Whether he's a player with fingers or KIA, he's doing well...Everyone's running in pain. I don't want to make it obvious

Jul 05, 2025

Whether he's a player with fingers or KIA, he's doing well...Everyone's running in pain. I don't want to make it obvious
Lotte-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 4th. Kim Tae-gun, who hit a timely hit to come from behind in the bottom of the 8th inning, is smiling broadly. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.4/



"At this point, I think all players play with pain. "I don't want to run while playing, expressing that I'm playing with the pain."

KIA Tigers catcher Kim Tae-gun almost suffered a serious injury in a dune against Gwangju SSG Landers on the 1st. SSG pitcher Jeon Young-joon's 144km/h fastball hit Kim Tae-gun's left index finger. Kim Tae-gun collapsed right away at the plate and was in great pain, and was replaced immediately by runner Kim Kyu-sung. Fingers are vulnerable to injury, so it was worth worrying about.

Fortunately for KIA, it was not a big injury. a simple bruise. Kim Tae-gun went back to the game wearing a catcher mask after taking a day off on the 2nd. Of course, it would be a lie to say that there is no dune aftermath at all. I know how important the team is right now, so I'm holding it in and running.




KIA was in the 'Injury Ward' this season. Na Sung-bum, Kim Do-young, Kim Sun-bin, Park Jung-woo, Yoon Do-hyun, Hwang Dong-ha, and Lee Joon-young have not returned so far due to injuries during the season. Among the injured, only Patrick Wisdom and Lee Chang-jin returned in the first half. The rest are building up in Hampyeong with the goal of joining in the second half of the year.

Kim Tae-gun started as the eighth hitter catcher against the Lotte Giants in Gwangju on the 4th and recorded 2 hits and 3 RBIs in 3 at-bats. He became the main character of the 7:5 reversal drama by making the final hit.

Kim Tae-gun hit a timely two-run hit to the left in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and a full base. Lotte's must-win group Choi Joon-yong targeted pitcher Kim Kang-hyun, who collapsed with five runs in ⅔ innings and replaced him in a hurry.




Kim Tae-gun also thought of being replaced by a pinch-hitter. First of all, he was a pitcher who had the wrong timing with me. But the director said 'You solve it.' I think I received such an opportunity and came out with such a good result at bat. I definitely thought a breaking ball would come, but I thought a fastball could come at any time because I'm a person at bat. So I was a little suspicious there, but I think the ball hit the bat."

The ball exquisitely escaped between the third baseman and the shortstop. Lotte shortstop Jeon Min-jae blew himself up and tried to deal with it somehow, but he got out by a paper difference.

Kim Tae-gun was so sure the moment he hit ". The moment I hit it, I said 'It's done' The moment I hit it, it was so thrilling because I could see the road."




In fact, I felt heavy until I hit the final hit. This is because the crisis began when KIA's must-win group collapsed first. With a 2-0 lead, Jeon Sang-hyun almost lost in the seventh inning as he allowed two runs in ⅓ innings and Cho Sang-woo allowed three runs in ⅓ innings in the eighth inning.

Whether he's a player with fingers or KIA, he's doing well...Everyone's running in pain. I don't want to make it obvious
Lotte-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 4th. In the top of the seventh inning, Na Sung-bum had a close game with Kim Tae-gun at home when Jung Hoon made a two-run timely hit with one out and runners on the first and second bases. Kim Tae-gun, who is sure of being out, is venting his anger while watching the dugout. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.4/
Whether he's a player with fingers or KIA, he's doing well...Everyone's running in pain. I don't want to make it obvious
Lotte-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 4th. Kim Tae-gun, with two outs, is cheering after hitting a timely two-run turnaround hit in the bottom of the eighth inning. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.4/
Kim Tae-gun "First of all, it was 2-5 in the embarrassing situation of the reversal, but I don't know what will happen to the 3-point gap in Korean baseball these days. (Im) When Ki-young comes up, Jung-hoon is originally a batter who hits long balls well against underhand. I think I was able to bring the atmosphere by suppressing it there. I don't think I wave at passing buses, but due to the catcher's nature, there are times when I think about something a little passed. So I think it was helpful to try to forget it a little faster. In June, Jeon Sang-hyun and Jo Sang-woo showed such good performances. They're the middle waist players in the seventh and eighth innings of our team, and I might be a little disappointed that they lost a point, but I think the fielders must have been strong because they blocked the score there again."

Kim Tae-gun was caught complaining of finger pain for a while. It's not that he's not sick, but he explains that he can play games.

Kim Tae-gun said, `I think any player plays with pain at this point. The foul tip came out and touched the area, so I delayed a little time there. However, I don't want to go to the game by expressing that I'm playing with pain while playing. I want to play without showing it as much as possible. There's no problem playing every day, and if there's a name in the lineup at any time, I play."

KIA, ranked fourth, recorded 44 wins, 36 losses, and 3 draws in the season, narrowing its distance to 0.5 games behind Lotte and LG Twins, which are tied for second. This is thanks to his No. 1 winning rate in June and his winning streak with 3 wins and 1 loss in July. There are so many injured, but it is a miracle result. This is because Oh Sun-woo, Kim Ho-ryeong, Kim Seok-hwan, Kim Kyu-sung, Park Min, and Ko Jong-wook, who have not been able to see the light while staying in the backup, took turns performing crazy. Young pitchers such as Sung Young-tak and Lee Ho-min, the first year of this year's first division, also helped greatly.

Kim Tae-gun said, `It's so nice to see because they play the baseball they played in the baseball field with such a pure heart. I don't calculate it with a pure heart and just do it as it is, so I think I'll get a good result now," he said, applauding his juniors.

Whether he's a player with fingers or KIA, he's doing well...Everyone's running in pain. I don't want to make it obvious
Lotte-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 4th. KIA won 7-5 in the eighth inning with a reversal. Director Lee Bum-ho is welcoming Kim Tae-gun. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.4/
Whether he's a player with fingers or KIA, he's doing well...Everyone's running in pain. I don't want to make it obvious
Lotte-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 4th. Kim Tae-gun, with two outs, is cheering after hitting a timely two-run turnaround hit in the bottom of the eighth inning. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.4/




This article was translated by Naver AI translator.