“Nearly Punched a Hole in Jamsil Stadium’s Roof”: Kim Do-young’s Grand Slam Traveled 145 Meters at 179 km/h, Tying the All-Time Distance Record

[Financial News] The moment the bat made contact, everyone at Jamsil Baseball Stadium was stunned. The chilling crack of the ball slicing through the sky, followed by its overpowering trajectory into the uppermost seats in left-center. The name of Tyrone Woods, the legendary foreign hitter who left his mark on KBO history, was forcibly summoned back to the vast grounds of Jamsil after 25 years.
“Genius hitter” Kim Do-young (23, KIA Tigers) demolished the LG Twins’ pitching staff, marking his first career postseason grand slam with a tie for the longest home run by distance in postseason history.
The KIA Tigers seized a firm grip on the game early, thanks to Kim Do-young’s second-inning grand slam in Game 3 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League postseason Semi-Playoffs, a best-of-five series, at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 20th.
The decisive blow came with the KIA Tigers leading 3-0, one out and the bases loaded in the top of the second. LG’s second reliever, John Kennedy, was on the mound. After flying out in his first at-bat in the first inning and using it to dial in his timing, Kim Do-young wasted no time unleashing a lightning-fast swing when Kennedy’s third pitch, an inside fastball, came in with the count at one ball and one strike.
Struck perfectly, the ball soared an immense distance and landed in the uppermost seats in the deepest part of left-center at Jamsil Stadium. It was an unquestionable, perfect grand slam—one that even Kennedy, who had given up the hit, could only bow his head at.


The numbers left by that one swing were truly astonishing. According to TrackMan data from the LG club, Kim Do-young’s exit velocity reached a remarkable 179.3 km/h, and the distance was recorded at 145.8 meters. The KBO’s official measurement also put the distance at 145 meters.
This is a new Semi-Playoff record for the longest home run by distance since the KBO began officially measuring distance in 2000, surpassing the previous mark of 135 meters. Across the entire postseason, it also ties the all-time distance record of 145 meters, set in 2001 when Doosan Bears’ Tyrone Woods hit a home run in Game 6 of the Korean Series against the Samsung Lions. A 23-year-old Korean hitter has perfectly recreated, in the heart of Jamsil, the power once unleashed by a hulking foreign slugger like Woods.
The KIA Tigers unleashed fearsome offensive firepower in the second inning alone. Na Sung-bum opened the scoring with a leadoff solo homer to seize the initiative. The Tigers then rattled LG’s pitching staff with an opponent’s error, walks and RBI hits, before Kim Do-young’s clinching grand slam completed the trip through the batting order and capped a seven-run big inning.
After dominating the postseason in Game 1 with two home runs, Kim Do-young made his third Semi-Playoff homer his most dramatic yet—a grand slam—and powerfully proved why he is the regular-season home run king.

[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter