Na Sung-bum's confidence in KIA! "The ABS varies slightly from baseball stadium to baseball stadium. → They say it's the same..."

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers captain Na Sung-beom (37) suffered from a slump, but he showed his honest difficulties as a batter for the automatic pitching decision system (ABS), which was introduced since last season, while at the same time leading the team to victory by swinging hard hits.

Na Sung-bum started the home game against the Samsung Lions in the "2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League" at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 8th as the sixth batter and right fielder, and led his team to a 15-5 victory with three hits (one home run) and five RBIs in four at-bats.

Just a day earlier, in the match against Samsung on the 7th, Na Sung-beom bowed his head to two strikeouts in four at-bats, struggling with his elaborate control that pierced every corner of the ABS zone. His batting average plummeted to 0.188 for the season and he suffered as a leader, but he made a perfect turnaround in just one day, sending Champions Field into a frenzy. Before I knew it, the batting average rose nearly 10% to 0.250.

Na Sung-bum, who met with reporters after the game, expressed his view on the ABS system, referring to the frustration he felt in the previous game. In particular, he said, "I think the zone is a little different for each baseball stadium, and ABS is different," and added, "It is said that all stadiums are the same, but from our players' point of view, it seems to be slightly different because we have done something so far."

Regarding the judgment of the game the previous day (7th), he also said, "It's the first time I've seen a ball like that become a strike while playing baseball. "I think it was a bit harsh," he said honestly, "I don't know if it will be like this or if it will change again when I go to the away game and come back home, so there are sensitive and difficult parts from the batters' point of view."

Regarding the recent slump, such as no timely hit before the game, he said, "There was no special reason, and the batting cycle seems to have been on the decline. "I didn't have a good batting sense, so I focused on making a good hit somehow, but I gained confidence with hits and home runs," he said.

At the same time, he emphasized the harmony of pitching and hitting as KIA's team leader. "When a pitcher is struggling, the batter has to take out the score, and when a batter is struggling, the pitcher has to block it," Na Sung-bum said, adding, "I have to concentrate more at the batter's box to score points so that pitchers can throw comfortably."

Regarding the increase in the proportion of designated hitters, not defense, this season, he confessed honestly that he still needs to adapt. "I still don't know when and how to do it in the dugout," Na Sung-bum said. "At home, you can continue to play on the indoor practice field and move your body, but the away game seems to have difficulties because there is not enough space. I will make sure that I can adapt quickly," he said.

Na Sung-bum, who fired a signal of revival, is now ready to lead his team's rise with a new task of adapting to ABS. "I hope we can continue this good atmosphere and win many more games in the future, not just one game today. "If there is news of rain on the 9th, but I am moving to Daejeon, and I want to move well with good energy," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.