KIA's Kim Do-young Hits Career-High 39th Home Run, Sights Set on Youngest 40-HR Milestone

[Anchor]

KIA Tigers professional baseball player Kim Do-young has hit his 39th home run of the season, putting him on the verge of becoming the youngest player to reach 40 home runs. Meanwhile, LG Twins' Austin also kept the race for the home run title alive by launching his 34th and 35th home runs of the season.

Reporter Bae Jeonghun has the details.

[Reporter]

Stepping up to the plate for his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning with his team trailing 1 to 0, Kim Do-young crushed a 155 km/h fastball from Lotte Giants starting pitcher Rodriguez, driving it over the right-field wall for a 39th home run of the season that turned the game around with a 3-run shot.

Surpassing the 38 home runs he hit during his MVP season two years ago to set a new personal best, Kim Do-young is now just one home run away from the 40-home-run mark.

If he adds just one more home run by September 6, he will surpass former manager Lee Seung-yuop, known as the "Lion King," to set a new record as the youngest player in history to reach 40 home runs.

Powered by Kim Do-young's standout performance of 2 hits, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs, alongside Castro's multi-home run game—which included a grand slam—the KIA Tigers defeated the Lotte Giants 16 to 11.

Home run runner-up Austin also ignited the race for the home run title with an impressive display of extra-base hits.

Facing NC Dinos pitcher Koo Chang-mo in the first inning, Austin hit his 34th home run of the season to open the scoring with a solo shot. He then added his 35th home run of the season in the 7th inning with a 3-run blast that put the game away, closing the gap to within 4 home runs of league leader Kim Do-young.

Propelled by Austin's multi-home run, 4-RBI performance, the LG Twins beat the NC Dinos 8 to 0 to extend their winning streak to three games.

The NC Dinos sank deeper into a four-game losing streak.

Trailing 4 to 3 in the bottom of the 9th inning with one out and the bases loaded, Kim Hyun-soo delivered a dramatic, game-winning 2-RBI single to give the KT Wiz a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Doosan Bears, maintaining their half-game lead at the top of the standings. Elsewhere, the Samsung Lions defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 12 to 2, fueled by back-to-back grand slams from Choi Hyung-woo and Kim Young-woong.

Choi Hyung-woo hit a grand slam at the age of 42 years, 8 months, and 10 days, becoming the oldest player in history to hit a grand slam.

Holding a 1 to 0 lead in the 6th inning, the SSG Landers combined 4 hits and 2 walks to score 5 runs and seal the victory, defeating the Hanwha Eagles 6 to 1.

With roughly 70,000 spectators flocking to five stadiums yesterday (August 26), the KBO League reached 10 million total spectators in the fewest games in history, achieving the milestone in just 565 games.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.