“Behind Me, Legends Na Sung-Bum and Choi Hyung-Woo, No Pressure”
KIA’s Kim Do-young hits a single with no outs in the top of the third inning during the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ game between the KIA Tigers and KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Jangan-gu, Suwon, on Aug. 24.
Second-year infielder Kim Do-young (20) of the KIA Tigers has been leading the team’s recent upswing from the front.
On Aug. 3, Kim batted second and played third base in an away game against the SSG Landers in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon, South Korea, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, two runs scored, 한국야동 two walks and one stolen base to lead the Tigers to an 8-6 victory.
With Kim’s performance, KIA won its eighth straight game for the first time in 751 days since July 1-August 13, 2021. They also leapfrogged the NC Dinos into sole possession of fourth place in the standings, further boosting their chances of making the postseason.
Kim Do-young drew a bases-loaded walk in the first inning and scored on Choi Hyung-woo’s RBI single. He popped out to center field in the third, but with the score tied at 4-4 in the fifth, he lined a single to center field and used his quick feet to steal second base.
After drawing another walk in the seventh with the bases loaded, Kim roared to the plate to lead off the ninth inning of a 7-6 comeback and hit a game-winning solo shot off reliever Lee Roon.
Kim, who joined KIA in the first round last year, was hailed as the “next Lee Jong-beom” at Gwangju Dongseong High School.
He was highly touted ahead of the 2022 season as the top hitter in the exhibition games, but once the season got underway, he hit a professional wall.
His quick feet made him a standout on the basepaths, but his bat never really took off. He ended up batting .237 (224-for-53) with three home runs, 19 RBIs, 13 doubles, and 37 runs scored last year.
This year’s season got off to a rocky start with injuries. On April 2, he fractured his metatarsal while charging home against SSG and was sidelined for more than three months.
Kim Do-young.
Kim, who only returned to the field on June 23, has been on fire since then. He is batting .308 (195-for-60) with three home runs, 25 RBIs, 15 doubles and 46 runs scored, surpassing his numbers from last year in all categories.
With Kim, who usually bats second, providing a steady stream of runs, the center field lineup of Na Sung-beom, 성인웹툰 Choi Hyung-woo, and Socrates Brito has provided a significant boost to KIA’s overall offense.
Prior to Kim’s arrival, KIA’s team batting average was just .259, but it rose to .293 after his arrival. Since his return, the team’s winning percentage is 0.622 (28 wins, 1 draw, 17 losses).
Kim Do-young, who has been at the center of the team’s recent surge, said, “I’m just giving it my all every game. I’m really honored to be at the center of the team’s good flow,” said Kim.
“I think it helps that I had a lot of experiences last year, such as trying a lot of things,” said Kim, who said that her recent performance has washed away the frustrations of bad days. I kept my mentality positive, and the results were good.”
“Lately, the hitters have been talking to each other about ‘I don’t think I’m going to lose’. We try to hit more confidently when we hear people around us say, ‘We’re hitting well,'” he said, adding, “I’m scared of our team’s batting. I don’t know how far we can go,” he laughed.
Kim also gave credit to his teammates for supporting him.
“Even if I can’t hit, I can go into the batter’s box with confidence because there are seniors (Na Sung-bum and Choi Hyung-woo) behind me,” he said, adding, 19가이드03 “It’s really nice to have legendary seniors with me.”