Confident Rivals: The Calm Before the Storm in the Home Run Race

[Anchor]

One of the biggest attractions of the professional baseball second half, which begins tomorrow (July 16), is the home run title race between KIA's Kim Do-young and LG's Austin Dean. The two players, currently tied for the lead, have both expressed confidence, signaling a heated competition ahead.

Reporter Jeon Yeongmin has the story.

[Reporter]

The home run race between Kim Do-young and Austin has been a thrill for baseball fans throughout the first half of the season.

Kim Do-young led for most of the early season, but Austin caught up rapidly starting in mid-May and successfully took the lead on June 21. However, on the final day of the first half, Kim Do-young hit his 27th home run to tie the score once again.

[Kim Do-young/KIA Tigers Infielder: First of all, I am very grateful and honored to be competing so closely with Austin. I am not consciously thinking about the home run title, but I am truly grateful.]

[Austin/LG Twins Infielder: Moon Bo-gyeong keeps telling me to become the home run king. All my teammates say the same thing. It would be a wonderful thing if that happens at the end of the season.]

The variable is the Asian Games in September.

As Kim Do-young will be unable to play in league games for nearly three weeks due to his selection for the national team, he needs to rack up home runs early in the second half, which begins tomorrow.

[Kim Do-young/KIA Tigers Infielder: I think the beginning of the second half will be the most important. I believe the player who maintains a good rhythm will have the advantage.]

Kim Do-young, who is aiming for his first home run title, and Austin, who is looking to become the first LG player to win the title in the final year of Jamsil Baseball Stadium, are promising an exciting competition that will thrill fans.

[Kim Do-young/KIA Tigers Infielder: I am not necessarily confident about winning the home run title, but I am confident in my own baseball.]

[Austin/LG Twins Infielder: Do-young! You are finished! Just kidding, I wish you the best of luck.]

Reported by Yang Doo-won | Video edited by Park Jung-sam | Designed by Kim Min-young and Han Song-yeon
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.