'Big shock' Na Sung-beom is the No. 1 strikeout in the team → Even the timely hit disappeared! A batting average of 0.167 in scoring position. Is this for real

*This content was translated by AI.

The silence of Na Sung-beom (37), the 'key hitter' of the KIA Tigers, is unusual. Although it is now the beginning of the season, which has played nine games, KIA fans are concerned that the records that were not like Na Sung-beom, who showed in his previous career, are pouring out.

KIA lost 3-10 against the Samsung Lions at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the 7th in their first showdown of the "2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League." The game was leading 3-1 until the top of the eighth inning, but it collapsed by allowing five runs in the eighth inning alone.

In fact, the loss was attributed to the massive runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but KIA also held back its failure to run away from the opportunity to run away. In particular, Na Sung-beom, who should lead the KIA-centered batting lineup, fell into a severe slump. As of the 8th, Na Sung-bum's season record remains 0.188 (6 hits in 32 at-bats) with one homer and three RBIs in eight games. In particular, the old appearance of combining long-range power and accuracy is nowhere to be seen, and only the number of strikeouts has increased rapidly. He also struck out two in the game on the 7th.

Overall, the most painful part of Na Sung-bum's batting stat is strikeouts. Na Sung-bum has struck out 11 times so far, disgraced himself as the most strikeouts in the team. He is tied for sixth in the league overall. Harold Castro, a foreign hitter with nine strikeouts, is ranked second in the team. As a central hitter, striking out is like fate, but the problem is that he is breaking the flow by swinging away at every decisive moment. Some analysts say that the trailblazing plan may have collapsed completely as more and more pitchers are being hit by attractions from opposing pitchers.

A more shocking indicator is that Na Sung-bum's batting average in scoring this season is 0.167. It is an indicator that the bat cools down in a chance situation where there is no runner, but sometimes hits are made, but when there is a chance that requires an RBI. In the end, Na Sung-bum's "lost clutch" situation, which was shown at the beginning of the season, is leading to the overall mismatch of the KIA lineup. Na Sung-bum's timely hit was his two-run home run against SSG on March 29.

KIA manager Lee Bum-ho is also deeply concerned. In particular, in the match against the NC Dinos held at home on the 5th, Na Sung-bum was not played at all, giving him a chance to cool down his head once. KIA is currently holding out due to the performances of new recruits such as Dale, who joined the Asian quarter, but if key hitters in Korea such as Na Sung-bum and Kim Do-young do not recover in the end, the leap to the top is a long way off. In particular, Kim Do-young seems to be burdened.

Whether Na Sung-beom of the world will be able to shake off the sluggishness of this "shock" and make a cool timely hit to the Gwangju Champions Field again, fans' eyes are still on the end of his bat.

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*This content was translated by AI.