Kim Dong-heon swung for the fences and kept the Kiwoom Heroes proud.토스카지노
Kim Dong-heon batted ninth and started as a catcher in their home game against the LG Twins in the 2023 KBO Baseball League at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 13th.
Kim’s bat came alive early in the game. With two outs in the top of the second inning, he lined a four-pitch 126km change-up from opposing starter Im Chan-kyu for a single to centre field.
Kiwoom’s Kim Dong-hun swings for the fences against LG in Jamsil on the 13th. Photo (Jamsil Seoul)=Chun Jeong-hwan Reporter
With momentum on his side, Kim continued his hitting streak in the top of the fourth inning. With runners on first and second, he took a four-pitch pitch from Im Chan-gyu and lined it to right field to score the first run. Lee moved from second to third on the hit and scored on the next batter’s grounder to the first baseman.
Kim’s hot hitting continued in the top of the fifth inning. With runners on first and third, he pulled a two-pitch 112km curveball from Im Chan-gyu for a single to left-centre.
He then struck out in the top of the seventh before being replaced by Kim Xiang in the bottom of the inning. He finished with a 4-for-4 performance with a double and two RBIs. However, despite Kim’s performance, Kiwoom fell to LG 8-17. This was their fourth straight defeat, leaving Kiwoom in last place with 62 losses (42 wins, 3 draws).
Kim Dong-heon, who was drafted by Kiwoom with the 12th overall pick in the second round in 2023, has been playing a lot in his debut season due to his potential. In 76 games prior to the LG Electronics League, he batted .263 (42-for-160) with one home run and 13 RBIs. In recognition of his ability, he was named to the final roster of the Korean baseball team for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which will be held from mid-September to early October.
His presence became even more important after Lee Ji-young was removed from the first team roster due to a throat infection before the game. “(Kim Dong-heon) has been playing steadily since the opening game of this year,” said Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki on the news of Lee’s exclusion, adding, “The team direction is the same, and it’s very difficult for young players, especially catchers, to come out. In that sense, I hope it will be a time for Kim Dong-heon to continue to go out and gain more experience and grow through repeated failures and successes. I think the roughness (in defence) is disappearing. He’s still young, so I hope he can improve through experience,” he said.
It seems like he heard the words of encouragement. Kim Dong-heon played brilliantly on the day, protecting Kiwoom’s pride in the face of a heavy defeat. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to perform well in the remaining matches and continue to grow as coach Hong Won-ki hopes.