‘Top 5 NL leadoff hitters’ Kim Ha-Sung says he’s done with multi-hit games… Kim hits .285 with 2 hits to help team escape 3-game losing streak [SD Review].
Now, it has reached a point where 안전놀이터 a multi-hit game is not enough. Ha-seong Kim (28), who is being reborn as a hitting machine in the National League (NL), led the San Diego Padres’ victory and escape from losing streak.
Ha-seong Kim started as the first batter and second baseman in the 2023 Major League home game against the Baltimore Orioles held at Petco Park in San Diego, California on the 16th (Korean time) and scored 2 hits and 1 run in 5 at-bats.
As a result, Kim Ha-seong’s batting average for the season rose slightly from 0.283 to 0.285. Kim Ha-seong, who started August with a batting average of 0.281, recorded his multi-hit six times this month alone, but only hit 0.290 once against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 12. He is stuck between 0.280 and 0.290.
However, he was also steadily climbing, so he was positioned as a leadoff. From mid-June, Kim Ha-seong began to play as a built-in leadoff. His batting average was 0.295 as a leadoff on July 29 alone, but he raised it to 0.313 with a multi-hit game that day. Among National League hitters with more than 100 at-bats, this is the fourth-highest score after Luis Araez (Miami Marlins, 0.376), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves, 0.338), and Rain Thomas (Washington Nationals, 0.318).
San Diego escaped a three-game losing streak by winning 10-3 against Baltimore thanks to the performances of two table setters, Ha-sung Kim and Fernando Tatis Jr., who combined for five hits. With 57 wins and 63 losses, 4th place in the National League West Division, the right to advance to the postseason and 7th place in the wild card after 2.5 games saved the spark of hope.
Kim Ha-seong reported a long hit from the first at-bat. Baltimore starting pitcher Jack Flaherty continued to target the lower strike zone and refused to give up easy pitches. However, Kim Ha-seong hit the knuckle curve at 77.2 miles per hour, which fell on the 5th pitch, and connected it with a double in the left field. It was like a bullet with an exit velocity of 98.5 mph. Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts walked, and Jake Cronenworth added a push walk to home comfortably. Afterwards, Gary Sanchez hit a home run in the middle of the rain, giving San Diego a 5-0 lead.
In the second inning, even a home run fell short. Kim Ha-seong, who entered the plate with one out in the second inning, hit Flaherty’s 4th fastball, which came in high to the body, and made a large batted ball with a distance of 348 feet toward the left wall. However, with only a few meters left to the wall, he was caught by left fielder Austin Hays, leaving a regret.
The second hit was the same as usual. Ha-seong Kim kicked up a curve that fell low to the outside of pitcher Nick Vespi, who had changed from one out in the bottom of the 4th inning without a runner. Vespi tried to catch this ball by leaping, but it was hit by the glove and deflected. The light faded as Juan Soto’s double stroke failed to score.
At the end of the 5th inning, when Kim Ha-seong entered the third at-bat, the extra weight of the match was already leaning toward San Diego. In the 2nd inning with 2 outs on 1st and 2nd base, Machado scored 2 RBIs and timely doubles to left field, making the score 7-0. Ben Gamel then scored two RBIs on a double to right-center, giving San Diego a 10-0 lead.
Afterwards, Kim Ha-seong failed to add a hit as he withdrew with a grounder to second base at the end of the 5th inning and a grounder to third base at the end of the 8th inning. Baltimore only added 1 run in the 6th inning and 2 runs in the 9th, and San Diego won 10-3.
San Diego starting pitcher Michael Waka won 9 wins (2 losses) in the season with 3 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts and no runs in 5 innings, and Baltimore starter Flaherty lost 8 seasons with 4 hits (1 home run), 4 walks, 3 strikeouts and 7 runs in 3 innings (3 innings). 8 wins).