Kim Do-young (21) of the Kia Tigers, who is considered the most influential candidate for MVP this season, has continued to play even after her team won the regular season title. While most of the main players who played in many games this year are taking a break inside and outside the first team entry, Kim has completed the entire game. The reason is simple. This is to open the door for the club with 40 home runs and 40 steals.
Kim Do-young, who became the youngest player in league history to play 40-40 games this season, has already stole 40 times. He stole 40 times this season against Samsung in Gwangju on Sept. 23. Since then, stolen bases remain sealed due to the risk of injury. He has no attempt. He has two homers left. He has 38 homers.
However, these two home runs are rarely displayed. Kim hit two home runs in the match against KT in Suwon on Sept. 16, making her 37th for this season. It was a game in which she decided to challenge herself 40-40. Although she confirmed her regular season title at the match against SSG in Incheon on Sept. 17, she continues to play as she is close to 40-40. When she hit a solo home run in the middle of the road in the match against Samsung in Gwangju on Sept. 23, she garnered a higher chance of achieving her 38th home run.
Since then, however, he has failed to hit a home run in four games, and the final game of the regular season is just around the corner. Kim’s batting pace has not slowed in particular. He has posted a batting average of 0.375 in the last 10 games, and his batting average reached a whopping 0.474 last week. He has been receiving hits and long balls continuously. He also has good batting performance. Home runs are another area, however.
KIA manager Lee Bum-ho said, “If we have given up everything else and are aiming for a home run, we should bring forward a little more heating point and send it to the left.” However, as Kim is batting while watching the ball throughout the game as usual, the ball goes toward the center, and even if the flying distance is the same, the team is losing money in home run production. He has good swing and batting sense, but it is regrettable that his swing is not specialized for home runs. However, he cannot change what he has been doing throughout the entire season now.
In any case, Kim aims to garner two home runs in the final game of this season against NC, which will take place at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Sunday. NC announced Monday that Son Joo-hwan, 22, will be the starting pitcher. He was drafted in the sixth round (55th overall) in the rookie draft in 2024. Although he played in all three games in this year’s professional league, he displayed impressive performance of 0.36 ERA with five wins and three holds in 24 games in the Futures League. Since he is not a player who spent this season as a starter, he is expected to serve as an opener to play one or two innings. He has no record of playing against KIA this year. Of course, this is his first meeting with Kim. 토토사이트
NC, which has already ranked ninth, is likely to deploy a large number of new faces to the mound. There is a possibility that the team will not be as perfect as the main pitchers of the first team. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is easy for a home run to occur. Rather, there is a tricky situation that unfamiliarity gives. Manager Lee Bum-ho also said, “I think it would be more convenient to hit against the main players of the first team. This is especially true for Kim Do-young, who showed strong performance against ace players in the league this year.
Regarding foreign pitcher Ryan Weiss’s announcement as a starter ahead of the match against Daejeon Hanwha on the 27th, Lee said, “I think I throw more balls to avoid hitting because I’m against non-Ace pitchers. Rather, if you face mercenaries, there will be more aggressive attacks than difficult public relations. I think the probability would be better if Doyoung was aggressive in a situation where he came in more aggressively.”
No pitcher would want to fall victim to 40-40 ratio. If foreign players or native aces come in to catch the ball because they have confidence in the ball, younger players might have more chances to avoid getting hit by long balls. In addition, chances are high that Kim will face a new pitcher at bat on the day. In other words, a pitcher can change as long as he adjusts to pitch quality and trajectory. In any case, he needs to overcome the challenge in order to achieve a dramatic 40-40 ratio.
