Kim Do-yeong’s Two Homers Power KIA Past LG in Postseason Opener

Kim Do-yeong delivered two home runs and four RBIs as the KIA Tigers defeated the LG Twins in Game 1 of their best-of-five Korea Baseball Organization postseason series at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field.

The third baseman produced two hits in three at-bats, turning a close game into a commanding KIA victory. His performance was especially significant because LG manager Youm Kyoung-youb had identified containing Kim as a central task before the series.

Kim began quietly, flying out to left field in the first inning. He changed the game in the fourth, when the score was tied 1-1. Facing LG starter Anders Tolhurst, Kim attacked a 149-kilometer-per-hour fastball on the first pitch and sent it over the left-field wall for a go-ahead solo home run.

KIA added pressure in the sixth after two LG defensive errors put runners at first and third with nobody out. Kim faced sidearm reliever Woo Kang-hoon and lifted a sacrifice fly to right, extending the Tigers’ advantage to 3-1.

His second home run arrived in the eighth. With two outs, a runner at first and a full count against Jang Hyun-sik, Kim connected with a forkball left over the middle of the plate. The ball cleared the center-field wall for a two-run shot that made the score 5-1 and effectively settled the contest.

Youm credited Kim for capitalizing on pitches that missed their intended locations. The LG manager said that even poorly located pitches do not automatically become home runs, and that Kim’s ability to punish those mistakes demonstrated his quality. Youm also indicated that LG could consider deploying Woo as a specialist against Kim in late innings after Game 2.

The result extended Kim’s recent run of decisive performances against the Twins. On Oct. 5, he hit a walk-off three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning against Go Woo-seok, completing a three-game KIA sweep. In the teams’ final regular-season meeting on Oct. 12, he added a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth against left-hander Kennedy. That blow led KIA to a 4-2 victory and helped determine the clubs’ final positions, with the Tigers taking third place and the Twins fourth.

After repeatedly deciding tight games against LG during the closing stretch of the regular season, Kim carried the same impact into the postseason opener. The Twins now face the challenge of changing their approach without creating easier scoring opportunities elsewhere in KIA’s lineup.