Tigers catcher hoping to recapture KBO postseason glory of 2024
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Kim Tae-gun of the Kia Tigers watches his batted ball during Game 1 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason against the LG Twins at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju, Oct. 17. Courtesy of Kia Tigers
DAEGU — Two years ago Monday, Kia Tigers catcher Kim Tae-gun enjoyed the best postseason game of his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) career. He slugged a grand slam to help his team defeat the Samsung Lions 9-2 in Game 4 of the Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu.
The victory moved the Tigers within a win of their 12th title, and they went on to take the series in Game 5 two days later.
Exactly two years after the memorable homer — Kim’s first dinger in a postseason game — the veteran catcher is back in Daegu, this time to start the second round of the postseason against the Lions.
The first game had been scheduled for Sunday but it was rained out. And Sunday was the two-year anniversary of a not-so-memorable game for Kim. On Oct. 25, 2024, Kim struck out three times in Game 3 of the Korean Series.
Moments after Sunday’s game was canceled, Kim said he was glad not to have played that day.
“I remember exactly what happened two years ago. On Oct. 26, I hit a grand slam right here. But on Oct. 25, I struck out three times,” Kim said with a smile. “I am looking forward to playing on that grand slam anniversary. I have played well here in Daegu since then, too.”
The Tigers and the Lions are in a much different position now than two years ago. In 2024, the Tigers won the regular-season title and advanced directly to the Korean Series, while the Lions had to play and win one extra round in the postseason to get there. The Tigers were the favorites in the Korean Series.
This time, the Lions had a better record in the regular season than the Tigers. As the No. 2 seed, the Lions earned a bye to this round, while the third-seeded Tigers had to beat the LG Twins in the previous round to reach this stage.
“Honestly, as the underdog, we have no pressure on us. Two years ago, we were waiting to see who would come up to the Korean Series and all the pressure was on our side,” Kim said. “I have told my teammates that we just have to go play freely and have fun, because these are bonus games for us. We have done well to come this far and this has already been a great season for us.”
Kim, one of the elder statesmen of the team at age 36, thanked young guns on the team for stepping up this year after some veterans left in free agency.
“Some people saw us as a non-playoff team and I think it only fired us up,” Kim said. “And our young guys have done a great job playing with confidence and not getting intimidated by anything.”
