Kim Do-young (19), the KIA Tigers’ “expectant star”, made a multi-hit streak by being part of a cleanup trio for the first time in his debut. The KIA firepower was also hot.
Kim Do-young 스포츠토토started as a 3rd batter and 3rd baseman in the 2nd game of a weekend 3-game series against the Lotte Giants in the 2023 KBO League held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 12th, and played an active role with 2 hits, 2 RBIs and 2 runs in 4 at-bats, helping his team KIA’s 13- led to 5 victories. KIA won in 4 games thanks to Kim Do-young’s contribution to strengthening firepower in the center line. It maintained 6th place by maintaining the ride with 5th place Doosan to 1.5 games.
In the beginning of the first inning, Kim Do-young got on base with a walk from opposing pitcher Jung Sung-jong, with no runners on second out. He attracted the attention of the opposing pitcher with his aggressive skipping action, and induced a bad throw to step on second base. Kim Do-young scored the first goal as follow-up batter Na Seong-beom stepped home on a double in the middle right.
He also showed his presence in the 2nd KIA Big Inning. KIA scored 4 points at once with Han Jun-soo’s 2 RBIs and timely hits, Choi Won-jun and Park Chan-ho’s additional RBIs. In the second at-bat with a runner on first base, Kim Do-young hit a left-handed hit against Shim Jae-min, the changed pitcher, and sent the runner back to scoring position. Batter 4 Na Seong-beom walked and loaded the bases, and Choi Hyung-woo hit the right time and scored the 5th run of the inning.
In the 3rd at-bat in the 5th inning, when the team was leading 7-1, Kim Do-young hit a heavy hit against pitcher Kim Do-gyu, who had changed again, and even raised the first RBI in the game. In the 8th inning, he added one more RBI by getting a walk with one company loaded. In this game he made 4 on base.
Kim Do-young rushes from second base to third base. Photo = KIA Tigers
Kim Do-young returned to the first team only in the third week of June due to an injury to his left little toe in the second game (against SSG Landers on April 2). However, he laughed at his hiatus and consistently showed a good sense of hitting. He also had 4 hits in a game twice.
On the 5th, against the Hanwha Eagles, Doyoung Kim took the center line (3rd) for the first time in his debut. He has recently been recognized for his good sense of hitting. Inexperienced players may suddenly shake as their swing increases after being placed in the cleanup trio. Kim Do-young also faltered for a while, recording only 2 hits in 15 at-bats in 3 games with No. 3.
When Kim Do-young opened up opportunities frequently as the third hitter, experienced hitters in the subsequent batting order also responded. Na Seong-beom contributed to the score with a timely hit, two walks and a sacrifice fly with Kim Do-young on base. Choi Hyung-woo also hit the right time in the 2nd and 8th innings.
Foreign player Socrates Brito is showing a more disappointing blow than expected in the scoring range, and Choi Won-jun, who was the first hitter, has a jagged feeling at hitting. In this situation, Kim Do-young took the 3rd position and contributed to strengthening the cohesiveness of the attack. Thanks to Kim Do-young, who did his part as the third hitter, KIA also won in 4 games.