'Kim Geka' Operation Fails → Castro Delivers 6 RBIs! KIA Sweeps KT in Three Games... Kim Do-young Also Hits 4 Hits Instead of Youngest 40-Home Run Record [Gwangju On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz's decision to bypass Kim Do-young and instead target Harold Castro ended in a major blunder. Castro delivered four hits and six RBIs, leading his team to victory. Although Kim Do-young failed to set the KBO record as the youngest player to reach 40 home runs, he drove his team to win with four hits.

On the 6th, KIA defeated KT 8-3 in a regular-season home game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With this sweep of the three-game series against KT, KIA improved to 66 wins, 2 ties, and 52 losses, narrowing the gap with third-place LG Twins—who also lost on the same day—to just one game. KT, now in a shocking three-game losing streak, stands at 69 wins, 3 ties, and 46 losses, trailing first-place Samsung Lions by one game.

In the pitching duel, KIA took the lead. Neill of KIA pitched six innings, allowing nine hits, one walk, four strikeouts, and two earned runs, completing a Quality Start (QS: at least six innings with three or fewer earned runs). This marks his sixth consecutive QS in recent games. In the bottom of the third inning with one out and runners on first and second, he induced Kim Hyun-soo into a double play. Even after giving up a double to Choi Won-jun in the fifth inning, he prevented further runs, demonstrating strong crisis management skills.

In contrast, KT's Daniel Davis held his own against KIA until mid-game but could not contain Castro. He pitched three innings, allowing five hits, three walks, three strikeouts, and three earned runs, suffering his second loss of the season (1 win).

Offensively, Castro was clearly the standout. Going 4-for-4 with no home runs, he drove in six RBIs, accounting for three-quarters of his team's total runs. Kim Do-young failed to break the KBO record as the youngest player to reach 40 home runs but showed his form with four hits, three runs scored, one walk, and five times on base in four at-bats. KT recorded 11 hits overall, including multi-hit games from Kim Min-hyuk, Kim Hyun-soo, and Heo Kyung-min, but like the previous day (the 5th), they struggled to capitalize with runners in scoring position.

On this day, KIA lined up its batting order as follows: Lee Ho-yeon (second baseman), Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Castro (first baseman), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (designated hitter), Kim Ho-ryung (center fielder), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Ha Joo-seok (shortstop). Neill started on the mound.

KT countered with Choi Won-jun (center fielder), Kim Min-hyuk (designated hitter), Ahn Hyun-min (right fielder), Sam Hilliard (left fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). Daniel Davis started on the mound.

Both teams exchanged runs from the start. In the bottom of the first inning with one out, Park Jae-hyun drew a walk, followed by Kim Do-young's single to left field, putting runners on first and second. Castro then hit a sacrifice fly to right field for an RBI, giving KIA the lead. KT responded in the top of the second with one out: Heo Kyung-min singled to right field, Kim Sang-su singled to center field, placing runners on first and second. Han Seung-taek then hit a sacrifice fly to center field for an RBI, tying the game at 1-1.

KIA took the lead again. In the bottom of the third, Park Jae-hyun and Kim Do-young each singled to left field in succession, loading the bases. Castro followed with another sacrifice double down the left-center gap for two RBIs, extending KIA's lead to 3-1. Na Sung-beom added an RBI via a sacrifice fly to left field.

KT launched a counterattack. In the top of the sixth with one out, Kim Hyun-soo hit a double down the left-field line, and Heo Kyung-min singled up the middle, putting runners on first and third. Ryu Hyeon-in then hit a sacrifice fly to left-center for an RBI, cutting the deficit to 3-2. However, Han Seung-taek grounded into a double play, failing to tie the game.

KIA extended its lead further. In the bottom of the sixth, leadoff hitter Ha Joo-seok was hit by a pitch and reached base. Substitute runner Jung Hyun-chang advanced to second on a wild pitch. KT intentionally walked Kim Do-young automatically, but Castro then hit a two-RBI double down the right-field wall, increasing the score gap to 5-2.

A similar pattern repeated in the eighth inning. In the top of the eighth, Ahn Hyun-min's double down the left-field line was followed by Hilliard's fly ball to center field with one out and a runner on third. Kim Hyun-soo then singled up the middle for an RBI, narrowing the gap to 5-4. However, Heo Kyung-min and Ryu Hyeon-in both grounded out in succession, failing to score again.

In the bottom of the eighth, KIA capitalized on a base-running error. Leadoff hitter Jung Hyun-chang reached base after a throwing error by KT's shortstop. Kim Do-young then singled up the middle, creating a one-out situation with runners on first and third. At that moment, Sugiimoto Kouki was hit in the shin by a hard ground ball from Kim Do-young and was immediately replaced by Park Young-hyun. However, Park Young-hyun allowed Castro's two-RBI double to left-center field and Na Sung-beom's one-RBI double down the right-field line, giving up three runs before being replaced by Lee Jung-hyun.

Lee Ui-ri, who entered in the ninth inning, retired Oh Yun-seok and Bae Jeong-dae with strikeouts, pitching a scoreless inning to make up for last game's disappointment.

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*This content was translated by AI.