“The fans sang Happy Birthday. I almost cried, but I managed to block it out.”
KIA Tigers’ Kim Do-young made his highly anticipated debut season last year as his first-choice rookie, but suffered severe growing pains. His last season’s performance was 0.237 batting average in 103 games, 3 homers, 19 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.674.안전놀이터
There were positive signs. Kim Do-young completed adaptation by participating in 36 games in the second half, recording a batting average of 0.283, 4 RBIs, and 6 stolen bases. He wants to continue the good flow of the second half in the 2023 season.
Kim Do-young is sweating hard for the new season at the spring camp at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Recently, KIA coach Kim Jong-guk picked Kim Do-young as the key player for the 2023 season. Kim Do-young said, “He thought that the director had not given up on me, and he thought that he had to do well. Still, he seemed to have high expectations from the director.”
Why did you say the word ‘give up’? Kim Do-young said, “Last year, my self-esteem dropped a lot. But this year, I am raising my self-esteem by saying, ‘I am different from others’ and ‘I am born’.”
Last year, Kim Do-young was diagnosed with a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) ahead of the spring camp, and participation was unsuccessful. He is undergoing his first proper spring camp since his debut this year.
Kim Do-young said, “I had a lot of expectations before coming to the spring camp this time. It’s fun to train every day.
Then, Doyoung Kim also told stories about batting and defense. First of all, about hitting, he said, “Last year, I thought it was difficult, but now I think it’s worth trying. This year, I have expectations for myself, and I think I’ll do well. I’m working hard to seize the opportunity.”
n this spring camp, Kim Do-young plays both third baseman and shortstop defense. Third base defense training is more important. In response, Kim Do-young said, “In the beginning of the camp, I couldn’t move my body and went through a lot of difficulties, but my catch ball partner, (Kim) Sun-bin, taught me a lot. I received help in the throwing part. I got a lot of help from Ryu Ji-hyuk at third base, so I became a lot more comfortable. “he said.
As long as Kim Do-young can only play in games, he can play as a third baseman or shortstop. He expressed his motivation, saying, “I have a great desire to occupy a position this year. I want to occupy a position. I will play in any position as long as I can play the game.”
Last season, Kim Do-young received an unforgettable gift from fans. On October 2, 2022, in the match between KIA and Hanwha, a happy birthday song was heard at the end of the 9th inning. Fans sang a song to celebrate the birthday of Kim Do-young, who played as a great defense.
Kim Do-young said, “I was on the bench that day, and at the end I went out to the big defense. As soon as I left, the fans sang happy birthday. I almost cried, but I barely blocked it. I thought a lot. I was so grateful to the fans.” remembered