Last year, I watched the video and something boiled up inside me.
KIA Tigers star Kim Do-young started at third base in the season's 6th game against the KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 22nd. He went 5 for 3 with 1 home run, 2 RBIs, and 3 runs scored, leading the team to break a 2-game losing streak. Manager Lee Beom-ho said, "Kim Do-young led the offense well with a multi-hit game, including a home run."
From the first at-bat, his bat was ferocious. In the top of the 1st inning, with 1 out and a runner on second base in a scoring opportunity, he faced KT starter William Cuevas and broke the scoreless tie with a 1-RBI single to left field. This was his first hit in 2 games, overcoming a hitless slump from the previous day. He then reached third base, taking advantage of left fielder Kim Min-hyuk's home throw error, and was responsible for the go-ahead run on Choi Hyung-woo's single to left.
The highlight came in the second at-bat. In the top of the 3rd inning, with the score tied at 3-3, he led off and hit a go-ahead solo home run. As soon as he stepped into the batter's box, he connected powerfully with Cuevas's first pitch, a high fastball (142 km/h) on the outside, hitting a massive home run that traveled 139.9 meters to left-center field. It was his 4th home run of the season, coming after 6 games since the match against the Lotte Giants in Gwangju on the 15th.
After flying out to right field in the 5th and striking out in the 6th, Kim Do-young caught his breath and in the top of the 9th, leading 7-3, with 2 outs and no runners, he hit a perfect infield single against Lee Jeong-hyeon. It was the first time this season and the moment after 241 days since September 23 last year against the Samsung Lions in Gwangju that he achieved 3 hits in one game. After Kim Do-young advanced to third base via Choi Hyung-woo's single to right, Oh Sun-woo extended the lead with a timely single to right.
Thanks to his 3-hit performance, Kim Do-young raised his batting average from .291 to .310. He returned to a .300 average after 2 games.
After the game, Kim Do-young said, "With the injuries, the team's atmosphere isn't great, but I think it's valuable to get a win and break the losing streak in such a situation." He added, "After yesterday's game on the 21st, I watched last year's video. It felt like something was boiling up inside me. It was a video of highlights including home runs and stolen bases, and I tried to bring back the feeling and rhythm of that good time in today’s training to achieve a good result."
On the home run situation, he explained, "In my first at-bat, I got a hit, which allowed me to enter the next at-bat in a more comfortable state. When the ball comes into the strike zone, I planned to attack it actively from the first pitch, and the timing matched well, leading to the home run."
Having regained his MVP form with the 3 hits, Kim Do-young promised, "With the multi-hits and home runs in today’s game, I will carry this momentum into the next series to ensure we secure a victory."
Joint 7th, KIA will face the 6th place Samsung Lions in Daegu starting from the 24th for a weekend 3-game series. The match-up on the first day is expected to feature James Naile (KIA) against Hwang Dong-jae (Samsung).
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