'Again' it explodes! KIA's Kim Do-young finally creates history as the first ever '-1', achieving a personal career high new record [Gwangju Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers' superstar Kim Do-young (23) has set a new personal record for the most home runs in a single season.

On the 26th, Kim Do-young started at third base and batted third in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game against Lotte Giants held at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field, hitting a home run in his first at-bat of the bottom of the first inning.

KIA gave up one run in the top of the first and trailed 0-1. In the following bottom of the first, Lotte's starting pitcher was Rodriguez. Leadoff hitter Lee Ho-yeon reached base on a hit-by-pitch, followed by Park Sang-jun reaching on a straight walk.

Kim Do-young then stepped up to the plate. The first pitch was a ball. He fouled off the second pitch and watched the third pitch go for a strike. Kim Do-young found himself in an unfavorable 1-2 count.

Kim Do-young fouled off the fourth pitch, a curveball again. The fifth pitch became a ball, making the count 2-2. He then attacked the sixth pitch, a 155 km/h fastball that was slightly high and outside in the strike zone, sending it over the right-field wall for a go-ahead three-run home run.

This was Kim Do-young's 39th home run of the season. With this, he broke his own record of 38 home runs set during the 2024 season when he won MVP (Most Valuable Player), establishing a new personal record for most home runs in a single season.

But that was not the end. In the bottom of the third inning with one out and a runner on first, Kim Do-young hit a two-run double to left-center field, marking his fourth RBI.

Kim Do-young has recently shown a terrifying instinct for consecutive hitting.

On the 23rd, Kim Do-young hit his 38th home run in an away game against Kiwoom Heroes. Starting at third base and batting third, he drew a solo shot over the center-field fence against Kiwoom pitcher Jeon Jun-pyo with one out and no runners on base in the top of the third inning while his team led 1-0. The distance was a staggering 135 meters.

Prior to that, Kim Do-young had already hit home runs in games against Gwangju Doosan Bears on the 15th and Daejeon Hanwha Eagles on the 19th.

And just three days later, he did it again, sending another ball over the fence.

Before today's game, Kim Do-young had recorded a batting average of 0.368 (38 at-bats, 14 hits), 4 home runs, 6 RBIs, 11 runs scored, 7 walks, and 9 strikeouts in his recent 10 games.

Coincidentally, Austin Dean of LG Twins, who is competing for the home run title on the same day, also hit one home run against NC Dinos. Austin launched a solo shot over the left-field wall at Jamsil Baseball Stadium with two outs and no runners on base in the top of the first inning. This was Austin's 34th home run of the season.

If Kim Do-young had not hit a home run, the gap between the two would have narrowed to four. However, with Kim Do-young recording a home run, the difference remains at five.

Before this game, Kim Do-young's stats for the season were: batting average 0.303 (419 at-bats, 127 hits), 39 home runs, 94 RBIs, 96 runs scored, 8 stolen bases (1 failed), 66 walks, 6 hit-by-pitches, slugging percentage 0.635, on-base percentage 0.402, OPS (on-base plus slugging) 1.037, and batting average with runners in scoring position 0.357.

Kim Do-young now looks toward creating the first history for the Tigers. If Kim Do-young adds one more home run, he will become the second player in franchise 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 achieve this feat in club history. Additionally, Kim Do-young is also aiming for the record of the youngest player in KBO League history to break 40 home runs in a single season.

Earlier, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho, upon hearing that the gap between Kim Do-young and Austin was five home runs, said, "It's not easy to hit five home runs in a month. If it's one per week, he would need to hit 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 either. Furthermore, with the standings battle continuing, they are unlikely to give up good pitches. If Kim Do-young participates in the Asian Games while maintaining a 4-5 game lead, it will be difficult for Austin to catch up." He strongly expressed support for Kim Do-young.

How many more home runs will Kim Do-young add before heading to the Asian Games? Expectations among KIA fans are rising.

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*This content was translated by AI.