It's definitely comfortable
November 17th, 2023
A dream that KIA couldn't achieve, achieved in the national team.
Everyone says it's a happy concern, but we were more disappointed. After a long time, two outstanding prospects came out in Gwangju..."
Cho Gye-hyun (59), chairman of the KBO's Power Enhancement Committee, expressed deep regret when he chose Kim Do-young (20, KIA) as the first nominee two years ago when he served as the general manager of the KIA Tigers. It was due to the regret that Gwangju could not name Moon Dong-joo (20, Hanwha Eagles), another top prospect produced at the same time. The dream that KIA could not achieve became a reality through the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) tournament, and the result was impressive.
The Korean national baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Joong-il, beat Australia 3-2 in the first full league match of the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) qualifying round at Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 16th. As a result, South Korea will ease the burden of going to the final on the 19th, when only the top two teams can advance. South Korea will face Japan on the 17th and Taiwan on the 18th in order to advance to the finals.
It was not an easy game to win in overtime after being dragged until the top of the eighth inning. Starter Moon Dong-joo lasted five hits (one home run) and four walks, five strikeouts and two runs in five ⅔ innings, but the batting lineup failed to help.
Third baseman Kim Do-young's strong performance in the reversal process was indispensable. The start was an attack in the bottom of the eighth inning, when South Korea trailed 1-2. Kim Do-young, who came out as the leadoff hitter, opened the door by hitting a double in the left field line after the seven-pitch game. When Kim Hyung-joon grounded out to shortstop, he advanced to third base and continued to scratch the pitcher's nerves while pretending to steal by expanding his lead width. It was a planned action with the permission of head coach Ryu Ji-hyun. Australian pitcher Daniel McGrath, who couldn't concentrate, eventually got an equalizer from Kim Joo-won (NC Dinos) to the ambiguous outfield in right-center.
Kim Do-young, who met in the mixed zone after the game, said, "I played to shake the pitcher. Coach Ryu Ji-hyun also told me to give it a try, but I kept trying because I saw the pitcher shaking," he said.
He showed impressive defense in extra time when he entered the game 2-2. Kim Do-young was hit by Christopher Burke in the face in the top of the 10th inning in a match-winning situation that started with runners on first and second bases. The drop of the ball confused Australian runners, but Kim Do-young remained calm. Step on third base first and throw the ball to second base to make a double play to end the inning. Korea, which continued its momentum, ended with Korea's victory only when Noh Si-hwan hit an RBI timely hit in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Kim Do-young said, "I think I'm really going to be a man (who will be)." I think it was a game to win somehow. All the players welcomed me (in the dugout). It hit the ball, but I only thought of the next play because it was an inflationary situation. It was nice to make a double play after sacrificing my body," he said with a big smile.
Kim Do-young, who made two super plays in the second half of the game, was very nervous before that. His first senior national team debut was at Tokyo Dome, which was unfamiliar, and perhaps because of that, he remained silent with ground balls, three strikeouts and three strikeouts in the previous three at-bats. In particular, both strikeouts were in scoring position, so they had no choice but to shrink.
However, it was his friend Moon Dong-ju who was the same age as him that eased the tension. Kim Do-young said, "I haven't been able to hit, so (Moon) Dong-ju asked me to laugh." "I said, 'Let's go eat later,' but I think I was a little relaxed there," he said, adding, "I feel comfortable because I have Dong-ju on the mound, and I think my mind has calmed down because I keep talking to him."
The imagination of Moon Dong-ju throwing on the mound and Kim Do-young protecting him from behind. This is the picture that KIA dreamed of two years ago. The 2022 KBO Rookie Draft, where they were selected as professionals, was last implemented with the first nomination system. At that time, Mun Dong-ju of Gwangju Promotion High School and Kim Do-young of Dongsung High School in Gwangju were not only famous in Gwangju but also as promising candidates in the country. One of the two was clear that another team would unconditionally choose it as a national nomination, so KIA, which had priority, had to choose only one at the time.
KIA chose Kim Do-young because it was concerned that the infield depth was not thick at the time, and Moon Dong-ju headed to Hanwha. "Both Kim Do-young and Moon Dong-ju had good personalities and strong desire to come to KIA, so we had no choice but to worry deeply," said Cho Kye-hyun, chairman of the KBO's Power Enhancement Committee, as the KIA general manager at the time. "I wanted to catch both outstanding prospects from Gwangju for the first time in a long time, but I had to let one player go, so my worries were long."
The match against Australia was a stage where KIA's regret was understood two years ago. After a year of adaptation, the two immediately took the lead in each team and grew into players who will lead the Korean national team in the future. Moon Dong-ju effectively booked the Rookie of the Year award with eight wins, eight losses, a 3.72 ERA, and 95 strikeouts in 118 ⅔ innings in 23 regular season games. At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, he led South Korea to a gold medal and four consecutive tournaments with six innings of three hits, no outs, and seven strikeouts in the final against Taiwan. Kim Do-young also grew into an indispensable player in KIA with a batting average of 0.303 in 84 games, 47 RBIs, 72 runs and 25 steals, and an OPS of 0.824, despite two months of injury departure.
Moon Dong-ju finished the long 2023 season with the game. Moon Dong-joo, who met after the game, said, "It wasn't easy, but I thought I did well, and I actually wanted to come down after finishing the sixth inning today (16th), but it's a little disappointing. But I did well and the team won, so it's okay."
Kim Do-young said, "I don't think it would have been good if I hit well in the first half and didn't hit well in the second half, but I was positive because I started to see the ball well in the second half. I'm going to do it more comfortably and leisurely tomorrow (17th)," he said.