
Baseball genius Kim Do-young is no exception. Lee Bum-ho, the manager of the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization, has a strong message for his players.
Kim committed a bizarre error against Samsung Electronics in Daegu on April 2. Kia starter James Nail struck out foreign hitter David McKinnon on a wild pitch with runners on first and second in the bottom of the third inning. Koo Ja-uk and Kang Min-ho, who were on base, tried to steal a double. Catcher Kim Tae-gun quickly threw to third base to catch the lead runner.
The inning would be over if Koo was caught in a double play, but third baseman Kim Do-young suddenly threw to first base. Surprised by the unexpected situation, first baseman Seo Gun-chang lost track of the ball, and Gu Ja-rook, who stole third base, was able to reach home. Gu Ja-rook, who was caught in a double steal, collided with the starting nail, and the umpire called base running interference. Guzauk scored.
Down 0-4 in the top of the fourth inning,
Kim Do-young, who led off the inning with a walk, took a second pitch from Samsung starter Connor Seabold over the left-center field fence. It was his 22nd home run of the season. Kim, who hit a single to right-center in the first inning and a run-scoring homer to left-center in the fourth, was replaced by Byun Woo-hyuk in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The club did not make an official statement, but the substitution was more of a punishment for the boneheaded play. 무료고스톱다운받기 Kia beat Samsung 9-5 in 10 extra innings to snap a three-game losing streak.
“Na Sung-beom’s two-run home run in the eighth inning turned the tide, and Socrates’ tying hit in the ninth inning pushed the game into extra innings, and in the top of the 10th inning, Choi Won-joon’s game-winning single and Han Jun-soo’s decisive home run gave us the win,” said Lee Beom-ho after the game.
“We were able to pull off the upset thanks to the bullpen’s strong performance after starter Nail went down. Starting with Jang Hyun-sik and ending with Jeon Sang-hyun, all the bullpen pitchers did their job. I hope they can maintain their performance like today.”
“It’s been a tough week for all of our players, and we’re looking forward to turning things around with today’s win. I’m grateful to the players for staying focused until the end, and I’d like to thank the fans for their support until the end,” said Lee Bum-ho. There was no mention of Kim Do-young.
Kim, an infielder who can play all three outfield positions, was dubbed the “next Lee Jong-beom” when he joined the team.
This season, he is having a career-high season. In April, he became the first player in baseball to hit 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a single month and was named the March-April MVP of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League.
Kim joined the 20-20 club before the first half of the season was over and is on track to become the first player to reach 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in his career. Even as he grows into a player who will be responsible for the future of Korean baseball beyond Kia, Kim is relentless in his substitutions.
There is a proverb that says, ‘One more hawk for the precious one, one more rice cake for the ugly one. That’s probably why Lee Bum-ho replaced Kim Do-young.