Picking up the pace since the middle of last month, the Kia Tigers’ nine-game winning streak has been fueled largely by the power of their bats. Regardless of their batting order, the Tigers have been tormenting their opponents with consecutive hits or long balls, and they’ve also been dominating games with big runs. Until the 9th game, the flow was similar.

However, the players who didn’t hit long balls and used their quick feet to shake up the opposition ended up winning the game. Neither the opponents nor the manager could find a way to deal with it. A whopping eight stolen bases in one game, by one team.

KIA extended its winning streak to three games with an 8-7 victory over the LG Twins in the 14th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League on Tuesday at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field. The team is now 60 wins, 2 ties, and 52 losses (.536) on the season.

KIA attempted to steal at every opportunity, starting with Kim Do-young’s stolen base in the top of the first inning when he walked. In the second inning, Park Chan-ho stole second base after a single, and in the third inning, leadoff hitter Socrates Brito stole second base after a 10-pitch walk. Obviously, there was no home run or double, but by the end of the third inning, the gap was already 7-2.

In the bottom of the fifth, Kim Do-young stole another base, and in the bottom of the seventh, Park Chan-ho and Choi Won-joon moved up. In the case of Choi Won-jun, he stole second and then stole third, confusing the LG infield. KIA, which didn’t have a single hit over two bases, stole a whopping eight bases. In fact, many of the stolen bases led to wins.

According to the team, this is the second-most stolen bases by a team in a single game in franchise history. The previous record holder was 10 against the Gwangju Lotte Giants on May 26, 1985, 38 years ago, and the second was eight against Jeonju MBC Cheongryong on May 2, 1982. If we narrow it down to the period since the team changed its name from Haetae to KIA, no team has ever stolen more bases in a single game than this one.

What’s more, it’s noteworthy that they did it from the first inning in front of LG manager Yoon Kyung-yeop, who has emphasized “mobility” and “running baseball” more than anyone else. Not only Korean players such as Park Chan-ho and Kim Do-young, but also foreign hitter Socrates didn’t hesitate to attempt stolen bases.스포츠토토

This could be a great weapon for KIA not only in the regular season but also in fall baseball. If a team that has built a batting lineup that all teams struggle with can also showcase their quick feet, opponents will have too much to prepare for. In an interview before the game, manager Yeom Kyung-yeop also acknowledged the strength of the opponent, saying, “KIA’s batting lineup is the most difficult among the nine teams (except LG).” Will the Tigers’ ‘KIA Ticket Baseball’, which made a mark in the club’s history, show its power this fall?