It's already like a major leaguer...' Why are you crazy about KIA Kim Do-young

*This content was translated by AI.

There is still a lot of time before entering the Major League, but the main character is already showing a performance like a major leaguer. It is Kim Do-young (23) of the KIA Tigers.

The Korean baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun, will play the final 4th game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) Group C against Australia at Tokyo Dome, Japan, at 7 p.m. on the 9th.

South Korea, which has been driven to one win and two losses, must win the match against Australia unconditionally to see its ticket to the quarterfinals. However, there is a condition. Victory must be won by two runs or less and by five points or more.

In this competition, South Korea is clearly performing better than in the 2023 WBC competition. After playing an equal match against Japan, he fell to his knees unfortunately. He lost to Taiwan after extra time.

In Korea, major leaguers such as Lee Jung-hoo, Kim Hye-sung, Germay Jones, Shay Witcom and Dane Dunning are certainly showing good performances.

Here is a player who is not behind compared to the major leaguers, Kim Do-young. Although he was silent with no hits in three at-bats in the first game against the Czech Republic, he showed a hit from his first at-bat against Japan.

In the match against Taiwan on the 8th, he made two hits in five at-bats (one homer) with three RBIs and one run scored. It also showed the star's temperament by stepping up as a troubleshooter when the team really needed it. Performance that you can't do unless you have a strong heart. This is why Korean fans are even more enthusiastic about Kim Do-young. It was Kim Do-young, who was responsible for half of South Korea's four total hits.

After trailing 1-2, he roared after scoring a come-from-behind two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth inning with one out and a runner on first base. He then proved his ability once again by hitting a timely double in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and a runner on first base when his team was trailing 3-4.

In fact, Kim Do-young played only 30 games last season. He was knocked down with three hamstring injuries. Bad luck has never had such bad luck.

Perhaps if another player had played only 30 games last season, it would not have been easy to select the national team. However, the "2024 MVP" Kim Do-young was Kim Do-young. He recovered perfectly and proved his ability once again at an international competition.

Kim Do-young met with reporters after the defeat against Taiwan and said, "I'm really sorry for everything. At the beginning of the game, I wonder what it would have been like if I had focused more. In the last at-bat in the 10th inning, there is a regret in the details. I'm really angry and sad that I lost the game," he said. "As soon as it was over (between the team), I made a commitment to prepare well for the next game." It's natural that hitters have to draw a lot of points. I will concentrate on the match against Australia," he said.

Kim Do-young also took the heavy responsibility of being a leadoff and third baseman in the match against Australia on the 9th. What kind of performance will he perform in the game.

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*This content was translated by AI.