Slugger lives up to superstar billing with 2 homers in KBO postseason victory

GWANGJU — Entering his team's postseason series against the LG Twins, Kia Tigers third baseman Kim Do-yeong was hyped up as the key player to watch — by managers of both clubs. Twins skipper Youm Kyoung-youb said the key for his team would be to keep Kim in check and prevent him from inflicting damage. Tigers boss Lee Bum-ho said he was not worried about Kim because he trusted the 23-year-old star to what he was supposed to do. And Kim, the 2024 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular-season MVP who could win that award again this year, delivered on his promise Saturday by hitting two home runs and driving in four runs in his team's 5-1 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-five first round at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju. With the score knotted at 1-1, Kim announced his arrival in the series with a towering solo homer in the bottom fourth. Starter Anders Tolhurst threw him a first-pitch fastball that ended up near the heart of the plate, and Kim did not miss. His violent swing sent the ball 124 meters into the left-field stands, while also providing