Kim Do-yeong Wins KBO August MVP as KIA Tigers Star Closes In on 40-Homer History
SEOUL — KIA Tigers superstar Kim Do-yeong has been named the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League August Monthly MVP, capping a spectacular month that has also put him within one home run of a historic milestone.
The Korea Baseball Organization announced Monday that Kim defeated seven other candidates to claim the monthly award, powered by a dominant performance at the plate and overwhelming support from fans.
Kim received 42.32 total points, including 10 of 35 votes from the media and an enormous 277,640 votes from 495,144 fans. His total easily surpassed second-place finisher Kwak Been of the Doosan Bears, who finished with 23.89 points.
But the award may only be the latest chapter in what is becoming an extraordinary season.
Kim dominated August
In 15 games during August, Kim hit .321 with six home runs, tying for the KBO lead in homers during the month.
He was even more dominant in two other categories.
Kim led the entire league outright with 16 runs scored and a .714 slugging percentage, according to the KBO.
His power surge helped carry KIA's offense during a crucial stretch of the season and strengthened his position as one of the most dangerous hitters in Korean baseball.
SBS also highlighted the significance of his August numbers as Kim continues his pursuit of both the 40-homer and 100-RBI marks.
One home run away from 40
The biggest storyline surrounding Kim, however, goes beyond the monthly award.
He currently has 39 home runs for the season, leaving him just one homer away from 40.
That would put Kim on the verge of becoming the first Korean-born hitter to reach the 40-home-run mark since 2018.
The last Korean hitters to reach 40 were Kim Jae-hwan, Park Byung-ho and Hanwha's Han Yoo-seom, according to the KBO's official announcement.
Even more significantly, Kim has already surpassed his own previous career high.
On August 26 against the Lotte Giants, he launched his 39th homer of the season, breaking the personal single-season record of 38 he established in 2024.
Now the entire KBO is watching to see when No. 40 arrives.
A huge fan vote seals the award
Kim's victory was particularly striking because the fan vote effectively overwhelmed the competition.
His 277,640 votes represented more than half of all fan ballots cast and were more than seven times the total received by Kwak Been, who finished second with 38,551 fan votes.
Interestingly, Kwak actually received more media votes than Kim, collecting 14 of the 35 media ballots compared with Kim's 10.
But Kim's massive advantage among fans ultimately determined the result.
The result underscores Kim's enormous popularity among KIA supporters and Korean baseball fans.
His third monthly MVP
This is not Kim's first time receiving the honor.
The August award is the third Monthly MVP of his career.
He previously won the award twice in 2024, taking the March-April and June honors during the season in which he was also named the KBO's regular-season MVP.
His latest victory also puts him second among KIA players in career Monthly MVP awards.
Only Yang Hyeon-jong, with five monthly awards, has won the honor more times for the Tigers.
Kim's 2026 season is turning into something special
Kim's August explosion is part of a larger breakout campaign.
The 23-year-old has established himself as one of the KBO's most dangerous all-around offensive players, combining power, speed and consistent production.
His current home-run total also gives him a chance to reach a milestone that has eluded Korean hitters for several seasons.
And the timing could not be more dramatic.
With the regular season entering its final stretch, every at-bat now carries additional significance.
One swing could give Kim his 40th home run and place his name alongside an elite group of Korean power hitters.
KIA fans are watching every at-bat
The excitement around Kim has already translated into major interest at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.
KIA announced earlier this month that all 25,007 seats for a September 4 home game against KT Wiz had been sold, marking the team's 30th sellout of the season. The surge in attendance has been closely linked to Kim's pursuit of 40 home runs and the Tigers' push in the standings.
That kind of attention shows how much Kim's pursuit has become bigger than an individual statistic.
For KIA supporters, it is a chance to watch one of the country's brightest baseball stars potentially reach another historic benchmark in real time.
More than an MVP award
Kim will receive 3 million won in prize money and a commemorative trophy for winning the August award.
In addition, Shinhan Bank will donate 2 million won in Kim's name to Dongsung Middle School in Gwangju, his alma mater, as part of the league's youth baseball support initiative.
The recognition therefore extends beyond Kim's statistics and into the wider baseball community.
The next number everyone is watching
For now, Kim Do-yeong can celebrate another KBO Monthly MVP award.
But the bigger storyline is already waiting.
39 home runs. One more needed.
If Kim clears the fence one more time, his August MVP campaign could quickly become part of an even bigger story—one involving Korean baseball history and one of the game's most coveted power-hitting milestones.
The question now isn't whether Kim Do-yeong can produce another MVP-caliber month.
It's whether his next home run will make him the first Korean hitter in eight years to reach 40.