Samsung Lions infielder Kim Dong-jin, 27, had his first career three-hit game.
Kim Dong-jin started at second base in the No. 7 spot against the KT Wiz at Lions Park in Daegu on Monday and went 4-for-3 with a run scored. Along with Kang Kang-ul, he was the nucleus of the bottom of the order in the 6-4 win.
On defense, he was steady from the start and helped Won Tae-in earn his first win in May.
All three of his hits came on sharp pitches.
With one out in the bottom of the second inning, he pushed a fastball from KT starter Bo Schuler over the left field fence for a clean hit. It was the key hit in a three-run first inning.
Two batters later in the bottom of the fifth inning, with the score 6-0, Park used his side arm to push a sharp slider from Lee into left-center field. Park put into practice the advice he received from his coach before stepping up to the plate, drawing applause from his mentor.
Leading off the eighth inning, Kim drove a left-handed pitch into the stands for a three-run single to left-center. It was his first three-hit game. Prior to this day, Kim had totaled three hits in eight games with the first team in a single day. With his performance, Kim improved his season batting average to 3-for-5.
His short, sharp bat is impressive. His excellent contact ability, which helped him hit for a .440 average in the Futures League last year, is starting to show in the first team. Former Doosan manager Kim Tae-hyung, who provided commentary for the broadcast, said, “As he gains experience, his senses are improving,” and predicted that “he will become more confident at the plate after today.”
Kim Dong-jin is a weedy baseball player who gets back up after being knocked down.
After graduating from Seorak High School and Gangneung Youngdong University, he played in independent leagues such as Yangju Revolution and Paju Challengers. He even tried out for the Japanese Independent League in between. He was drafted by Samsung in the fifth round of the 2021 Secondary Draft, a late pick, after having been eyeing him since his Seolakgo days, and put on his dream professional uniform. After impressing with a 4-for-6 batting average and 5-for-9 slugging percentage in 45 games in the Futures League last year, he joined the Okinawa camp and dreamed of breaking out this season. However, an unexpected back injury forced him to return home early at the last minute to rehabilitate. 스포츠토토
After recovering from the injury, he played just two games in the Futures League. Kim Ji-chan’s hamstring reoccurred and he was rushed up to the first team on the 25th.
A hectic first day of the call-up. He made the most of his debut. In the 11th inning of the extra innings against Doosan in Jamsil on the 25th, he gave up a leadoff single, which led to a 3-2 loss.
The next day, manager Park Jin-man reprimanded Kim for the foul fly that first baseman Lee Tae-hoon missed that could have ended the inning, saying, “It should have been caught by the second baseman.”
But Park still believed in Kim’s potential. He gave him a chance to start at second base for four consecutive games. When he felt overwhelmed in the No. 2 spot, he batted seventh in the bottom of the order and had a three-hit game.