Youngest player in history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the fewest games… MVP race also dominated
KIA Tigers professional baseball player Kim Do-young (21) achieved 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases ‘faster than anyone else’ and secured the regular season MVP award.
Kim Do-young, in his third year as a professional, is fully demonstrating his potential this season.
The run that started in April when he became the first player in the KBO League to record 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a month continued in June with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, which are symbols of the hot-hitters. The 20-20 in the first half of the season was the fifth time in history and the first domestic player to do so in 24 years since Park Jae-hong (then Hyundai Unicorns) in 2000.
Kim Do-young, who kept running without getting tired, also showed off a cycle hit by hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the game against NC Dinos on the 23rd of last month. There have been 8 previous times when a cycle hit was completed in 4 at-bats, tying the record for the fewest at-bats. However, Kim Do-young is the first to hit a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in that order in 4 at-bats.
Kim Do-young’s record-breaking streak continues.
He completed 30-30 in the game against Kiwoom Heroes on the 15th. He had recorded 29 home runs and 33 stolen bases until the day before, and on this day, he drew his 30th arch of the season and also reported his 34th stolen base of the season.
It is the 9th and youngest 30-30 in KBO League history, achieved with the fewest games.
Kim Do-young, born on October 2, 2003, is 20 years, 10 months, and 13 days old, beating the previous youngest record of 22 years, 11 months, and 27 days set by Park Jae-hong in 1996 by about two years.
In addition, he completed 30-30 in 111 games, which is one game shorter than the previous record of 112 games played by Eric Thames (then NC Dinos) in 2015.
Since being called up by KIA as the first draft pick in 2022, Kim Do-young has been in the spotlight for his extraordinary talent. For the first two years after joining the team, he was unable to demonstrate his full potential due to injuries, but this year, he has already developed into a ‘complete hitter’ and is showing strong performances day after day.
As we quickly write down the 30-30, expectations for the 40-40 are also growing.
The only player to record 40-40 in the KBO League was Thames in 2015. No domestic hitter has yet achieved this feat.
It goes without saying that he is far ahead in this season’s MVP race.
In addition to the milestones of 20-20 in the first half and the youngest player and fewest games played 30-30 in history, Kim Do-young has been performing well this year and is ranked among the top in all batting categories.
As of the 15th, he is ranked 3rd in batting average (0.347), 3rd in most hits (149), 2nd in home runs (30), 8th in RBIs (84), 1st in runs (109), 5th in stolen bases (34), 1st in slugging percentage (0.640), and 4th in on-base percentage (0.419).
There are several batters who are performing well this season, but there is no one who stands out as someone who can threaten Kim Do-young.
If Kim Do-young wins the MVP this year, he could also aim to become the youngest batting MVP ever.
Lee Seung-yeop (then Samsung Lions) won the MVP award in 1997 at the age of 21 years, 1 month, and 14 days. If Kim Do-young wins the MVP award this year, he could set a new record, slightly ahead of Lee Seung-yeop’s record.
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2024-08-17 05:05:33