(LEAD) Victor Reyes tops KBO with record 211 hits

SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Yonhap) -- Victor Reyes of the Lotte Giants topped South Korean baseball in hits for the third consecutive season Monday -- setting a new record with 211 and fending off a hard push from a rival in the process.

The Venezuelan switch hitter collected four hits, including a solo home run, against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul in his final regular-season game Monday.

Reyes previously set the record with 202 hits in 2024. He had 187 hits last year, still good enough to lead the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

This year, Choi Won-jun of the KT Wiz reached 203 hits first last Wednesday, but Reyes moved past him at the end to become the first foreign hitter in KBO history to lead the league in hits in three consecutive seasons. Choi finished with 208 after getting three hits Monday.

"I am so happy to have set the hits record," Reyes said through an interpreter afterward. "I also feel great about finishing the season healthy."

Reyes, who turned 32 last Monday, has never missed a game since joining the Giants in 2024 -- appearing in 144 games in each of his first three KBO seasons. He said he was just as proud of having played 432 games as he was of recording 600 hits over the past three seasons.

"My goal was to play all 144 games for three straight years and I kept that promise to myself," Reyes said. "If I stay healthy and play all the games, then it gives my team a better chance to win. I am quite proud of that."

As for averaging 200 hits over the past three years, Reyes said, "I think it proves I worked really hard in the offseason and it all paid off."

Reyes and Choi both played Monday night, and fans were treated to an "Anything you can do, I can do better" kind of battle at two different ballparks.

Choi, whose team was facing the Samsung Lions at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, some 230 kilometers southeast of Seoul, doubled in the first, and had singles in the fourth and sixth inning.

Over in the capital, though, Reyes stayed ahead of Choi throughout the game. He blooped a single to shallow center in the top second from the left side of the plate, and then got a single from the right side, against left-hander Zach Logue, in the top fourth.

Then facing left-hander Choi Seung-yong in the top sixth, Reyes launched a solo home run to left field.

Reyes capped off his record-setting night with a single from the left side in the top eighth, his hit No. 211. He was soon lifted for a pinch runner and left the field to a rousing ovation from both the Giants and the Bears cheering sections.

Reyes said he had not been paying attention to what Choi was up to in the days leading up to the finale.

"I had my own game to play today, and I only thought about what I had to do at the plate," Reyes said. "Now that our battle is over, I would like to congratulate Choi Won-jun on his season."

On his way back to the third base dugout in the eighth inning, Reyes stopped and turned toward the Bears' fans on the first base side to acknowledge them with a bow.

"I felt like Doosan fans were also cheering for me tonight and I wanted to show them my appreciation," Reyes said. "It was the least I could do as a player."

As KBO records go, 211 hits may remain untouchable for years to come, with Reyes a year older and no assurance that he will be back with the Giants.

Reyes himself said chasing his own record again will not be high on his list of priorities next year, if he does return to the Giants.

"Honestly, I don't really care about hits," he said. "My focus is on staying healthy because I want to keep giving the team a chance to win games. I would love to be back with the Giants. They have treated me like family from Day 1."