Kia Tigers ‘super prospect’ Kim Do-young (19) recorded a multi-hit game as part of a cleanup trio for the first time in his career. Kia’s firepower was also hot.
In the second game of a three-game weekend series against the Lotte Giants of the 2023 KBO League at Sajik Stadium in Busan on March 12, Kim started at third base and went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored to lead KIA to a 13-5 victory. The win was KIA’s first in four games, thanks in large part to Kim’s contribution to the firepower in the center of the batting order. They remain in sixth place, 1.5 games behind fifth-place Doosan.
In the top of the first inning, Kim drew a walk from opposing pitcher Jung Sung-jong with the bases loaded. With an aggressive skip, he drew the pitcher’s attention and stole second base on a wild pitch. Kim scored the go-ahead run when the next batter, Na Sung-bum, doubled to right-center field.
The big inning for KIA came in the second inning. Kia scored four runs in one inning thanks to a double by Han Jun-soo and RBI singles by Choi Won-joon and Park Chan-ho. Kim Do-young put runners in scoring position again in his second at-bat with a single to left against reliever Shim Jae-min. The fourth batter, Na Sung-beom, drew a walk to load the bases, and Choi Hyung-woo singled to score the fifth run of the inning.
Kim Do-young picked up his first RBI of the game in the fifth inning when he singled up the middle against reliever Kim Do-gyu to give his team a 7-1 lead. She added another RBI in the eighth when she drew a bases-loaded walk. He finished with four RBIs in the game.
Kim only returned to the first team in the third week of June after injuring his left pinky toe in the second game of the season (April 2 against SSG Landers). However, he shrugged off the time off and continued to hit well. On two occasions, he recorded four hits in a game.
Kim made his debut in the center field (No. 3) on June 5 against the Hanwha Eagles. It’s a nice recognition of his recent hitting. Inexperienced players can suddenly falter as their swings get bigger after being placed in the cleanup trio. Kim Do-young also struggled for a while, going just 2-for-15 in three games at No. 3.
However, after batting first again against Lotte on Nov. 11 and getting two hits, she had her first multi-hit game in the No. 3 spot today (Dec. 12).
As Kim Do-young opened up opportunities at the top of the order more often, the experienced batters in the bottom of the order responded. Na Sung-beom contributed with an RBI single, two walks and a sacrifice fly with Kim Do-young on base. Choi Hyung-woo also had RBI singles in the second and eighth innings.토토사이트
Foreign player Socrates Brito hasn’t been hitting as well as expected at the plate, and Choi Won-jun’s batting has been spotty. In this situation, Kim Do-young was brought in to bat third to help strengthen the offense’s cohesion. Thanks to Kim Do-young, who also batted third, KIA won the series in four games.