“106 RBIs at age 43?” Choe Hyeong-woo’s prowess hits home when facing him as an opponent! Kim Do-young and Na Seong-beom also on edge: “A truly remarkable senior, but…”

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KIA Tigers’ Kim Do-young (23) and Na Seong-beom (37) are set for a fateful fall baseball showdown against Choe Hyeong-woo (43, Samsung Lions), with whom they shared the joy of winning the Korea Series two years ago.

On the 20th, at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium, KIA crushed LG Twins 13-1 in Game 3 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Junior Playoffs (best-of-five series). With a series record of three wins and no losses, KIA secured its first-ever advancement past the Junior Playoffs. The team will face second-place Samsung in the best-of-five Playoffs starting on the 25th.

This is their first matchup since the 2024 Korea Series. At that time, Choe Hyeong-woo, Na Seong-beom, and Kim Do-young were all on KIA’s roster. Veteran Choe Hyeong-woo anchored the middle of the lineup, while Na Seong-beom provided support behind him. Kim Do-young grew into a representative hitter for the league that year, recording 38 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the regular season.

The three also ran together toward a championship against Samsung in the Korea Series. Kim Do-young recorded an RBI hit in Game 1 and hit a home run in Game 2. Na Seong-beom also contributed consistently by producing hits throughout the series. Despite back pain, Choe Hyeong-woo returned to the starting lineup for Game 5 and even launched a home run. Ultimately, KIA defeated Samsung with a series record of four wins and one loss, claiming their 12th Korea Series title in franchise history. It was a championship trophy lifted together by three players wearing the same uniform.

The situation has changed over the past two years. After qualifying for free agency (FA) at the end of last season, Choe Hyeong-woo returned to his former team, Samsung. This year, Choe Hyeong-woo continued to perform as if age did not matter. In 137 regular-season games, he posted a .301 batting average (148 hits in 491 at-bats), 18 home runs, 106 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.849, helping Samsung defend its second-place standing.

KIA’s two juniors were no slouches either. Kim Do-young appeared in 135 games, posting a .308 batting average (153 hits in 496 at-bats), 45 home runs, 118 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.060 to claim the home run title. Na Seong-beom played in 140 games, recording a .303 batting average (154 hits in 508 at-bats), 31 home runs, 97 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.920, maintaining the power of KIA’s middle lineup.

In particular, both players heated up even more once fall baseball began. Kim Do-young swept up three home runs and eight RBIs in the three Junior Playoff games against LG to be named the series Most Valuable Player (MVP). In Game 3, he sealed the victory with a bases-loaded home run that traveled 145.8 meters. Na Seong-beom also led the 13-1 rout by hitting multiple home runs in Game 3, including a go-ahead solo shot.

After the game, questions were posed to both players about their reunion with Choe Hyeong-woo. Kim Do-young said, “Senior (Choe) Hyeong-woo was an incredible senior even when we were on the same team. Honestly, he is a very intimidating player to face as an opponent.”

In particular, they were wary of Choe Hyeong-woo’s signature clutch-hitting ability. Kim Do-young predicted, “Senior (Choe) Hyeong-woo is a player who is extremely strong in clutch situations, so I think the main point will be to prevent runners from getting on base ahead of him. If we do that well, we should be able to handle things easily.”

Na Seong-beom’s thoughts were not far different. He stated, “He is a truly remarkable senior, but the world of competition is cold. I imagine Senior (Choe) Hyeong-woo will also hit hard.” He added, “When we face Hyung-woo hyung in important situations, it seems our pitchers need to shut him down well. We don’t know what situation we will be in either, but shouldn’t we score the first run quickly and take control of the momentum as soon as possible?”

KIA held a 9-7 advantage over Samsung in their regular-season matchups this year. However, Samsung finished second in the regular season with a record of 83 wins, three draws, and 58 losses, placing higher than KIA (79 wins, two draws, 63 losses).

Na Seong-beom said, “I think short series are about momentum. It seems we need to minimize mistakes.” He continued, “Our team is currently in a good atmosphere, so if we keep it up like this, shouldn’t we be able to take control of the game starting from Sunday (Game 1 of the Playoffs)?” Kim Do-young also maintained his vigilance, stating, “Short series are different, so we will absolutely not become arrogant or complacent just because our regular-season record was good.”

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original