Another mistake, panic → first laugh, genius drama has a happy ending

"He saved a man's life".

Kia Tigers infielder Kim Do-young, 21, showed off his natural hitting instincts once again. On Tuesday, he hit his first career grand slam against the LG Twins in the 2024 KBO Baseball World Series at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, helping his team to a 6-5 victory. It was a happy-ending home run that made up for an error that led to an unearned run. 

He struggled at the plate and on defense. His first at-bat in the first inning was a grounder to first base, and his second in the third was a strikeout. In the top of the fifth inning, the leadoff hitter, Park Dong-won, was unable to catch a line drive. It was a mistake that led to two runs. His bat didn't work, he made a defensive error, and he had a mental breakdown. Cam Aldred, who was pitching well, had no cover.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Choi Won-joon singled to center, Park Chan-ho singled to second base, and Socrates walked. A delicate situation arose. The opposing battery seemed to skip Socrates in favor of Kim Do-young. Socrates' pride was hurt, but he was desperate to get a hit.

As soon as he stepped into the batter's box, he took advantage of Detrick Enns' first pitch. It was a 150-kilometer fastball that was a little high in the middle, and I swung a little bit, but it was right on the top of the bat. I looked at the 스포츠토토 pitch and said something desperate. The ball flew to right field and cleared the fence. The crowd went wild. It was his first career grand slam, making it 4-2. It was Kim's 18th home run of the season, two shy of the 20-homer, 20-double club. 

"I made a mistake and gave up a run. I felt like I was out of my mind. I thought the heavens were giving me a chance to make up for it. I was more desperate. I thought I should really hit it. I felt like he was picking me to win the game. In my first and second at-bats, I couldn't react to fastballs at all. In my third at-bat, I thought, "I'm not going to be late on a fastball," and I stepped up to the plate. I thought, 'Thank you for saving my life,'" he said, wiping his chest.  

"I hadn't hit a grand slam since I was a student until now. I didn't feel it at all. I felt a little bit of a push. I didn't even know where the ball went after I hit it. I was looking at the pitch and I was like, "Please don't foul it off," and I was like, "Please don't swing and miss. It was one of the most exhilarating home runs I've ever hit," he said. 

At the same time, he sighed, referring to his homework: mistakes. It was her 17th error of the day. "I always think about defense, but it's hard when it doesn't work out. It's even more stressful when I have to give them medicine. If I don't make an error and go hitless, I feel fine. But if I make a mistake or hit a ball, I can't sleep and I'm stressed. I'll fix it by practicing a lot," she said.