Kim Do-yeong of the Kia Tigers rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Kiwoom Heroes during the teams' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
The Kia Tigers' All-Star Kim Do-yeong became the youngest member of the "30-30" club in South Korean baseball history Thursday.
Kim launched his 30th home run of the 2024 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season in the top of the fifth inning against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, a two-run shot off Heroes starter Enmanuel De Jesus. Kim already had 33 steals prior to Thursday's game.
With this home run, Kim, at 20 years, 10 months and 13 days old, became the youngest player ever in the KBO with at least 30 homers and 30 steals in a season. Former All-Star slugger Park Jae-hong held the previous record at 22 years, 11 months and 27 days old from the 1996 season.
This was the ninth 30-30 season in the KBO, whose first season came in 1982. Park accomplished this feat three times, and six players have pulled it off once each.
Prior to Kim, the most recent 30-30 season came in 2015 when then NC Dinos star Eric Thames finished with 47 homers and 40 steals.
In just his third season, Kim is putting together an MVP-type season for the first-place Tigers. Before Thursday, Kim ranked third in the league with a .346 batting average, first with a .635 slugging percentage, fourth with a .419 on-base percentage, first in on-base plus slugging with 1.054 and tied for fifth with 33 steals.
With his 30th homer, Kim sits five behind Matt Davidson of the Dinos for the league lead.
In April this year, Kim had 10 homers and 14 steals, becoming the first KBO player ever to reach double figures in those two categories in a single month.
Also this year, he became only the fifth player to join the 20-20 club in the first half, while being named the Player of the Month twice.
On July 23, Kim became the first player to complete a natural cycle in four plate appearances, hitting a single, a double, a triple and a home run in order without being retired.
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