KIA Tigers slugger Na Sung-beom (33) has completely broken out of his first slump of the season.

Starting in the No. 3 spot in the lineup against the Samsung Lions at Pohang Baseball Stadium on April 2, Na went 2-for-3 with a home run in the first inning (his eighth of the season) and a double in the fourth inning, scoring two runs and driving in one. The team lost the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Na was hot at the plate.

He had gone 5-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and one run scored in the first game of the three-game series against Samsung the day before, leading the team to an 11-8 victory. In the top of the fourth inning, when KIA was down 0-6, he hit a bases-loaded double to left-center to start the rally, and in the bottom of the fifth inning, when KIA was down 2-7, he added another RBI with a single up the middle. He also had an RBI single in the eighth inning when Kia rallied to make it 10-8.

Na made his first-team debut on June 23 against the KT Wiz after undergoing rehabilitation for a left calf fascia injury sustained in February. In his first 12 games, he batted .353 with six home runs and 12 RBIs.

At the time, Na said, “The home runs are coming, but there were times when I had one hit in 10 at-bats, like against KT (on July 7-8). I don’t think it’s time to say I’m hitting well yet.” In fact, after hitting a home run in his fourth at-bat against KT on July 9, he suddenly fell into a slump. He batted just .120 in seven games against the Gwangju Samsung Electronics on Dec. 12. Not only did he not hit a home run, he didn’t even hit a double.

On July 29 against the Busan Lotte Giants, Na Sung-beom had his first big hit in eight games. After warming up his bat with a single to right in his second at-bat, in his third at-bat he pulled a low-course four-seam fastball (fastball) from left-hander Shim Jae-min over the right field fence. It was his first hit in 32 at-bats.

After a three-hit performance in that game to set the stage for a rebound, Na Sung-bum was back to his old self the next day (July 30) with a hit and a walk against Lotte, and his second “four-hit game” of the season against Samsung on the first day of the week. He also provided valuable at-bats, including an RBI single that scored Kia’s first run and a run-scoring double. “Since last weekend, I was only thinking about staying alive and going out there (to Nusang), so it was a good result,” said Na.메이저사이트

In the seven games in which Na didn’t hit, KIA lost four games (three wins). The team won all three games of a three-game series against Lotte last weekend when Na bounced back, and reversed a close loss to Samsung on the first day. They were swept by Samsung on the 2nd, but managed to keep KT and NC Dinos in 4th and 5th place.