"No pain, no breathing issues." Kim Do-young recovering faster than expected! Begins betting training in Gwangju [Suwon on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Do-young (23, KIA Tigers) is recovering faster than expected. He resumed training just three days after undergoing surgery for a nasal bone fracture.

Lee Beom-ho, KIA's manager, stated on the 12th ahead of the KT Wiz game at SuwonKT Wiz Park regarding Kim Do-young's condition: "He reports no pain and says he feels completely fine. He also mentioned that playing baseball has not caused any breathing discomfort due to his nose."

In just a few days, both KIA and Kim Do-young have experienced heaven and hell. On the 8th, during a Samsung Lions game, Kim hit his first career 40 home runs — the first 40-home run season by a native Tiger player. However, on the following day (the 9th) in a Gwangju NC Dinos game, while attempting a bunt, he was struck in the face by a pitch thrown at 148 km/h by Song Myeong-gi. Hospital examinations diagnosed a nasal bone fracture, and he immediately underwent reduction surgery at a hospital designated by the team.

Fortunately, his recovery is proceeding smoothly. Kim Do-young was discharged on the 11th and rejoined the team, though he did not travel to Suwon for the away game. Instead, he conducted training and monitored his physical condition in Gwangju. Manager Lee explained: "He will likely do catch tosses and tee batting. If all looks good, we'll recheck his status tomorrow. Most of the fixation has been removed; only a small portion remains fixed above, and he reports no pain."

As Kim rejoins the team on the 13th, the primary concern is defense rather than hitting. Manager Lee said: "There should be no problem playing in games," but added: "When playing defense, there is a risk of batted balls bouncing toward his face. As long as that doesn't happen, we don't expect any major issues."

This positive development benefits not only Kim Do-young personally but also the national team. Kim is a key hitter for the Asian Games squad led by Ryu Ji-hyun, starting with the Taiwan game on the 21st. He previously demonstrated his international competitiveness during the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, hitting a go-ahead two-run home run and an RBI single to tie the game against Taiwan. He remains an indispensable offensive asset for this tournament as well.

According to officials from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and KIA, Kim Do-young's condition has been deemed suitable for competition, and he is expected to officially rejoin the national team after the conclusion of the game on the 14th.

Of course, it is too early to confirm his full participation. However, the absence of post-surgery pain or breathing issues, combined with the fact that he has resumed batting training faster than anticipated, are clearly positive signs.

Meanwhile, without Kim Do-young, KIA's lineup today consisted of Park Jeong-woo (right fielder), Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Harold Castro (first baseman), Na Sung-beom (designated hitter), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Ha Joo-seok (shortstop), Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Kim Gyu-sung (third baseman). The starting pitcher was James Nail.

Fortunately, players who reported pain the previous day (the 11th), including Castro and Yang Hyeon-jong, are now in good condition. Manager Lee explained: "Castro was hit slightly below his knee, but fortunately he says he's fine. We considered moving him to designated hitter, but he insisted that sitting would cool down his body, so he'll play defense as well." Regarding Yang Hyeon-jong, he added: "He reports no issues at all. However, since he felt some discomfort, we plan to recheck his status tomorrow. Currently, there are no special concerns, and nothing warrants major worry."

KT will start with Daniel Davis. Just six days after Nail pitched six innings allowing two earned runs for the win against Davis, who took the loss after three innings with three earned runs in Gwangju on the 6th, the same starting matchup has been arranged again.

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*This content was translated by AI.