By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- KT Wiz outfielder Sam Hilliard was named South Korean baseball's top player for the final month of the regular season Tuesday.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Hilliard won the voting for the Player of the Month honor for the September-October period. The regular season ended Oct. 12.
Sam Hilliard of the KT Wiz (R) is greeted by teammate Kim Hyun-soo after hitting a three-run home run against the Samsung Lions during the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu in this Oct. 11, 2026, file photo. (Yonhap)
In 32 games during that period, Hilliard led the KBO with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs, while ranking second with 33 runs scored and a .697 slugging percentage. He had the third-most hits with 43.
For the season, Hilliard won the RBI title with 139 and finished second with 44 home runs.
Hilliard earned 11 out of 35 votes from the media, and 271,145 out of 460,484 votes cast by fans online, for total voting points of 45.16.
SSG Landers starting pitcher Pedro Avila finished second with 24.88 points.
With Hilliard leading the offense down the stretch, the Wiz cruised to the best record in the regular season at 90-49-5 (wins-losses-ties), and won their final 10 games.
Hilliard was also the Player of the Month for July. The American slugger is the first foreign player to win the top monthly award twice in the same season since the KBO started handing out these prizes in 2010.
Hilliard will receive 3 million won (US$2,260) in prize money along with a trophy.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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