The KIA Tigers suffered an injury setback at the end of the season as Kim Do-young (20), who played for the national team in the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), was injured.
On the 21st, KIA said, “Kim Do-young suffered a left thumb injury while playing first base in the APBC final against Japan at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 19th. He underwent CT and MRI examinations at Sejong Sports Orthopedics on the 20th and was diagnosed with a ruptured medial collateral ligament of the metacarpophalangeal joint of his left thumb and an avulsion fracture. Kim is scheduled to undergo ligament suture surgery at Sejong Sports Orthopedics on the 22nd, and the rehabilitation period is expected to take about four months.”
Kim Do-young is a key prospect who joined KIA as the first overall pick in the 2022 rookie draft. He made his first-team debut in his rookie year, but had a somewhat disappointing season, batting just 2-for-33 (53-for-224) with three home runs, 19 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 13 doubles, and a .674 OPS in 103 games.
This year, however, was different. Despite missing a lot of time due to injury, Kim fulfilled his potential and was a key part of the KIA batting lineup, 먹튀검증토토사이트 batting .333 (103-for-340) with seven home runs, 47 RBIs, 72 runs scored, 25 doubles and an OPS of .824 in 84 games.
In the final against Japan,
With the score tied at 2-2 in the top of the 10th inning, Kim led off with a sacrifice bunt, but an unfortunate ball call by the umpire put him at a disadvantage. Kim made a head-first slide to first base, but was ruled out and ended the tournament with an injury.
Since the injury occurred with the 2023 season already over, it’s unlikely that Kim will miss much of next season despite the four-month long injury. However, it’s a shame to see his season come to an end due to injury as he is still in the midst of his development and was expected to make an impact as a full-time starter.
KIA has had its fair share of injuries this year. Before the season even started, Na Sung-bum was injured and didn’t play in the opening game, and Kim Do-young was injured not long after the season started. More injuries, both big and small, have plagued the team since then.
Add to that the loss of key players to injury in September,
The most crucial month in the standings race, and KIA was hit hard. On September 19 against LG, Na Sung-bum, who was batting hot with a 3-for-6 record (222-for-81), 18 homers, 57 RBIs and a 1.098 OPS in 58 games, was sidelined with a hamstring injury, and on September 24 against KT, Choi Hyung-woo, who was filling in for Na with a 3-for-2 record (431-for-130), 17 homers, 81 RBIs and an .887 OPS in 121 games, was diagnosed with a fractured left collarbone.
Shortstop Park Chan-ho had been performing well this year with a .734 OPS in 130 games (136-for-452) with three home runs, 52 RBIs, 73 runs scored, 30 doubles and an OPS of .734, but he suffered a comminuted fracture of his left ulna after being hit by a pitch at KT on Oct. 9. Choi, who was on the Hangzhou Asian Games team after retiring from the Commerce in June, suffered a left calf fascia and muscle micro-injury when he was hit by a pitch during team training.
Plagued by an unbelievable string of injuries, KIA ultimately finished sixth in the league with 73 wins, two draws and 69 losses, missing the postseason by one game. Injuries continued to plague the team down the stretch as Kim Do-young was injured on international duty.
Despite the injury-plagued season, KIA showed promise with a strong batting lineup, giving them hope for next season. Fans are eager to see if the team can shake off their injury nightmare and return to fall baseball next season.