The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced the monthly MVP (MVP) candidates for the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League. A total of 7 people were named.
Among pitchers, Kim Jin-seong (LG Twins), Eric Peddy (NC Dinos), Jeong Cheol-won (Doosan Bears), David Buchanan (Samsung Lions), and among fielders, Han Yu-seom (SSG Landers), Hong Chang-gi (LG), and Kim Sun-bin (KIA Tigers) were selected as candidates. .
Kim Jin-seong defended LG's back door by going back and forth between the middle relief fight and the finish. He appeared in 16 of the 24 games LG played in September, ranking first in the total number of pitcher appearances.
Despite frequent appearances on the mound, he maintained his condition, allowing only 1 earned run in 12.1 innings and recording an ERA of 0.73. He also tied for second in the division with seven holds and had three saves.
Kim Jin-seong's performance in September was even brighter as many of LG's bullpen pitchers left due to injuries or being selected for the Asian Games. Kim Jin-seong went up to the mound in the away game against the Lotte Giants held on the 5th and recorded the 100th hold of his personal career.
Peddie, who is aiming to achieve the Triple Crown in the pitching category, continued his good pitching in September.
He started 4 games in September and ranked first in 3 categories with 3 wins, an ERA of 0.66, and 40 strikeouts. Coincidentally, he ranks first in the overall season performance with 19 wins, an earned run average of 2.13, and 198 strikeouts.
It has been 12 years since Yoon Seok-min (KIA at the time, retired) in the 2011 season, and he is likely to become the 7th pitcher to win three crowns. If Peddy adds one win and two strikeouts in the remaining games this season, he will achieve 20 wins and 200 strikeouts in a season for the first time in 37 years since Sun Dong-yeol (then Haitai) in the 1986 season.
If Peddie achieves this record, he will become the 5th player in KBO League history and the first foreign player.
Buchanan, who is considered a representative foreign pitcher who consistently shows good performance, also pitched well in September. He started 5 games and won 3, tied for 1st in most wins, and ranked 3rd in each category with 32.2 innings pitched and an average ERA of 1.10.
Buchanan achieved his 10th win of the season in the first game of a doubleheader against Doosan held at Jamsil Stadium on September 9, recording 10 wins for the 4th consecutive season, the 31st in history. Buchanan has been recording 10 wins and an ERA below the 3-point range since his KBO League debut in the 2020 season.