Kim Do-yeong of South Korea rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam against Cuba during the teams’ Group B game at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei on Nov. 14, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — Kia Tigers third baseman Kim Do-yeong authored a historic season in his domestic league this year. On Thursday in Taipei, Kim put on a show in front of an international audience, helping the South Korean national team to its first win at the ongoing World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12.
Kim, presumptive regular-season MVP in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), smoked two home runs, including a grand slam, and turned in a fine defensive day at the hot corner, as South Korea beat Cuba 8-4 at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium.
Batting third for the second straight game, Kim went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored. All three hits went for extra bases.
Kim was one of the few bright spots for South Korea in its 6-3 loss to Chinese Taipei on Wednesday, as he had an RBI single, a walk and a steal. The 21-year-old did so much more in Thursday’s win.
He struck out swinging against Cuban starter Livan Moinelo in the first inning but got his revenge against the reigning Pacific League ERA champion in Japan in the second inning.
With South Korea up 2-0 after Moinelo hit Shin Min-jae with the bases loaded, Kim crushed a first-pitch fastball from the left-hander and sent it deep into left field.
Kim admired the shot and tossed his bat aside with a hint of swagger. Left fielder Roel Santos stood frozen in his spot and helplessly watched the ball clear the fence with room to spare.
It was Kim’s first career home run for the national team.
Kim added a double in the fifth inning with a combination of his speed and baseball IQ. He dumped what appeared to be an innocuous base hit in front of right fielder Yadir Drake, but when Drake took his time throwing the ball back into the field, Kim made a quick turn around the first base bag and slid into second for a double.
Kim put an exclamation point to his memorable day with a solo home run in the seventh off Pavel Bruce — once again turning on a first-pitch fastball.
This time, Kim quickly put his head down and trotted toward first base, acting like he’d done this before.
Kim enjoyed a banner year in 2024 for the Tigers, with 38 home runs and 40 steals leaving him just two dingers shy of only the second 40-40 season in KBO history. Kim also set a single-season record with 143 runs scored, and batted .347 with 189 hits, ranking third overall in both categories.
Kim Do-yeong of South Korea (R) slides into second base for a double against Cuba during the teams’ Group B game at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei on Nov. 14, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Kim led the league in slugging percentage with .647 and on-base plus slugging (OPS) with 1.067.
Kim showed flashes of what he can do in the first game and then put his stamp on the competition Thursday.
Not exactly known for glove, Kim made some defensive gems Thursday, too.
In the second inning, Kim robbed Drake of an extra-base hit by snatching a line drive with a leaping catch. Two innings later, with runners at first and second, Drake hit a grounder at Kim, who handled the tricky hop and stepped on the third base bag to start a 5-3 double play.
In the fifth, Kim snared a scorcher off the bat of Jean Harvin Walters. The liner went toward his head and Kim, who was playing in, somehow caught it for the first out of the inning after two consecutive walks drawn by Cuba.
This was the same third baseman who led the KBO with 30 errors this season.
Kim said he was more pleased with the team’s win than anything else.
“I tried to be aggressive at the plate because I felt pretty good out there,” Kim said. “I thought Moinelo had good stuff in the first inning and I thought I couldn’t afford to be late on his fastballs. So I tried to sit on a fastball and it led to that good result (in the second inning).”
Kim said he could see why Moinelo won the ERA crown in Japan and he felt “lucky” to have gone deep against the left-hander.
“I’ve been swinging the bat pretty well lately and I just wanted to maintain this form,” Kim added. “That’s why I tried to really bear down and focus hard. We only have important games remaining and I hope I can stay hot.”
As for his defensive gems, Kim said, “I am pretty confident in my defense, and I think it has helped me on the field.”
With his big blasts and key defensive plays, Kim backed a solid start by Gwak Been, who struck out five across four shutout innings.
South Korean starter Gwak Been pitches against Cuba during the teams’ Group B game at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei on Nov. 14, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Gwak, who tied for the KBO lead with 15 wins this year for the Doosan Bears, set the tone early by striking out the first two batters of the game. Gwak had another strikeout in the second and fanned two more batters in the third.
Gwak used every pitch in his arsenal to keep the Cuban hitters at bay, mixing in his four-seam fastballs with sliders, curveballs and changeups.
“This was an important game for us,” Gwak said. “Thanks to Do-yeong’s grand slam, I was able to stay relaxed on the mound and that’s how I was able to pitch a strong game.”
On the reputation that he is not a big-game pitcher, given his postseason struggles, Gwak said, “It’s something I have to overcome to become a better pitcher.”
“All I was thinking about was to go out there and do everything I can in my power,” Gwak said. “I felt like I expended all my energy in the first two innings, but I had a lot of fun. I had a great command of my pitches and I felt they were working against these hitters.”
Gwak got the hook after walking the first two batters of the fifth inning, and reliever So Hyeong-jun cleaned up the mess despite loading the bases.
The bullpen couldn’t match its unblemished performance from Wednesday, when it held Chinese Taipei scoreless over six innings. Lee Young-ha gave up an unearned run in the seventh following a couple of fielding errors. Kim Taek-yeon, a 19-year-old rookie closer for the Bears, allowed a single and then back-to-back home runs in the eighth before getting the hook without retiring a batter.
KT Wiz closer Park Yeong-hyun showed the teenager how it’s done, recording two strikeouts in a dominant ninth inning to lock down the win.
(Yonhap)
