Kim Doyoung Undergoes Nasal Fracture Surgery, Shows Strong Determination to Compete in Asian Games

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KIA Tigers professional baseball player Kim Doyoung, who suffered a fractured nasal bone after being hit by his own batted ball during a game, underwent surgery and is being discharged today (September 11). While a timeline for his return to action is difficult to predict yet, Kim himself is expressing a strong will to participate in the Asian Games.

Reporter Yu Byeongmin has the details.

[Reporter]

Kim Doyoung, who fractured his nose after being struck in the face by a batted ball while attempting a surprise bunt two days ago, immediately underwent surgery that night at a hospital in Gwangju to realign the nasal bone.

Fortunately, the bone was not shattered and the degree of the fracture was not severe, so he is scheduled to be discharged today.

Manager Ryu Ji-hyun of the Asian Games national baseball team, which is set to convene next week, is also keeping a close eye on the severity of Kim's injury.

[Ryu Ji-hyun / Manager, National Asian Games Baseball Team: From what I have heard, Doyoung has a strong determination to participate in the tournament. Because he is a player who needs to recover quickly and play a central role for the national team, I hope he joins the squad in good health.]

At present, the likelihood of Kim participating in the Asian Games remains high, but playing third base is expected to be difficult, which could become a variable for the national team's infield operations.

The national team had planned for Kim to cover third base, with Roh Si-hwan and Moon Bo-gyung alternating between first base and designated hitter. However, with Moon also recently experiencing lower back pain, the team is facing a shortage of players available to handle first and third base.

Manager Ryu plans to finalize his infield operation strategy after closely monitoring league games through the weekend.

In professional baseball, KT Wiz routed the Lotte Giants 16-3, powered by an offense that racked up 19 hits, successfully reclaiming the top spot in the standings.

(Video Editing: Hwang Ji-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.