Outfielder Na Sung-bum (35), who had been relatively quiet in the core batting line of the KIA Tigers in the professional baseball league, showed strong performance by garnering three hits in a long time. He is showing signs of rebounding by making multiple hits in two consecutive games.
Na Sung-bum started as the fifth batter and right fielder in an away game against the Hanwha Eagles in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 20th, and played 3 hits, 1 RBI, 1 run and 1 walk in 4 at-bats, including a double, leading KIA to an 8-4 victory and 5 consecutive wins.
Na Sung-bum’s bat turned sharply from his first at-bat in the top of the first inning. With two outs and runners on the first and second bases, Hanwha left-hander Kim Ki-joong pulled a curveball that was falling low outside the first pitch, and decorated it with a double that was falling on the right side.
Second baseman Kim Do-young made it home safely, while first baseman Choi Hyung-woo also made it home without Hanwha right fielder Kim Tae-yeon catching the ball at once. As Kim Tae-yeon’s catch error was recorded, Na Sung-bum scored an RBI. The game’s first hit was the final game.
In the top of the third inning, he also hit the first pitch at the second batter’s box. He marked Kim Ki-joong’s first pitch fastball with no outs and a single to the first base, completing multi-hits in just two at-bats. It was a hit that pulled Kim off the mound.
In the top of the fifth inning, Hanwha right-hander Park Sang-won’s low two-seam fastball in the middle of the sixth pitch led to a hit rolling in front of center field. It was the first three-hit game in nine games since the game against LG in Jamsil on the 9th.
In the top of the sixth inning, he drew a walk to right-handed Kim Gyu-yeon with two outs and a runner on the second base, and played a game on the fourth base. In addition to hitting, he displayed his presence in offense and defense by sliding Lee Won-seok’s hit ball in the bottom of the first inning in right field defense.
Na Sung-bum, who started the season in the first division at the end of April due to a hamstring injury in an exhibition game in March, seems to have started later than usual. It is not a bad performance with a batting average of 283 (67 hits in 237 at-bats) in 62 games, 11 homers, 51 RBIs, and OPS.851, but it is a shame considering Na Sung-bum’s name value in the season of riding and pitching.
However, Kim Do-young is leading the team’s lineup with MVP pace, while 41-year-old Choi Hyung-woo is also taking the lead as the cleanup hitter with strong batting power. Foreign batter Socrates Brito has also fully recovered since mid-June, but July is now Na Sung-bum’s rebound time.
He has a batting average of 340 (17 hits in 50 at-bats) with two homers and 16 RBIs in 13 games in July. Despite the absence of closer Jung Hae-young and setup man Choi Ji-min, Kia’s batting power is absolute to secure the top spot with 11 wins and 2 losses (winning rate .846) in July, and Na Sung-bum is a must-have.
After the game, Na said, “I felt good when I started batting training before the game. My aggressive batting from my first at-bat turned out to be good, and I’m so happy that I can continue my team’s winning streak with three hits,” adding, “From the previous game, I felt that I gradually improved in the opponent team’s pitching timing fight. I will do my best to show better performance than I do in the remaining games.” 토토사이트
Na Sung-bum then said, “If the weather gets hot in the future, players may get injured, but I hope all the players take good care of themselves and finish the rest of the season without any more injuries,” adding, “I’m so grateful for the support that many fans came to the ballpark today. I want to do my best in every game and repay you with good results.”
