The KIA club said on the 20th, “Na Sung-beom was diagnosed with damage to his right hamstring as a result of examination at another hospital in the morning and afternoon. The rehabilitation treatment period is expected to take 10 to 12 weeks, he said.
Na Sung-beom started as the third batter and right fielder in a home game against the LG Twins at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 19th. In the bottom of the eighth inning, when KIA was losing 1-4, he led KIA by hitting a two-run timely hit against opposing pitcher Choi Dong-hwan with no outs and runners on second and third bases.
In the ensuing situation, Na Sung-bum, who took advantage of LG pitcher Ko Woo-suk’s wild pitch and stepped on second base, rushed to third base behind second base retouching the moment batter Kim Sun-bin’s ball was caught by right fielder. And he tried to slide the vent leg and touched third base before throwing.
Gwangju Kia Champions Field, which had heated up, soon became quiet. Na Sung-beom’s sudden complaint of pain. He talked with team trainer and senior coach Jin Gap-yong for a while and was replaced by pinch runner Lee Woo-sung.
Na Sung-bum went into the dugout without being helped. It didn’t look like a major injury at the time. However, as a result of the examination, he had to receive rehabilitation treatment for up to 12 weeks. Even if KIA advances to PS as well as the rest of the regular season, it will be difficult for Na Sung-bum to return and play.
2023 is a nightmare for Na Sung-beom. In March, he suffered a torn muscle fascia in his left calf while playing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team schedule. The hospital said he could recover in about six to eight weeks, but his muscle condition did not improve every time he underwent a retest, and he could not hold the bat until May.
Na Sung-beom also suffered a major injury that ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the 23rd game of the 2019 season, when he was a member of the NC Dinos. It was the biggest ordeal since his professional baseball debut, but rather, since the season out was clearly decided at this time, he soon calmed his mind and spent time with his family to undergo rehabilitation treatment. However, earlier this year, the calf injury was more difficult than when he suffered a knee injury because he had no promise to return.
Na Sung-bum, who recovered his physical condition, played his first game of the season against KT Wiz on June 23. He showed a good sense of hitting without any aftereffects of injury, contributing to the KIA ranking competition. He also led KAI to nine consecutive wins with a batting average of 0.395 with four home runs and 14 RBIs from the match against KT on August 24 to the match against the Doosan Bears on the 6th.
In the second half of the year, Na Sung-bum ranked first among all 10 hitters in batting average (0.380), home runs (12 homers) and RBIs (44). If we narrow down the scope to the second half, he showed performance like MVP. In just 58 games this season, he also recorded the most home runs (18 home runs) in the KIA lineup.
KIA has lost six consecutive games since the match against the Daegu Samsung Lions on the 12th, falling from fourth place to sixth place in the league. Main shortstop Park Chan-ho suffered a ligament injury in his left fourth finger and Kim Tae-gun, the main catcher, was out of power for a while due to a sprained left ankle. The pitching staff has also been shaken up with six points (6.80) versus an ERA in the last 11 games.
Park Chan-ho and Kim Tae-gun announced their return to the starting lineup by playing as substitutes against LG on the 19th. KIA also appeared to be ready for a rebound. In this situation, Na Sung-bum, who served as the pillar of the team’s batting lineup, left.