Kim Do-young of the KIA Tigers and Austin Dean of the LG Twins are locked in an uncompromising battle for the 2026 professional baseball home run title. Kim first extended his lead with his 32nd home run of the season, only for Austin to immediately hit his 31st, closing the gap back to one.
Kim started as the No. 3 designated hitter in the KIA Tigers' away game against the Samsung Lions at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 30th. Leading off the top of the third with KIA ahead 5-2, he hit a solo home run off Samsung's foreign starting pitcher Chris Flexen.
On a full count, he connected with Flexen's seventh pitch, a high changeup at 133 kilometers per hour, and sent it over the left-field fence. The distance was measured at 118 meters.
With his 32nd home run of the season, Kim widened the gap over Austin, then second in the category, to two.
But Kim's solo run at the top did not last long. Around the same time, Austin, playing in a home game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium, immediately fired back.
Leading off the bottom of the fourth with LG trailing 0-3, Austin attacked a fastball from Kiwoom starter Ahn Woo-jin and drove a solo home run over the left-field fence. With the count at two balls and one strike, he did not miss the fourth pitch, a high fastball at 154 kilometers per hour. The batted-ball distance was 126.6 meters.
With his 31st home run of the season, Austin narrowed the gap with Kim back to one.
The two players are engaged in a fierce battle for the lead, each hitting six home runs in July alone.
Kim's recent surge has been especially steep. After hitting home runs in three consecutive games from the Kiwoom game on the 24th through the Kiwoom game on the 26th, he again cleared the fence in two straight games starting with the Samsung game on the 29th. He has hit five home runs in his last six games alone.
Austin's pursuit has also been intense. He has hit three home runs in his last five games since the Hanwha Eagles game on the 25th, keeping close behind Kim.
