamstring). Even though he is 43 years old next year, he is mentioned as a player who must sign an FA contract after the season.
Who will be the final winner between Choi Hyung-woo, who is on the path of KBO legend, and Moon Hyun-bin, a rising star. The All-Star Best 12 fan vote will be held until the 22nd, and the results of the second interim tally can be checked on the 16th. It raises the question of whether the 20,000-vote gap will widen or whether Choi Hyung-woo will write a reversal drama.
 |
| KBO League match between Samsung and KIA at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 24th. KIA Choi Hyung-woo hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Daegu=Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.05.24/ |
|
 |
| A game between the Doosan Bears and the KIA Tigers at Jamsil Stadium on the 4th. KIA Choi Hyung-woo is scoring. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.06.04/ |
|
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
