"Did We Make Too Much of It?" KIM Do-young Blasts Three Hits Just Four Days After Nasal Bone Surgery... Youngest Ever to Reach 40-100-100

[Financial News] It was an overwhelming display of power that made the countless concerns surrounding him seem meaningless. Just four days had passed since he underwent surgery for a facial fracture. At the very moment everyone was anxiously discussing a season-ending injury and his withdrawal from the Asian Games, baseball genius KIM Do-young, 22, of the Kia Tigers, strode onto the field and effortlessly swallowed up the 27-year-old record held by the “National Hitter,” Lee Seung-yuop.
KIM Do-young started as the No. 3 designated hitter in the Kia Tigers’ home game against the Hanwha Eagles in the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the 13th. He led the team’s offense almost single-handedly, going 3-for-4 with one walk, three RBIs and one run scored.
KIM Do-young had suffered a serious injury on the 9th when he was struck in the face by a batted ball while attempting a surprise bunt against the NC Dinos, fracturing his nasal bone. After undergoing nasal bone fracture reduction surgery that night and being discharged on the 11th, he was immediately inserted into the starting lineup after just three days of rest. Although pain and a lingering sensation might have remained, his feel at the plate had not dulled at all.

KIM Do-young drew a walk in his first plate appearance in the first inning and scored. Then, with the team clinging to a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth, he changed the course of the game with one out and a runner on third. He lightly drove Hanwha starter Owen White’s second-pitch sweeper, thrown at 129 kilometers per hour, into left field for an RBI single. The hit brought third baseman Park Jae-hyun home and gave KIM Do-young his long-awaited 100th RBI of the season.
With that hit, KIM Do-young joined the 40-home-run, 100-RBI, 100-run club as the 18th player in KBO League history and the 12th Korean player. It was the first such achievement in six years, since Mel Rojas Jr. of KT Wiz accomplished it in 2020.
At the same time, he rewrote Korean baseball history. KIM Do-young achieved the feat at 22 years, 11 months and 11 days old, becoming the new youngest player in KBO League history to reach 40-100-100. He broke the record set by Lee Seung-yuop of the Samsung Lions on August 7, 1999, when Lee was 22 years, 11 months and 20 days old, by nine days—27 years later.
As if celebrating the milestone, his bat never stopped. KIM Do-young delivered an RBI single up the middle with no outs and a runner on second in the bottom of the seventh, then blasted a large RBI double in the bottom of the eighth. He completed his first game back with three hits, three RBIs and four times reaching base. His season totals rose to 40 home runs, 102 RBIs and 106 runs.

His dazzling performance was so impressive that the baseball world’s recent commotion over whether he could participate in the Asian Games suddenly seemed embarrassing. Ryu Ji-hyun’s national team had been deeply concerned about the collapse of its infield ahead of the team’s call-up on the 14th and its trip to Nagoya. KIM Do-young’s complete recovery at the plate gave the team a powerful reinforcement.
KIM Do-young overcame even the ordeal of a broken bone with ease and joined the ranks of the youngest legends. At the threshold of autumn, the presence of a superstar who shines even brighter in times of crisis has once again left the KBO League stunned and awestruck.
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