*This content was translated by AI.
KIA Tigers' "key infielder" Kim Do-young (23) recalled his most memorable time with Park Hae-min (36, LG Twins) at a camp in Saipan in preparation for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March. In particular, he confessed that he was passionate about absorbing the know-how of Park Hae-min, an "iron man."
When Kim Do-young met with reporters after the baseball team's Saipan training at Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 20th, she said, "I learned so many things from my seniors. "There were some questions I asked myself, and some I learned from watching," he said, adding, "But the most memorable thing is that I will interpret it in the situation where I am placed, and I think it's Park Hae-min."
Park Hae-min is an active KBO league player nicknamed "Iron Man." He is considered the "steel king" by succeeding in 589 consecutive games until the 2025 season. In particular, he played in all of LG's regular league games (144 games) from the 2022 to 2025 season. Based on his excellent self-management and athletic ability, he signed a contract with LG to remain ahead of the 2026 season.
Kim Do-young said, "I asked for a lot of help from my senior, and I heard a lot of know-how and various things. I definitely thought there was a reason why you've been on a business trip for nearly 600 consecutive games so far. In that respect, I definitely had something to learn and thought I should learn. I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you so much," he said, bending his head down.
Park Hae-min's consistency, called the best "iron man" in the camp, was like a huge textbook for Kim Do-young. In fact, Kim Do-young played only 30 games in the 2025 season. He hit 0.347 (189 hits in 544 at-bats) in 141 games in the 2024 season and won the regular league MVP (best player) with a monster performance of 1.067 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), but suffered from injuries in the 2025 season. In particular, Kim Do-young, who was confirmed to be out of the season due to a hamstring injury in August starting at the beginning of the season, seems to have desperately needed know-how such as Park Hae-min's injury prevention method.
Regarding the outcome of Saipan's off-season training, Kim Do-young also said, "I did team training, not individual training, and I think I was really satisfied. This is because it has been a long time for me personally to move in a group with players like this. It was really fun in that regard, and I ended the season a little early in the 2025 season, but I had a happy camp while working with other team's good players," he said.
Kim Do-young, who recharged her confidence by accepting the know-how of "Iron Man" in Saipan, will now enter a full-fledged real mode. Baseball fans are paying attention to how Kim Do-young will perform as a key infielder on the WBC stage, leaving behind the painful memory of injury.
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*This content was translated by AI.
