He ran with all his might until his helmet came off. The fans at Petco Park went wild, and Kim’s (28, San Diego Padres) sprint to the plate gave his team a valuable victory.
Kim started at first base and went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks, two runs scored and a stolen base in the Padres’ 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) home game against the Texas Rangers at Petco Park in San Diego, California, USA, on Monday.
His season batting average increased slightly from .273 to .274 (90-for-328), but this game showed a side of Kim that doesn’t show up in the numbers.
I ran until my helmet came off… Two runs and his first 20th career stolen base
In his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning, Kim hit a sinker from Dane Dunning for a one-base hit over the third baseman’s head and sprinted to first base. He reached first base before shortstop Ezequiel Duran’s throw home. The throw was fast enough to knock his helmet off, but Kim caught the falling helmet with a familiar ease.
Kim continued his streak of reaching base in his first 21 games, this time stealing second. When the next batter, Fernando Tatis Jr. worked a full count, Kim cut off the fastball and slid into second base with ease.
He became the third Korean player to reach 20 steals this season, joining Shin-soo Choo (SSG Rangers) and Bae Ji-hwan (Pittsburgh). After recording six in his first year in the big leagues, Kim finally reached the 20-steal mark after recording 12 last year.
He then rounded third base on Juan Soto’s short fly ball to center field. Center fielder Leandro Taveras’ throw was sharp, but Kim flew over the catcher’s mitt and swept home plate with his hand for the go-ahead run. The fans at Petco Park went wild, cheering for Kim.
With one out in the bottom of the third, he calmly picked off a pitch in left-center field for an RBI single. After a groundout to second base in the fifth inning, Kim completed his three-hit game in the top of the sixth inning with runners on first and second and one out. Tatis Jr. then hit a big double over the right field fence, but the right fielder didn’t make an aggressive play on the ball, allowing only one runner to score and Kim to stay at second base.
With two outs, however, Manny Machado singled to right field and Kim made a fantastic head-first slide to avoid the tag and slide across home plate with his right hand despite a fast throw to first.
Kim drove in his team’s first and last runs of the game, and San Diego cruised to a 7-1 victory.
San Diego moved to 50 wins (54 losses). They are in fourth place in the National League (NL) West. Meanwhile, American League (AL) West-leading Texas fell to 60 wins and 44 losses, unable to close the gap on the second-place Houston Astros.
July-1 batting first, Asia’s first infielder sees 20-20
Kim Ha-seong is having a hot summer. After struggling in April with a .177 batting average, Kim rebounded with a .276 average in May and then took his hitting to .291 in June.
His July performance was even more impressive. He swung for the fences at .325, pushing his season batting average into the double digits. He hit a whopping five home runs and drove in seven runs. He also drew 14 walks. Naturally, his ratio stats are also good. His on-base percentage is .438, his slugging percentage is .550, and his OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) is .988.
Kim Ha-seong, who is now being used as the leadoff hitter, is developing into an explosive leadoff hitter. He’s batting 0.298 with a 0.412 OBP, 0.544 slugging percentage, and 0.956 OPS in the No. 1 spot, matching his July numbers.
He’s also closing in on his signature 20-20 record. With 14 home runs, Kim has already broken his own single-season home run record. San Diego has 58 games left, and Kim is on pace to hit 22 homers if he plays all of them.카지노
Shin-Soo Choo is the only other Korean player in the MLB with a 20-homer, 20-RBI season. Shin-Soo Choo did it three times, starting in 2009 (20 homers and 21 steals), then in 2010 (22 homers and 22 steals) and 2013 (21 homers and 20 steals).
If Kim hits 20-20, he will become the second Korean and first Asian infielder to join the 20-20 club.
A top-notch defender and the NL’s leading Gold Glove candidate at second base, Kim’s hot bat is boosting his value.
