After being sidelined with a right hamstring injury, KIA Tigers infielder Kim Sun-bin has returned to the first team. The Tigers added Kim to the roster for their upcoming game against Samsung on April 18 at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu.
Kim has appeared in 71 games this season, batting .241 (9-for-72) with 28 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
“Kim will be used in the second half of the game depending on the situation today,” said manager Kim Jong-kook to the media before the game, “and he will start tomorrow or the day after.”
He continued, “He’s more than 90 percent recovered and he said he doesn’t have any pain, so he was called up to the first team today. He looked stable in training,” he said, adding, “Hamstring injuries have a high chance of recurrence, so we will approach it with caution.”
KIA finished the three-game midweek series with two wins and one loss after beating Kiwoom 8-4 on Sunday. In his start on Sunday, Panoni pitched 7⅓ innings, allowing three runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He came off the mound with the win requirement, but had to swallow his disappointment as his second pitcher, Lim Ki-young, gave up a game-winning three-run homer to Song Sung-moon with runners on first and second in the eighth inning with a 3-1 lead.
“If it had been a bad result, I would have been under a lot of pressure for the next pitch, but I’m glad the team won,” said Kim Jong-kook, “The home run was a good hit by the other batter. He took advantage of a bad pitch,” and hugged Im Ki-young.
Coach Kim Jong-kook was eager for Socrates’ performance before the game on the 17th. Socrates put on a one-man show, going 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored, including a two-run arch to center field in the eighth inning. Coach Kim Jong-guk was pleased with the performance, saying, “I was hoping Socrates would explode, but he did a great job.”메이저놀이터
He also said, “Park Chan-ho and Choi Won-jun got a lot of hits, which increased our scoring chances. The center of the batting order is more focused, and even a single run at the plate can lead to a big inning. The concentration of the center fielders has improved,” he added.
KIA’s batting order is shortstop Park Chan-ho, first baseman Choi Won-joon, third baseman Kim Do-young, right fielder Na Sung-beom, designated hitter Choi Hyung-woo, center fielder Socrates, left fielder Lee Chang-jin, catcher Han Jun-soo, and second baseman Choi Jeong-yong.