I deleted Yang Xin. It’s only a matter of time before he overtakes the 2504-hit legend. Now, Son As-seob (35, NC) is fighting with himself.

Son hit a center-field single in his second at-bat of the third inning against the Gochuk Kiwoom on Friday to become the KBO’s all-time leader in hits with 2319. He surpassed MBC Sports Plus commentator Yang Jun-hyuk, who had 2318 hits. Only KBS N Sports commentator Park Yong-taek, who has 2504 hits, is now ahead of Son.먹튀검증

Son had exactly 100 hits in the first half of the season. 170 to 180 hits per year is not out of the question. The second season of his four-year, 6.4 billion won free agent contract with the NC. With 2329 career hits through the first half of the season, Son is on pace to surpass Park Yong-taek as the KBO’s all-time leader in hits in the mid-to-late 2024 season by simple math.

Therefore, Son’s goal is no longer just to surpass Park Yong-taek as the KBO’s all-time leader in hits. The first 3,000 hits in the KBO. This is a feat that has never been accomplished by a single player in the 41-year history of the KBO. However, it’s still within reach for the self-disciplined Son.

Son will be eligible for free agency again in the 2025-2026 offseason. He’s guaranteed through his age-37 season, and at his current pace, he’s likely to finish this four-year deal around 2,600-2,700 hits. The bottom line is that if he wants to challenge for 3000 hits, he’ll need to sign another free agent multi-year deal after this one. The terms may be slightly worse, but with enough guaranteed years, it’s not impossible to reach 3000 hits around age 40.

In the end, he’ll have to deal with the eternal enemies of hitters: injuries and slumps. This season, A-Rod hit .294 in April, .318 in May, .375 in June, and .371 in July. He didn’t get off to a great start in April. It’s a bit of a slow starter.

However, this is a season where he’s made some adjustments to his hitting mechanics. Last year’s 0.277 batting average was unacceptable for Son. In January, he adjusted his launch angle by about 20 degrees at the Baseball Academy in Los Angeles, USA, run by Jung Ho Kang, and recreated his swing trajectory to cover more ground. After a bit of an adjustment period at the start of the season, he’s come a long way, finishing the first half with a .331 batting average and fourth in the league.

He’s doing well now, but he’s going to struggle again as he tries to reach 3,000 hits. Even though he’s second in the KBO in hits, hitting is like a living thing, and your instincts aren’t always right. Still, Son is known for his research and hard work, so I’m hopeful. He’s finally starting to show his worth in the NC. From now on, Son will only fight against Son.