'3 hits, 1 home run, 4 RBIs → 2 consecutive wins after returning to the team.' KIA also recovered when Kim Do-young returned, will he leap to the top of the nine consecutive games
'3 hits, 1 home run, 4 RBIs → 2 consecutive wins after returning to the team.' KIA also recovered when Kim Do-young returned, will he leap to the top of the nine consecutive games
Blog Article
With the return of Kim Do-young (22), the KIA Tigers of professional baseball are aiming to leap to the top by winning two consecutive games.안전놀이터
KIA won the regular season title with 87 wins, two draws and a 55-loss winning rate of .613 last season. By banking on its momentum to win the Korean Series, the team succeeded in winning the overall title. It was the 12th Korean Series championship in the club's history.
Kim Do-young's performance played a big role in KIA's victory last year. Kim Do-young, who joined KIA as the first nominee for the 2022 Rookie Draft, did not perform as well as expected until 2023.
However, Kim displayed his best performance in 141 games last season, posting a batting average of 347, 38 homers, 109 RBIs, 143 runs, 40 steals, and OPS of 1.067. Although he failed to achieve 40 homers and 40 steals for the second time in the history of the KBO league, he became the youngest player and the youngest player ever to achieve 30 homers and 30 steals, a record for the most points scored in a single season, a monthly record of 10 homers and 10 steals, and a natural cycling hit with the least number of hits. After the end of the season, he lifted the league MVP and finished the season best.
Expectations for Kim Do-young were great again this year. However, he suffered a left hamstring injury in the process of hitting in the season opener and going to first base, and was out of the team's roster. KIA, where Kim Do-young left, remained at the bottom of the league with 13 wins and 15 losses and a .464 winning percentage this season.
Kim Do-young, who returned later than expected, finally returned to the team against LG on the 25th. Kim Do-young showed off his presence even before his return. He hit a pinch hitter with the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the fourth inning when KIA was losing 1-3, and he hit a timely two-run hit to tie the game 3-3. Although KIA lost 5-6, Kim Do-young's return helped KIA greatly, and he won two consecutive games to decorate the weekend's three consecutive winning series. After returning to the first team, Kim Do-young hit three hits, one homer, four RBIs and three hits from nine times at bat.
Another sad news was reported for KIA after Kim Do-young's return. Na Sung-bum, one of the leading hitters, was removed from the first-team entry after being diagnosed with muscle damage to his right calf on the 27th. Na Sung-bum was batting .226 (21 hits in 93 at-bats) in 26 games this season with four homers, 16 RBIs, 13 runs and OPS.754.
Kim's role has become all the more important as Na Sung-bum has lost control of his team. Starting with the three consecutive home games against NC Dinosaurs at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Monday, Kia will hold three consecutive home games against Hanwha and three away games against Kiwoom. In order for Kia to rise to the top ranks, it needs to perform well in the nine consecutive games. In particular, it is important not to lose ground against Hanwha (17 wins, 13 losses, and .567), which ranks third in the league.
"I thought it was a cycle that any team would experience," Kim said of Kia's poor performance in the early days of this season after his return to the team. "When I was not around, the team would not go as I thought, and I wanted to move on quickly. It was okay considering that the cycle dropped. All that matters is to go up," Kim said, displaying confidence to rebound from the top ranks. Fans are excited to see if Kim Do-young, who is back from injury, will be able to lead Kia to a leap forward into the top ranks.