KIA's Kim Doyoung Undergoes Nasal Fracture Surgery, Shows Strong Will for Asian Games

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Professional baseball player Kim Doyoung of the KIA Tigers, who suffered a broken nose after being hit by his own batted ball during yesterday's game (September 9), is currently recovering after undergoing surgery. He is scheduled to be discharged tomorrow, and while a timeline for his return to actual games is difficult to predict at this moment, Kim himself has a strong desire to participate in the Asian Games.

Reporter Yu Byeongmin has the details.

[Reporter]

Kim Doyoung, who broke his nose after being struck in the face by a batted ball while attempting a surprise bunt yesterday, underwent surgery at a hospital in Gwangju last night to realign his nasal bone.

Fortunately, the bone was not shattered, and the degree of the fracture is not severe, so he is scheduled to be discharged tomorrow (September 11).

[KIA Club Official: The injury itself was not severe. That seems to be the hopeful part. For now, there probably won't be any changes to the (first-team) roster.]

Manager Ryu Ji-hyun of the national baseball team for the Asian Games, which is set to assemble next week, is also closely monitoring the extent of Kim's injury.

[Ryu Ji-hyun / Manager, Asian Games National Baseball Team: From what I've heard, (Kim) Doyoung has a strong will (to compete in the tournament), and since he is a player who needs to make a quick recovery and play a central role for the national team, I hope he joins the national team 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 pose a variable for the national team's infield operations.

Initially, the national team planned for Kim to play third base, with Noh Si-hwan and Moon Bo-gyung alternating between first base and designated hitter. However, Moon Bo-gyung has also recently experienced back pain, leaving the team short on players to cover first and third base.

Manager Ryu plans to closely monitor league games through the weekend before finalizing his infield operation plan.

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