Kim Do-young IN-Na Sung-beom OUT->KIA begins May's great counterattack with consecutive wins? Early fate depends
Kim Do-young IN-Na Sung-beom OUT->KIA begins May's great counterattack with consecutive wins? Early fate depends
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Will the KIA Tigers be able to start its counterattack in May with consecutive wins in six consecutive home games? As the team has played about 20 percent of its schedule (28 games), it is in a situation where it can no longer lag behind. Early this season's fate will depend on the six consecutive home games in which the team will face the NC Dinos and Hanwha Eagles at its home starting from Tuesday.메이저사이트
Currently, Kia, the defending champion, is in desperate need of a rebound. For one, it garnered two wins and one loss in the series and two consecutive wins in this season's three consecutive home games against the LG Twins, which took place in Gwangju last weekend, turning the mood around. However, the gap between the game and the top-ranked LG Twins is still quite wide at 6.5 games. Even though the team has a winning rate of 50 percent, the team still lacks two wins (13 wins, 15 losses, winning rate of 0.464).
Getting out of the worst of all is encouraging. However, Samsung, Hanwha, and Lotte, which have been ranked second to fourth, are relatively more noticeable. KIA will also be able to get out of the competition quickly if it fails to catch up with the teams that are competing for the best five teams with consecutive wins or at a pace comparable to that.
Last week, Kia had mixed feelings due to key players returning from injury and leaving the team. The main characters were last year's MVP Kim Do-young and the team's captain, Na Sung-bum. Soon after Kim returned from the first team on Saturday, Na Sung-bum was injured on Wednesday and his entry was canceled the next day, on Sunday.
Kim Do-young came back first. Kim had a hit in the bottom of the first inning of the official opening game against the NC Dinos at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on April 22, and got on base, overrun, and was replaced due to pain in the muscles behind his left thigh during the return trip.
Afterwards, Kim was diagnosed with the first stage of injury, which was not accompanied by muscle rupture or tissue damage in her hamstring area according to a thorough examination. She immediately started recovery and rehabilitation procedures, but failed to make a quick return. Her return was delayed once. Eventually, she returned to the first team entry on Saturday after taking additional steps to recover from her injury after a re-examination.
Coming up as a pinch hitter at the fourth inning of the game against LG on the day of his comeback, Kim displayed his unique instinct as a troubleshooter by hitting a timely hit amid two RBIs. It was the second coming of a superstar that KIA fans had long awaited.
On the second day of his return, Kim started as the third designated hitter and hit a timely RBI single in the bottom of the first inning with no outs and runners on the first and second bases. After one out in the third inning, Kim drew a superior solo arch with a driving distance of 105 meters, and successfully hit a home run.
Kim Do-young showed his irreplaceable crazy presence with a strong home run as soon as he entered the batter's box for the second time in the first inning on the 25th, the first day of his return, and a two-run timely hit in the second inning on the 26th.
Kim had no hits in four times at bat on Sunday. However, Kia's fans have high expectations that his joining the team, which has shown strong performance since his return, will complete the entire lineup and strengthen the team's strength.
However, was it Hosadama? With Kim Do-young's return, there was news that another key player was injured. Na Sung-bum, the captain of the team, has left the team due to a chronic calf injury.
Na Sung-bum, who started as the fifth right fielder on the 26th, was replaced after hitting a double play at the first and second bases with no outs. Na Sung-beom, who complained of discomfort in his calf immediately after the replacement, was later diagnosed with muscle damage after undergoing a thorough examination.
"After an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) examination at a hospital designated by the team, he was found to have muscle damage in his right calf. He will undergo another examination in two weeks," a source at Kia said.
As a result, Na has had another leg injury that had plagued him for a long time since his transfer to Kia. He will be absent for at least two weeks this time as well. After that, the timing of his return will be decided depending on the prognosis of recovery from the injury. Although the details and extent of the injury may vary, Na had to sit out for quite a long time due to calf and hamstring injuries in 2023 and 2024.
He suffered a slump in batting this season and was unable to replicate his good performance in the second half of last year. However, if his presence is eliminated from the centerline, it will be a long way off from him to hope that Kia's last year's strongest firepower will reappear.
Will KIA be able to continue its winning streak and fire a signal of May's great counterattack amid mixed emotions such as Na Sung-bum's departure from injury following the addition of Kim Do-young.