Moon Dong-ju and Kim Do-young wearing the same uniform.

 

Cho Gye-hyeon (59), chairman of the KBO Power Strengthening Committee, said that Kim Do-young (20, KIA) was appointed as general manager of the KIA Tigers two years ago. He expressed deep disappointment when he was selected as the first nominee. This was due to the regret of not being able to designate Moon Dong-ju (20, Hanwha Eagles), another top prospect produced by Gwangju, at the same time. The dream that KIA could not achieve became a reality through the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), and the results were impressive.

The Korean baseball team, led by coach Ryu Joong-il, won 3-2 over Australia in the first round of the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) preliminary full league game held at Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 16th. This relieves Korea of ​​the burden of traveling to the finals on the 19th, where only the top two teams can advance. Korea aims to advance to the finals by facing Japan on the 17th and Taiwan on the 18th.

It was not an easy game, with the team being dragged until the top of the 8th inning and then coming from behind to win in overtime. Starter Moon Dong-ju lasted 5⅔ innings, allowing 5 hits (1 home run), 4 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 2 runs, but the batting lineup was largely unable to help.

One thing that could not be left out in the turnaround process was third baseman Kim Do-young’s outstanding performance in both offense and defense. It started with an attack in the bottom of the 8th inning when Korea was behind 1-2. Kim Do-young, who appeared as the leadoff hitter, opened the game by hitting a double to left field after a 7-pitch game. He advanced to third base when Kim Hyeong-jun grounded out to shortstop, and continued to get on the pitcher's nerves by pretending to widen the lead and attempt to steal base. It was a planned action that took place with the permission of head coach Ryu Ji-hyun. Australian pitcher Daniel McGrath, who was unable to concentrate, ended up hitting Kim Joo-won (NC Dinos) with a tying hit toward an obscure spot in the outfield in right-center.

Kim Do-young, who met in the mixed zone (joint coverage area) after the game, said, "It is true that I played to shake the pitcher. Coach Ryu Ji-hyun also told me to try it, but I saw that the pitcher was shaking, so I kept trying."

They showed impressive defense in overtime, which went into overtime at 2-2. In a game-winning game that started with runners on first and second base, Kim Do-young was hit in the face by Christopher Burke's ball in the top of the 10th inning. When this ball fell, it confused the Australian runners, but Kim Do-young remained calm. He stepped on third base first and threw the ball to second base, creating a double play to end the inning. Korea continued its momentum, and in the bottom of the 10th inning, Noh Si-hwan hit a timely hit with an RBI single to left, ending in Korea's victory.

Kim Do-young said, "I really feel like I'm going to be a good guy. I think it was a game we could win somehow. The players all welcomed us (in the dugout). We got hit by the ball, but since it was in play, we only thought about the next play. “It was good to make a double play after sacrificing my body,” he said with a bright smile.

Kim Do-young made two super plays in the second half of the game, but he was very nervous before that. His first adult national team debut was at the unfamiliar Tokyo Dome, and perhaps because of that, he was silent in the previous three at-bats with a ground ball, a strikeout, and a strikeout. In particular, his two strikeouts were both in scoring situations, so he couldn't help but feel intimidated.

However, it was his friend of the same age, Moon Dong-ju, who relieved the tension. Kim Do-young said, "Because I was not getting any hits, (Moon) Dong-ju told me to smile. He said, 'Let's go get something to eat later,' and I think I relaxed a little there." He added, "With Dong-ju on the mound, I definitely felt at ease and kept talking. “I think my heart has calmed down because of it,” he said.

Imagine Moon Dong-joo throwing on the mound and Kim Do-young protecting him from behind. This is the picture KIA dreamed of two years ago. The 2022 KBO rookie draft, in which they were selected by the pros, was the last time the first-round nomination system was implemented. At that time, Moon Dong-ju of Gwangju Promotion High School and Kim Do-young of Gwangju Dongseong High School were renowned not only as prospects in Gwangju but also in the entire country. It was clear that one of the two would be selected by another team as a national candidate, so KIA, which had priority, had to choose only one person at the time.

KI selected Kim Do-young due to concerns about the lack of depth in the infield at the time, and Moon Dong-ju headed to Hanwha. KBO Strength Enhancement Committee Chairman Jo Gye-hyeon was the KIA general manager at the time and said, "Both Kim Do-young and Moon Dong-ju had good personalities and a strong desire to come to KIA, so we had no choice but to deepen our concerns." He added, "If it was our greed, we wanted to capture both outstanding prospects from Gwangju. “I was worried for a long time because I was in a position where I had to let go of one player,” he said, honestly expressing his feelings.

The match against Australia on this day was a stage where KIA's disappointment from two years ago was understandable. After a year of adaptation, the two immediately took over as starting players for their respective teams and grew into players who will lead the Korean national team in the future. Moon Dong-ju virtually booked Rookie of the Year honors with 8 wins and 8 losses in 23 regular season games, an ERA of 3.72, and 95 strikeouts in 118⅔ innings. At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, in the final against Chinese Taipei, he pitched 6 innings with 3 hits, no walks, 7 strikeouts, and no runs, leading Korea to the gold medal and their 4th consecutive victory in the tournament. Kim Do-young also grew into an indispensable player for KIA with a batting average of 0.303, 6 home runs, 47 RBIs, 72 runs, 25 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.824 in 84 games despite being out due to injury for two months.

Moon Dong-ju finished the long 2023 season with this day’s game. Moon Dong-ju, whom we met after the game, said, "It wasn't easy, but I thought I did well. In fact, I had a strong desire to come down after finishing the 6th inning today (16th), but I'm a little disappointed. Still, I did well and the team won, so it's okay."

Kim Do-young expressed his determination, saying, "It would have been bad if I had hit well in the first half and then not hit it in the second half, but I started seeing the ball well in the second half, so it was positive. Tomorrow (17th) I will try to be a little more comfortable and relaxed."

토토