Taiwan also experienced a great deal of disappointment a year ago, and will Liu Zhongilho lead the emergency?

Nov 09, 2024

The Premier 12 national team's training and hitting training held at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 3rd. Gocheok = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2024.11.03/

[Taipei (Taiwan) = Reporter Park Sang-kyung of Sports Chosun] It is a reputation that has extended beyond KBO to the Asian stage.

KIA Tigers Kim Do-young (21) joined Ryu Joong-il. On the 8th, I had an unfamiliar experience while entering Taipei Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan. Baseball fans in Taiwan asked Kim Do-young for his autograph and photo. Kim Do-young, who thanked domestic fans for their support, also readily responded to their requests. However, it was difficult to hide the unfamiliarity in the expression.

Kim Do-young was a batter representing the KBO League this season.

He had a batting average of 347 (189 hits in 544 at-bats) in 141 games, 38 homers, 109 RBIs and 40 steals, and 1.067 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). He was also No. 1 overall in the WAR (contributing to victory over substitute players) and No. 1 in OPS. He showed the best performance in almost all areas, including third place in batting average and second place in home runs.

Premier 12 national baseball team players arrived at Taipei Taoyuan Airport in Taiwan on the afternoon of the 8th. Kim Do-young is signing autographs for Taiwanese baseball fans at the arrival hall. Taipei (Taiwan) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.11.08/

The KBO League's recognition in Taiwan is abundant. In the past, it peaked when Wang Wei-jung was active in the league. Since then, interest in Korean professional baseball has continued whenever issues such as foreign player transfers arise. The interest in Kim Do-young, who will be the mainstay of Ryu Joong-il's team in the Premier 12, is bound to be hotter.

For Kim Do-young, it is also an opportunity to shake off last year's disappointment.

Kim Do-young participated in the APBC (Asian Professional Baseball Championship) held in Tokyo, Japan after the end of last year's season. However, his batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage in four games were only in the 20% range, and he was diagnosed for four months when he was injured while performing a first-base head first sliding in the extended game of the finals.

Kim Do-young, who played the role of a troubleshooter and a chance maker as the third batter at KIA at the same time. He is expected to play a similar role in the national team. Considering all indicators such as long hit production and base running as well as contact, he is more suitable for playing a role than anyone else.

The 2024 WBSC Premier 12 warm-up match between the Korean baseball team and the Cuban national team was held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 1st. Kim Do-young is doing batting training. Gocheok = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.11.01/

Kim Do-young says, "I have faith in myself compared to last year"I want to show you a better performance than last year's APBC." In Premier 12, I want to contribute to the team's victory by steadily getting on base and accumulating a lot of RBIs"I vowed.

Genius, who has been receiving great attention since entering the league, is preparing to promote his name on the world stage beyond the KBO League.

ppark@sportschosun.com