Eric Thames

By Baek Byung-yeul

NC Dions first baseman Eric Thames became the first player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) when he stole his 40th base Friday night against the SK Wyverns.

At the SK Happy Dream Park in Incheon, the 29-year-old American slugger, who hit his 47th home run of this season, a three-run home run during the first inning, drew a base on balls to leadoff the third inning. When his team mate Na Sung-bum was at bat, Thames stole second on the first pitch of Wyverns pitcher Shin Jae-woong.

After sliding into second base, Thames waited for the umpire called him safe. After ump's call, he pulled out the base to celebrate the first-ever milestone in the league's 34-year history.

Thames, formerly with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB), has been one of the most prolific hitters this year, leading in batting average (.380), on-base percentage, .497 and slugging percentage, .788 as of Thursday.

Though there have been six players who have joined the 30-30 club, no one has ever reached the unprecedented milestone in league history. Only four players have had such a record in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States while no one in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) has ever reached that plateau.