The KBO officially announced on the 10th that Sam Hillyard (KT Wiz) has been selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for July in the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.' This is the first time in six years that a KT foreign batter has won the monthly MVP award, since Mel Rojas Jr. in June 2020.

Hillyard, who joined the KBO League for the first time this season, showcased overwhelming batting form throughout July, firmly establishing himself as the core of KT's batting lineup. In 19 games in July, he recorded a .365 batting average and a .413 on-base percentage, while ranking first in the league with 9 home runs, 26 RBIs, and a .743 slugging percentage.

Particularly notable is his explosive power in clutch situations. On July 17, Hillyard hit two home runs and drove in six RBIs against the LG Twins at Jamsil, tying his personal record for most RBIs in a single game. He also broke his own monthly home run record of eight, set in May, in just two months.

His performance directly translated into the team's upward trend. In July, powered by Hillyard's fierce hitting, KT surged with a .778 winning percentage (14 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw), demonstrating the potential to leap from third to first place in the second half of the season.

Hillyard's dominant July performance was reflected in the voting results. He swept 22 out of 35 votes (62.9%) from the press and received 70,702 out of 428,888 fan votes (16.5%), taking an overwhelming first place with a total of 39.67 points. In second place was Kim Ji-chan of the Samsung Lions, who recorded a total of 29.48 points, combining 2 press votes and 228,406 fan votes.

Meanwhile, Hillyard, who was selected as the July MVP, will be awarded a prize of 3 million won and a trophy.