Hanwha’s Kang Baek-ho roars after hitting a dramatic home run in the final sudden-death at-bat during the Com2uS Pro Baseball Home Run Derby at the “2026 KBO All-Star Friday” event held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 10th. News1
Kang Baek-ho, 27, of the Hanwha Eagles won his first KBO All-Star home run derby after a dramatic sudden-death finish.
Kang tied Oh Tae-gon of the SSG Landers with seven home runs each in the Com2uS Pro Baseball Home Run Derby final at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 10th, part of the “2026 KBO All-Star Friday” event. He then hit one more home run in sudden death to claim the title.
It marked his first home run derby victory since his professional debut in 2018. It was also the first home run derby win by a Hanwha player in three years, since Chae Eun-seong in 2023.
Kang received the winning prize of 10 million won and a trophy, along with a Samsung Bespoke AI AirDresser as a bonus prize. In the preliminary round, he launched a massive 145-meter home run to also take home the longest-distance award and an air purifier.
Hanwha’s Kang Baek-ho swings powerfully during the Com2uS Pro Baseball Home Run Derby at the “2026 KBO All-Star Friday” event held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 10th. News1
Han Jun-su of the KIA Tigers, who threw the batting practice pitches, won the “Home Run Maker Award” and received headphones as a prize.
This year’s home run derby was held under a format combining an out system and a time system. Players competed under five outs in the preliminary round and seven outs in the final, followed by a 30-second rest before a one-minute “Compya Fever Time,” during which they batted without a limit on the number of pitches.
Participants in this competition were Kang Baek-ho, Moon Hyun-bin and Heo In-seo (all of Hanwha), Yang Eui-ji and Park Jun-sun (both of Doosan), Kim Ju-won (NC) and Oh Tae-gon. Austin Dean of LG, last year’s champion and co-leader in home runs this season who had originally been scheduled to participate, withdrew due to back pain, and Oh Tae-gon competed as a replacement.
In the preliminary round, Kang Baek-ho, Oh Tae-gon and Heo In-seo each recorded seven home runs. However, in the longest distance, Kang (145 meters) and Oh (140 meters) edged out Heo (135 meters) to earn spots in the final.
In the final, Oh Tae-gon batted first, recording four home runs under the out system and adding three more during Fever Time for a total of seven.
Kang managed only three home runs during the seven outs, but drove in four home runs during Fever Time to level the contest. In particular, his final batted ball hit the right foul pole and went over for a dramatic home run that carried the contest into sudden death.
In sudden death, where the player who hits more home runs in 30 seconds wins, Oh Tae-gon failed to add a home run, while Kang hit one to secure the victory.
Although he did not reach the top, Oh Tae-gon, who competed as a replacement, recorded the most home runs with five during the preliminary Fever Time, earning the “Compya Award” and a Moving Style Mini LED as a prize.