Why did KIA Kim Do-young make an emergency call in the end…All-in-five to revive MVP
Aug 02, 2025
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This is what a baseball player said when the KIA Tigers were shaken by a series of injuries early this season. Half right, half wrong. KIA revolted in June when Kim Do-young left due to a hamstring injury, KIA ranked first in the winning rate of 15 wins, 2 draws and 7 losses. It was a miracle written by backup or the reversal performance of second-tier players. This power didn't last very long. In July, his performance was only 5 wins and 10 losses, ranking ninth. When KIA, which once ranked second, struggled with falling to seventh place in an instant, the batter I miss the most was Kim Do-young.
KIA won 3-2 against Hanwha Eagles in Gwangju on the 1st. He recorded 48 wins, 4 draws, and 47 losses in the season, only to regain fifth place in six days. It is up to five games apart from the third-place Lotte Giants, but one game apart from the fourth-place SSG Landers. First of all, it's time to run again looking at fourth place or higher.
KIA manager Lee Bum-ho and the front office made a drastic decision after the game on the 1st. Kim Do-young, who was supposed to be in the first team on the 3rd or 5th, has decided to register in the first team on the 2nd.
Kim Do-young was scheduled to join the first team after learning his sense of practice by playing two practice games with the university team on the 1st and 2nd. In a practice game against Mokpo National University of Science and Technology on the 1st, he started as the third batter and third baseman, and played only 7 innings, recording 1 hit and 1 RBI in 3 at-bats. He raised expectations by hitting a double. On the 2nd, he was also scheduled to play seven innings in a practice game against the Hanil Jangshin University, further enhancing his batting sense.
KIA general manager Shim Jae-hak watched Kim Do-young's practice game on the 1st and said, `I haven't felt the ball stretch far yet. After watching the practice game again on the 2nd, I think I can decide whether to join on the 3rd."
Then, why did he change his decision to make an emergency call-up for Kim Do-young in half a day.
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Healthy Kim Do-young is definitely a destructive player at bat. He won the MVP title last year with 141 games, a batting average of 0.347 (189 hits in 544 at-bats), 38 home runs, 40 steals, and 109 RBIs. This year, he also hit 0.330 (33 hits in 100 at-bats), had seven home runs, 26 RBIs, and had an OPS of 1.008 before his injury. Baseball playing this year should be avoided as much as possible due to a hamstring injury, but just writing Kim Do-young's name in the lineup is a huge difference.
Another positive factor is that Na Sung-bum and Kim Sun-bin, who recovered from their injuries and returned first in time for the second half of the year, got some sense. Na Sung-bum has a batting average of 0.289, one home run, four RBIs, and Kim Sun-bin has a batting average of 0.265 and two RBIs. Veteran Choi Hyung-woo seems a little tired, but the catcher duo is lighting up the lineup. In the second half of the year, Han Jun-su is batting .467, one home run, four RBIs, and Kim Tae-gun is batting .364 with two home runs and four RBIs. Ko Jong-wook, who led the rebound in June, is also continuing the trend with a 0.310 batting average, one home run and five RBIs.
Director Lee said "June every year was bad and July was bad, but this time it changed. Every August was good. I'm looking forward to August. Adam Oler (scheduled to start against Hanwha on the 3rd) will also return, and (Kim) Do-young will also come in. From now on, it's time for us to cheer up and run. There are not many games left, and in the current situation, we need to do our best in the rest of the game and increase the team's power to the maximum," he said emphatically.
Will Kim Do-young be a match-winner for KIA. As soon as he returns, it raises the question of whether he will be able to quench the thirst of KIA fans who have missed Kim Do-young for the past two months.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
