“I’m so honored and happy”.
Kia Tigers slugger Kim Do-young (20) hits his 20th home run of the season against the Hanwha Eagles in the 2024 KBO Baseball World Series at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Wednesday. He became the second youngest player in history to reach the 20-homer, 20-double mark. It took 21 years for Lee Jong-beom to achieve the feat. His 20-20 first half was the fifth-best in history. Even Lee Jong-beom couldn’t do it.
His first at-bat in the first inning was a three-pitch strikeout. He was hit by Ryu Hyun-jin, who throws aggressively. But in the bottom of the fourth inning, trailing 0-5, he came up to bat and took a 1-1 pitch, a three-pitch changeup that was just off the plate, and smashed it for a 130-meter solo home run. It was a bullet home run that reached 175.59 토토사이트 추천 kilometers per hour.
After the game, Kim said, “I think I’ll be able to come out sooner than I thought and bat easily in the future. I’m so honored. I asked them to write the name of the pitcher, Ryu Hyun-jin, on the memorial ball. It’s definitely different (Ryu’s pitch). I was surprised that the ball was good. I’m so honored and happy that my 20th home run was hit by Ryu Hyun-jin.”
He also described the process of hitting the home run. “I struck out on three pitches in my first at-bat. I thought it was going to be a tough at-bat. Ryu kept shaking his head, so I thought he definitely had my information. In the second at-bat, I thought, ‘If the first pitch is a fastball, I’m out. I saw the fastball, but I felt like it took me a little bit to get a good feel for the changeup. I saw the fastball, and I felt the changeup take a little bit to get a good feel for it.”
The moment it hit, I knew it was a home run. There was no ceremony, I just put my head down and rounded the bases. He could have raised his arms as he rounded first base, but he kept his head down. Even though the team was losing, he did it out of respect for Ryu Hyun-jin. “I didn’t want to do it because the team was losing. The first half was almost over and we had to go for the next record, so I didn’t make a big ceremony,” he explained.
In particular, it was the first Korean record of 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 21 years, following Tigers legend Lee Jong-beom. The second Lee Jong-beom succeeded the first. “I feel so honored and happy that I did it after Lee Jong-beom. I think it’s fate. I’m so happy and honored that the name Kim Do-young will be next after you,” he said with a proud expression on his face.
It’s a natural progression to go for 30 home runs and 30 doubles. I think 10 home runs and eight doubles is doable. There are plenty of games and at-bats left to get there. But he said he’s not going to think about 30-30 too much and will aim for a 30 percent batting average. “It comes with practice. I’m just going to take it day by day and help the team win. I’ll forget about it. I don’t think 30-30 is a big record, and I’m going to keep going. I’m going to stay healthy and play full-time. I want more batting average. I want to be a triple threat,” he said.