Swapping a torn glove and hitting another home run! A chilling captain's instinct, KIA snapped their losing streak "I had a strange feeling" [Gwangju on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers' Na Sung-beom (37) swapped his glove and hit a multi-home run, ending the team's losing streak.

On the 17th, Na Sung-beom started at the cleanup spot and right fielder in the home game against LG Twins at the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season. He went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs, and two runs scored, leading KIA to a 5-4 victory.

With this win, KIA escaped a two-game losing streak and maintained fourth place in the league with 35 wins, one tie, and 32 losses. LG, failing to secure a four-game winning streak, sits at 42 wins and 25 losses, allowing KT Wiz in second place to close the gap.

Na Sung-beom delivered a key hit at every critical moment. After being retired on a fly ball to center field on the first pitch of his first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning, he hit a solo home run to the center field gap in the bottom of the third with two outs, connecting on LG pitcher Jang Hyun-sik's first pitch, a 146 km/h fastball.

The final at-bat in the bottom of the eighth was even more dramatic. The game was tied 2-2 after consecutive errors in the top of the eighth, and LG's foreign pitcher Yassel Baez, who throws a fastball reaching up to 161 km/h, was on the mound.

However, KIA batters quickly made contact with Baez's hard throws. Leadoff hitter Kim Ho-ryeong hit a double to left-center field, and Kim Do-young followed with a one-RBI single to left field to take the lead. Na Sung-beom faced two consecutive fastballs clocked at 156 km/h and 158 km/h.

But Na Sung-beom sent the second pitch, a 158 km/h fastball, over the left-center field wall. It was his 13th home run of the season, sealing the victory for KIA. Na Sung-beom's two-home run game came 449 days after his last such performance on March 25, 2025, against the Gwangju Kiwoom Heroes.

After the game, Na Sung-beom told reporters, "I don't even remember when I last hit a multi-home run. Home runs are always good. It's even better when they help the team win."

He added, "I knew from our scouting reports that Baez throws a fast ball. His breaking balls were also fast. So I thought I needed to get my timing right quickly, even if I swung and missed. Also, the leadoff hitter (Kim) Do-young hit a sacrifice fly, which allowed me to step into the batter's box comfortably."

Before stepping into the batter's box in the bottom of the eighth, Na Sung-beom took a brief pause. His glove had torn. Na Sung-beom explained, "The palm of my usual glove was starting to tear slightly. While waiting in the on-deck circle, I was debating whether to swing and change it. Then (Kim) Do-young drew a walk. If I had hit that pitch or been out, I would have rushed into the batter's box without realizing it, and I had a strange feeling about that."

It was a chilling instinct from the captain. Na Sung-beom said, "Today, even in my first at-bat, I felt something was off when the glove tore after I hit the ball. So I changed it immediately, and then I hit a home run in the next at-bat. (In the bottom of the eighth) I felt I had to change it again, so I did it quickly. While I was wearing the new glove, Do-young hit the ball and made a gesture, and the umpire told me I was late changing gloves. The glove itself is a bit thin, but it feels good, so I kept using it."

Na Sung-beom's performance, delivering RBIs at every critical moment, was exactly what KIA wanted. Na Sung-beom said firmly, "The manager always says that when batting average isn't the priority, it's important to step up and deliver. Right now, we don't have any foreign hitters, and we don't know when they will return. In this situation, the manager always trusts me and sends me out as the cleanup hitter, so I will prepare to be that kind of hitter in the future."

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*This content was translated by AI.