KIA Tigers infielder Kim Do-young took a step further toward a new history.
Kim Do-young started as the No. 1 designated hitter in Game 15 of the season against the Samsung Lions in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the 23rd, and led his team’s 5-3 victory by playing 3 hits, 1 RBI, 3 runs, 1 walk, and 1 stolen base in 3 at-bats, including 1 home run.
Kim Do-young, who has been playing both offense and defense throughout the season, was listed in the lineup as the first designated hitter on the day. KIA, which confirmed the top spot in the regular season on the 17th, eased the burden on defense and gave Kim Do-young a boost for the record challenge.
Kim started off to a good start from his first at bat. He swung and missed two pitches and threw three fouls to one ball and two strikes, but hit four fastballs by Samsung starter Lee Seung-min to draw a solo arch over the fence in the middle. It was Kim’s 38th homer of this season and the first batter’s home run in the bottom of his first inning, and the flying distance measured 125 meters.
This was not the end of the game. Kim, who was at bat for the second time with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, hit Lee Seung-min’s six-pitch change-up after a full count match, and made a hit to the right, completing multi-hit after just two at-bats.
Kim also got on base at his third at-bat. As a leadoff hitter in the bottom of the fifth inning, he calmly picked out four balls against Samsung’s second pitcher, Yuk Sun-yeop, and attempted to steal a base at the first pitch of Yoon Do-hyun, a follow-up hitter. He arrived at second base ahead of catcher Lee Byung-hun’s throw. Kim Do-young’s 40th homer of this season. This marks the first time that she has stolen base 40 times in a single season since her debut as a pro golfer. The previous highest number of stolen bases in a single season was 25 last year.
Coming to the batter’s box as a leadoff hitter in the bottom of the seventh inning, Kim got on base with a hit, and after Yoon struck out, he homered on Park Chan-ho’s double to produce a run. KIA, which had been leading 4-1 until the top of the seventh inning, was confident of victory with Kim Do-young’s run.
After the game, Kim Do-young said, “I imagined that if I scored before the game, I would like to make a record with a home run,” and added, “But since the game began, I’ve been focusing on the game, so I hit a home run and suddenly received a bouquet of flowers, so I was embarrassed.”
“When I heard that I congratulated my seniors (on the most points), I was happy to think about it then, and I was doubly happy because I achieved the record at my home stadium in Gwangju,” he said. “Rather than thinking too much about the 40-40 record, I personally wanted to fill 40 steals this season. There is also an expectation that the remaining two home runs will come out if I always prepare for the same game and concentrate at bat.”
In the history of the 토토사이트 KBO League, only one player who experienced 40-40 games in a single season was Erik Thames (then the NC Dinos) in 2015. If the scope was narrowed down to Korean players, none of them would be able to reach the 40-40 mark. “If I achieve 40-40 goal, I would like to play at my home stadium in Gwangju,” Kim said.
