A thrilling monster hit, a new record of 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases per month… KIA’s choice for the ‘Mungim Daejeon’ of the century was correct

[OSEN=이선호 기자] The batting genius proved why he was chosen.

KIA Tigers infielder Kim Do-young (21) showed off the power of a monster hitter by writing a new KBO history. He set a record of 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases per month, which had never been seen since the launch of the KBO League in 1982. After much deliberation over the first round of nominations three years ago, KIA’s selection of the century is coming to fruition. After considering Kim Do-young and Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha), I decided on Kim Do-young.

Kim Do-young, 24, participated in the 2024 professional baseball game against Kiwoom Heroes held at Gocheok Sky Dome and drew a large arch in his third at-bat. In the top of the 6th inning, he stepped up as the lead hitter and hit a 143km fastball from Kiwoom’s second pitcher, Kim Seon-ki, over the center fence. The flight distance was a whopping 130m.

It was the 10th home run in April. He has already stolen 11 bases, setting the KBO league’s first monthly record of ’10 home runs – 10 stolen bases’. It was a valuable record that even baseball genius Lee Jong-beom, who achieved ’30 home runs and 30 stolen bases’, Eric Thames, who became the first player in the KBO League to achieve ’40 home runs and 40 stolen bases’, and Park Jae-hong, who joined ’30 home runs and 30 stolen bases’ three times, could not achieve it. In the future, it is recognized as a record that will be difficult to break unless it is Kim Do-young.

After hitting his first 130m home run of the season against Reyes in the Gwangju Samsung game on April 5, he reached double-digit home runs in 18 games. Distance is also no problem. Four out of ten were 130m long. Four were over 120m, and the remaining two were 110m and 115m. The batting speed is also fast, so it flies like a bullet and hits the audience.

He only hit 3 home runs in the 2022 season and 7 home runs in the 2023 season, but this year, he hit double-digit home runs just one month after opening. He has a 15-game hitting streak and a 12-game scoring streak. He has a batting average of .300, 24 RBI, 26 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, and an OPS (slugging percentage + on-base percentage) of 1.058. He is first on the team in all but batting average (second). Manager Beom-ho Lee’s mantra, “Rather than hitting a hard ground ball, you should hit it in the air” led to a monster hit.

The teammates in the dugout are unable to keep their mouths open due to the unprecedented batting streak. Choi Hyeong-woo, who has a total of 376 home runs and the most RBIs, said, “Of course, it is not the hitting point where it becomes a home run if it is hit, but it is hit from about two balls behind, so instead of pushing it over, it pulls it over. This means that the strength, rotation, and quickness are unbelievable (amazing). It is truly amazing. He praised, “It’s not that he’s good at physical strength, he’s at the top of the league.”

It is no exaggeration to say that KIA is currently led by Kim Do-young. Kim Sun-bin and Park Chan-ho, who had been hitting well since the opening game, have faltered somewhat, and Socrates continues to hit sluggishly. While Lee Woo-sung and Choi Won-jun are hitting steadily, Kim Do-young’s home run hits are creating a fearsome batting lineup.

Legendary Jong-beom Lee earned the title of genius by recording 196 hits, .393, and 84 stolen bases at the age of 24 and in his second year of college. In the third year since joining the team, Kim Do-young is showing off the best batting in the league despite being only 21 years old. He is also receiving extraordinary attention as to how he will evolve in the future.

KIA selected Kim Do-young over fastball pitcher Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha) in the 2022 first round of nominations. Some even said that he was a poor choice due to his poor performance in his first year and his inability to utilize his skills at 100% last year due to injury. However, this year, he is being evaluated as a divine act with his electrifying batting. /[email protected]