*This content was translated by AI.
It was a shocking confession. A player who received high expectations as the No. 1 draft pick admitted he seriously pondered his future in baseball. Now, after hitting back-to-back home runs, he is gradually gaining widespread recognition. This is the story of Doosan Bears outfielder Kim Daehyun (26).
Doosan secured a 4-2 victory over LG in their 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 31st of last month.
With this win, Doosan improved to 51 wins, 45 losses, and 3 ties, taking sole possession of fourth place in the league. They have now won two consecutive games. Meanwhile, LG recorded 55 wins and 43 losses. The gap between third-place LG and fourth-place Doosan narrowed from four games to three games.
Kim Daehyun started at No. 8 hitter and right fielder for the day, going 2-for-3 with two home runs, two RBIs, and two runs scored, leading his team to victory.
Kim's first solo home run came in the bottom of the second inning when Doosan trailed 0-1. With no runners on base and two outs, Kim capitalized on a third-pitch changeup from Song Seung-gi with a 1-1 count, sending the ball over the left-center field wall for a solo shot. It was his first home run of the season.
That wasn't the end. In the bottom of the seventh inning, with Doosan holding a one-run lead at 3-2, LG replaced pitcher Kim Young-woo with Lee Woo-chan. Leading off the inning, Kim Daehyun stepped up to the plate and immediately drove Lee's first-pitch fastball over the left-field wall for another solo home run. It was the moment he hit his first multi-home run game since making his debut.
A graduate of Sungin Elementary School (Gangbuk), Deoksu Middle School, and Hwimun High School, Kim Daehyun played both as a pitcher and batter during high school, earning the nickname "Hwimun's Ohtani." Drafted first overall by Doosan in 2019, he has appeared in 191 career KBO League games through this season, posting a .191 batting average, nine home runs, 33 RBIs, 27 walks, 93 strikeouts, a .270 on-base percentage, and a .317 slugging percentage. After three consecutive seasons (2023–2025) with a batting average in the .100s, he is now hitting .280 with two home runs, three RBIs, five runs scored, a .357 on-base percentage, and a .520 slugging percentage this season.
In a post-game interview with reporters, Kim said, "I feel good after a great game, but I'm trying not to get too excited. Most importantly, we're in the thick of the standings race, so it seems what matters most is that our team won."
Regarding the situations during his home runs, Kim explained, "In my first at-bat, I was focused on getting on base rather than hitting a home run, and I got a good result. In the second at-bat, I just thought it would go over the fence. My bat flip came out naturally without me even realizing it. (Laughs) The manager and coach Lee Jin-young told me recently that my timing was late against fastballs. Fixing that part helped my performance."
Kim added, "Actually, last year was the toughest period for me. I really struggled while deeply contemplating my career path. Still, there were people who provided psychological support around me. I want to express my sincere gratitude to them."
He continued, "I think I put too much pressure on myself. As a result, I got hurt emotionally, which became a heavy burden for me. But once I let go of many things, I stopped getting hurt. I'm improving without being overly swayed by wins or losses, and I want to keep moving forward steadily."
Doosan recently released foreign outfielder Daz Cameron. Kim Daehyun has stepped into that vacant role and is continuing his strong performance. He stated, "The departure of a foreign outfielder was an opportunity for me. However, what matters more is how I handle it. If I perform consistently well, this spot will be mine. Otherwise, someone else may take it."
Kim said, "I'm not really a home run hitter. My ultimate goal is to become a middle-to-long distance hitter like senior Park Geon-woo (NC Dinos). I want to be a player who gets on base, disrupts the defense with my speed, and converts those opportunities into runs."
Addressing Doosan fans, he said, "I want to do even better after you've waited for me for so long. But when things didn't go well, your continued support helped me get back up. If you keep cheering for me in the future, I'll strive to become a player who surpasses senior Park Geon-woo." When asked if there was anything else he wanted to say, he replied with a smile, "I'd like to rest today," before looking ahead to the next game.
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*This content was translated by AI.
