*This content was translated by AI.
The Kia Tigers will face the Lotte Giants in a regular-season home game at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the afternoon of the 25th at 6:30 p.m. as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.
Many baseball fans are focusing their attention on Kim Do-young's bat.
Kim Do-young started as the third-order batter and third baseman in the away game against Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 23rd, contributing with one home run, one walk, and one run scored. Although the team ultimately suffered a walk-off loss in the bottom of the 9th inning, Kim Do-young's home run was very impressive.
At that time, Kim Do-young's home run occurred in the bottom of the 3rd inning with Kia leading 1-0 and no runners on base with one out. Facing Kiwoom pitcher Jeon Jun-pyo, he targeted a 149 km/h fastball right down the middle on the third pitch of an advantageous 0-2 count, drawing a solo arc over the center field wall. The distance was a staggering 135 meters.
This home run was Kim Do-young's 38th of the season, his first since the game against Daejeon Hanwha Eagles on the 19th after a four-game drought. With this hit, Kim Do-young took sole possession of the lead in the home run category. He has now extended his lead over Austin Dean of LG Twins (32 home runs), who is in second place in the home run category, by six hits.
Additionally, Kim Do-young has tied his own record for most home runs in a single season, set during the 2024 campaign with 38 home runs.
Kim Do-young has been showing a terrifying pace recently. In his last 10 games, he is batting .351 with four home runs and seven RBIs.
This season, he has recorded a .301 batting average (415 at-bats, 125 hits), 38 home runs, 94 RBIs, 95 runs scored, eight stolen bases (one failed attempt), 65 walks, six hit-by-pitches, a slugging percentage of .636, an on-base percentage of .400, an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.036, and a batting average with runners in scoring position of .361.
Kim Do-young now looks toward creating history as the first player in Tigers franchise history to achieve this feat, which could be reached as early as this week. If Kim Do-young adds two more home runs, he will become only the second player in club history to hit 40 home runs in a single season since Tracy Sanders (40 home runs) in 1999, and the first native Korean player to do so. This would also mark his career-high in home runs. Furthermore, he is on track to break the record for the youngest player in KBO League history to hit 40 home runs in a single season.
Earlier, Kia manager Lee Beom-ho strongly supported Kim Do-young after noting that the gap between Kim Do-young and Austin's home run totals had widened to five. "It is not easy to hit five home runs in a month," he said. "If it's one per week, that means hitting one every five games." He added, "Also, since (LG's Austin) uses Jamsil Stadium as his home field, it won't be easy for him. Moreover, with the standings battle continuing, opponents are unlikely to give him good pitches. If Kim Do-young participates in the Asian Games while trailing by four or five home runs, it will not be easy for him to catch up."
Indeed, how far will Kim Do-young's upward momentum continue? Expectations among Kia fans are rising.
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*This content was translated by AI.
