'Big Break' KIA's Kim Do-young Strikes Again! 'Crazy Bat Speed' Explodes at 183 km/h, Securing a Glorious First Half with All-Out Effort [Busan On-the-Ground Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The KIA Tigers snapped their four-game losing streak and finished the first half on a high note.

On the 9th, KIA defeated the Lotte Giants 5-2 in an away regular-season game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium.

With this victory, KIA escaped its four-game losing streak and closed the first half with a record of 45 wins, 2 draws, and 39 losses. The team currently holds sole possession of fourth place in the league standings. Meanwhile, Lotte ended its two-game winning streak with a record of 38 wins, 2 draws, and 45 losses, maintaining eighth place in the league standings.

For this game, KIA set its starting lineup as follows: Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Castro (designated hitter), Han Jun-soo (catcher), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Byun Woo-hyeok (first baseman), and Park Min (shortstop). Yang Hyeon-jong was the starting pitcher.

Before the game, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho stated, "I had already discussed this with the pitching coach; (Hwang) Dong-ha will be on standby from the first inning. We also plan to have the bullpen ready from the first inning. I told (Yang) Hyeon-jong to throw his best from the start. If a large score gap opens early, it becomes difficult to catch up, so we agreed to prepare accordingly," expressing their commitment to an all-out effort.

Lotte constructed its starting lineup as follows: Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Ko Seung-min (first baseman), Reyes (left fielder), Han Dong-hee (designated hitter), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Han Tae-yang (second baseman), Son Ho-young (right fielder), Kim Se-min (third baseman), and Son Seong-bin (catcher). Kim Jin-wook was the starting pitcher.

KIA seized the initiative by scoring first, as expected. In the bottom of the second inning, leadoff hitter Castro hit a solo home run over the right-field fence. Then in the third inning, with two outs, Park Jae-hyun recorded a double to center field, followed by Kim Do-young hitting an RBI single to left-center, extending the lead to 2-0.

Lotte fought back. In the top of the fourth inning, with no runners on base and two outs, Han Tae-yang reached base with a double to left-center field. Then Son Ho-young hit an RBI double down the right-field line, narrowing the score gap to 2-1.

However, a decisive blow landed that dashed Lotte's hopes of catching up: it was Kim Do-young's home run. Appearing as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning, Kim Do-young connected with an inside fastball from Kim Jin-wook on the first pitch and launched a solo shot over the left-field fence. This home run tied him with LG Twins foreign hitter Austin (27 home runs) for first place in the home run category. The distance was 130 meters, and the bat speed reached an astonishing 183.2 km/h.

Then, in the eighth inning, KIA added two more runs, effectively sealing the game. After Lotte replaced Iimura with Choi Jun-yong, leadoff hitter Park Jae-hyun reached base with a hit to left-center field. Taking advantage of a throwing error by the new catcher Park Geon-woo, Park Jae-hyun advanced to second base. Although Kim Do-young struck out, Na Sung-beom launched a two-run home run over the left-field fence, pushing the score to 5-1.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, with one out, Park Chan-hyung reached base on a hit-by-pitch. Then, facing new pitcher Jung Hae-young, Park Geon-woo hit an RBI double over the left-field wall. However, there was no further comeback, and the game ultimately concluded with a victory for KIA.

KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong earned his sixth win of the season, pitching five innings (69 pitches total), allowing five hits, one walk, striking out one batter, and surrendering one earned run. In the lineup that produced nine hits in total, Park Jae-hyun, Kim Do-young, and Castro all recorded multi-hit performances. On the other hand, Lotte starter Kim Jin-wook took the loss (fourth defeat of the season), pitching six innings (84 pitches total), allowing seven hits (including two home runs), one walk, striking out three batters, and surrendering three earned runs.

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*This content was translated by AI.