Accra:Seoul It is not often that a baseball player hits two home runs in a key postseason game and still gets upstaged by a teammate, but that is exactly what happened to Kia Tigers slugger Na Sung-bum this week. The Tigers pummeled the LG Twins 13-1 in Game 3 of their best-of-five series in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason Tuesday night at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, with Na contributing two solo home runs that, by the end of the night, became a footnote to the latest heroic feat authored by Tigers superstar Kim Do-yeong.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Na opened the scoring for the Tigers with a solo home run to lead off the top of the second inning. But a few minutes later, Kim blasted a colossal grand slam measured at 145 meters, tying the record for the longest postseason home run in KBO history. At 23 years and 18 days old, Kim also became the youngest player to launch a KBO postseason grand slam.
The Tigers were already up 8-0 when Na delivered his second solo home run of the game. With the score so lopsided and the Twins showing few signs of life with their bats, Na's second homer almost seemed immaterial. Kim was voted the series MVP, and Na, 37, said afterward he enjoyed a front-row seat to Kim's memorable performance throughout the series.
Na expressed his admiration for Kim, noting, "It seems like he is getting better every year." Despite Kim's younger age, Na acknowledged that he has much to learn from him. Kim, who won the regular-season MVP award in 2024, is considered a strong contender for this year's award. Na expressed gratitude for playing on the same team as Kim and hopes Kim remains with the team for a long time.
As captain, Na emphasized that the team's success is not solely due to Kim's efforts. He highlighted contributions from other players, such as fourth outfielder Park Jung-woo and backup catcher Han Jun-su. In Tuesday's win, Park had two hits and two RBIs from the leadoff spot, and Han hit a solo homer as part of his two-RBI night. Na conveyed confidence in the team's ability to win games regardless of who is in the lineup.