"The old man said he'd try to live somehow..." Sacrifice bunt fighting spirit → Arzinc collision → Sackling, flower coach Why KIA's bright future was seen
"The old man said he'd try to live somehow..." Sacrifice bunt fighting spirit → Arzinc collision → Sackling, flower coach Why KIA's bright future was seen
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"It occurred to me that the KIA could go in a good direction going forward."
KIA Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho met with reporters in the second game of the season against the Doosan Bears in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 19th and said KIA had a bright future after seeing Kim Sun-bin's so-called "sacrifice bunt of fighting."
Kim Sun-bin, who was cruising with a batting average of 423, six RBIs in nine games with the opening, suddenly left the lineup on the 5th due to fine damage to the inner muscles of his left calf. Fortunately, Kim Sun-bin recovered quickly and returned to the first team stage on the 18th after playing in the Futures League on the 16th and 17th.
Coach Lee Bum-ho made the decision to include Kim Sun-bin in the starting lineup on the day of registration for the first team. He originally planned to substitute for the first team on April 18 and 19, but changed his plan on April 20 due to rain forecast. (It rained on April 19, but the game was not canceled.)
Coach Lee Bum-ho said, "I think it would be okay if we give it a day off tomorrow because it is going to rain tomorrow (19th). I also talked with the players and they said it is okay, so I will start today (18th). "I decided that it would be better to go out in the beginning and change it to a pinch runner later than to send it out in the second half," he explained.
Kim was warmly welcomed by Kia's away fans who filled the third base. However, he got used to the atmosphere of the first team by hitting a ground ball to the first base at the top of the first inning and striking out at the top of the third inning, and suffered an unexpected injury at his third at bat.
Trailing 1-3, Kim had no outs and no outs in the top of the sixth inning. Kim ran to the first base after hitting a sacrifice bunt, before strongly colliding with second baseman Park Kye-beom. As his face strongly collided with Park's right shoulder, he collapsed on the ground and expressed considerable pain. Soon after, KIA trainers and medical staff rushed toward him, who, with gauze in his mouth, got up and walked out of the stadium. 토토사이트
After the collision, he was rushed to a nearby hospital due to a torn inside of his lips. "He will be moved to Asan Medical Center for sutures due to a torn inside of his upper lip. He will also have X-rays to check his teeth and jaw as he was bruised so strongly," a Kia official said.
KIA's atmosphere rapidly subsided after Kim Sun-bin's dizzying collision. Kim Sun-bin helped first baseman Park Chan-ho advance with a sacrifice bunt of his fighting spirit, but Na Sung-bum grounded out to second base and Patrick Wisdom struck out, and the mound gave up the win by dedicating timely hits to pinch hitter Kim In-tae in the bottom of the sixth inning, Jake Cave in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Yang Seok-hwan in succession. KIA lost 1-7 and was mired in a five-game losing streak against Doosan.
"[Kim Sun-bin] doesn't usually bunt me, but I think he just promised me that day. The most important thing is not to get hurt, and that's why I was nervous," coach Lee Bum-ho said. "Kim Sun-bin bunt was his own judgment. Of course, I sometimes bunt when I'm not in good condition, but yesterday was the first day he came back from a calf injury. I didn't expect that at all. But when I saw him say that he wanted to live, I was really nervous."
The 36-year-old veteran's fighting spirit also left a heavy message for Kia, which is unexpectedly at the bottom of the list. "I also felt a lot when I saw the veteran player bunt to try to live even though his calf is not good. I thought the team would go in a good direction going forward," Lee said.
Fortunately, Kim Sun-bin successfully completed a suture operation inside his upper lip in the emergency room of Asan Medical Center in Seoul. The suture was completed neatly, and further examination revealed that there were no abnormalities in the jaw and teeth. "It is not a serious injury, so I think I will be fine from tomorrow (20th) if I take a day off today (19th)," coach Lee Bum-ho said.