Will the national team be able to display the prowess of the best hitter in the KBO league this season? Kim Do-young (21) of the Kia Tigers has prepared for the first game of the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12.안전놀이터

The Korean national baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Joong-il (61), began adaptation training ahead of the opening of the 2024 Premier 12 at Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan on the 12th.

The national team, which arrived in Korea on the 8th, played a practice game against the Taiwan Professional Baseball (CPBL) Weiquan Dragons along with training at Tianmu Baseball Stadium, another tournament venue. Later, before the first group qualifying match against Taiwan on the 13th, they visited Taipei Dome for the first time to train for adaptation.

After warming up by stretching and playing catch balls, the players got used to the Taipei Dome by receiving funkos. Afterwards, the fielders went through batting training in three groups. Among them, the most noticeable player was Kim Do-young. Entering the batting cage, Kim made hitters, and several of them were seen going over the fence.

Taipei Dome is a baseball stadium with 334 feet (about 101.8 meters) in the left and right sides and 400 feet (about 121.9 meters) in the center. Compared with Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul (100 meters from left to right and 125 meters from the center), which is the largest in Korea, Kim Do-young gained attention by easily hitting a homerun-like hit in free batting.

Earlier on the 10th, Ryu Joong-il, the head coach of Weiqiu Safety, said of Kim Do-young, "I'm not in good condition in Korea, but I'm okay now if I'm relaxed after the Korean Series." He then said, "There are a lot of very good balls during training." As the head coach said, Kim Do-young showed good condition and raised expectations for the tournament.

Kim Do-young, who met with reporters after the training, said, "After coming to Taiwan, I feel a little better, so I'm trying to keep this feeling," adding, "I'm also hitting a little bit when batting." As for Taipei Dome, he said, "I feel like the ball is stuck because the grass is soft. I like it because it's a dome stadium," adding, "It's wider (than Gocheok Dome), but there's nothing else because the ball feels like it's going well."

Kim was one of the best players in the KBO league in the 2024 season. He posted a batting average of 0.347 (189 hits in 544 at-bats) in 141 games this season, with 38 homers, 109 RBIs, 143 runs and 40 steals, and an on-base percentage of 0.647 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.647 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.420 on-base plus 1.067. Although he failed to make a long hit at the last minute, he became the first Korean player to win 40 (homer) and 40 (stealing percentage), and has emerged as a strong candidate for MVP by leading his team to an overall championship.

As a result, overseas fans are also showing interest in Kim. MLB.com , the official website of the Major League Baseball (MLB), said that Kim will threaten all pitchers facing the Korean batter's box, citing him as "a player to watch out for in the Premier 12." Yahoo Sports of Taiwan also said that pitchers around the world can't ignore Kim's slugging capability as well as the 90 percent success rate of stolen bases.

Kim Do-young herself confessed, "I think such articles are more interesting and interesting than other articles. I always go in more." "When I see such things, I want to do well this time," she said.

Taiwan placed left-hander Lin Yu-min (21) as its starting pitcher on Tuesday. Lin Yu-min, a minor leaguer under the Arizona Diamondbacks, took the mound in the second round of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games last year and became the winning pitcher by allowing no runs on four hits and six strikeouts in six innings.

Kim Do-young, who faced the same age player, said, "When I listen to the older players, they say it's really tricky." "I've been told a lot in Korea that I'm a top-class pitcher, so I think I need to pay more attention to it carefully," he said, expressing his contrast.