"It's unfortunate."
KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho expressed his disappointment over the second hamstring injury absence of star hitter Kim Do-young. He returned after overcoming a hamstring injury in the season opener, but was sidelined again with a hamstring injury on the opposite side just a month later. It was particularly unfortunate as he missed out during an explosive mode, having hit home runs in four consecutive games.
Kim Do-young had an RBI hit and successfully stole a base in the bottom of the 5th inning during the Gwangju game against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 27th, but he reported pain in his right hamstring and was substituted. An MRI examination at the club-designated Seonhan Hospital revealed signs of hamstring damage. After the left hamstring injury sustained in the season opener, he now faced issues with the right hamstring.
On the 28th, he was diagnosed with a right hamstring injury. The severity was graded as grade 2. The left hamstring injury incurred during the season opener was graded as grade 1. He had a 33-day hiatus. The diagnosis indicated a higher severity than before, meaning the injury was worse. He will undergo a reexamination in four weeks, and a return in the first half of the season seems unlikely.
He had been refraining from stealing bases to prevent re-injury after his return. Manager Lee also continued to ask for restraint. However, during the game against Samsung on the 24th, he successfully stole two bases, lifting the restraint. He showed a recovery of last year's speed. Before the game, the manager stated, "I will leave it to him, but solving opportunities is more important than scoring through stolen bases. I hope it’s done only when the team absolutely needs to win," but he was injured while attempting another steal.
The manager noted, "We were trailing by one run, and I think he would have thought of tying the game if Hyung-woo hits after a successful steal. I tried to prevent him from running, but in his desperate desire to win, he got hurt while trying to run. It was a play where he gave it his all. There’s no way to tell him not to do it. It’s unfortunate. The difference with and without Do-young is like heaven and earth," he sighed.
He continued, "When he walked out, it didn’t seem like a serious injury, but the results came back unfavorable. It will take more time until he returns. Even though it wasn't severe during the opener, it took a long time to recover," he expressed regret. He added, "I will do my best to win and hold on with the young players who are here until the injured players return."
On that day, KIA formed a lineup consisting of Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Yoon Do-hyun (second baseman), Oh Sun-woo (right fielder), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Han Jun-soo (catcher), Kim Seok-hwan (left fielder), Hwang Dae-in (first baseman), Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), and Kim Gyu-seong (third baseman). Park Min was called up to the first team, marking his first promotion this year. He recorded a batting average of .273 with 3 home runs, 19 RBIs, and an OPS of .743 in the Futures League.
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