“KIA has a ‘genius hitter'”…Kim Do-young achieves 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases per month for the first time in KBO

A ‘genius hitter’ was born in KIA Tigers.

In the 3rd game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League away game against Kiwoom Heroes held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 25th, Kim Do-young hit a home run that went over the center fence by targeting Kim Seon-ki’s first pitch in the 5th inning when he was ahead 3-0.

Kim Do-young’s 10th home run of the season.

It was the moment when the first monthly record of 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases was recorded in KBO League history.

Kim Do-young achieved 10 home runs and 11 stolen bases in April alone, becoming the first professional baseball player to achieve the record of ‘10 home runs and 10 stolen bases.’

It is a record that neither ‘KIA legend’ Lee Jong-beom nor Eric Thames (then NC Dinos), who joined the ‘40 home runs and 40 stolen bases’ club in the KBO League in 2015, have achieved.

In August 2017, Son Ah-seop (NC Dinos), who played for the Lotte Giants, recorded 9 home runs and 10 stolen bases.

Kim Do-young, who was called the ‘second Lee Jong-beom’ because he possessed all three beats of gong, su, and main during his time at Gwangju Dongseong High School.

He was selected in the first round by KIA, beating out ‘Fireballer’ Moon Dong-ju (currently Hanwha Eagles) in the 2022 rookie draft, raising the expectations of many.

Although he received a lot of attention even before his debut, his batting average in the first year of his debut was only 0.237.

The following year, last year, he had a batting average of 0.333 with 7 home runs and 25 stolen bases, but had to be content with playing in 84 games due to injury.

This year, in March, he showed a sluggish performance with a batting average of 0.154, 1 RBI, and 0 stolen bases, but things changed completely in April.

Kim Do-young’s performance this season is a batting average of 0.333, 10 home runs, 24 RBIs, 26 runs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 1.058.

Meanwhile, in this day’s game, Yang Hyun-jong recorded 4 hits (1 home run), 5 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 2 runs in 7 innings, earning his 2nd win of the season.

Yang Hyun-jong became the second player in the KBO League to achieve 170 wins, following Song Jin-woo.

KIA Tigers Kim Do-young Monthly 10-10