Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres) returned from a bruise to put on a fantastic performance. The only disappointment was the team’s loss.
Kim started at shortstop in the No. 8 spot in the lineup against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., on Monday (Aug. 28) and went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
His season batting average rose slightly to .239 (37-for-155) from .237, but he didn’t have much to smile about as his team lost 2-3 in extra innings.
Kim Ha-seong (center) was in pain after being hit by a pitch he hit. /AFPBBNews=News1
The durable Kim Ha-seong only missed one game with a bruise
Kim Ha-seong collapsed after being hit in the left knee by a pitch against the Washington Nationals on April 26. In an interview with a local U.S. media outlet, Kim said, “It was really painful. At first, I thought the worst,” he said.
But his body was stronger than he realized. After being helped off the field by trainers, Kim was diagnosed with a simple bruise on an X-ray and had to sit out the game against the Yankees on the 27th, but returned the next day.
In seven years of playing in Korea, Kim has never had a major injury. He played 891 games in seven years, 831 since 2015 when he made the jump to the main team, an average of 138 games per year, which shows how strong his body is and how consistently he took care of himself. It was no different in the United States.
“What we lack in offense, we make up for in defense.” The local assessment was spot-on, Hosobi Heat
On this day, it was the defense that shined. Before the game, Kim was batting .237. His OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) was 0.698, not exactly a productive hitter. Major League Baseball Trade Rumors (MLTR) gave him an average wRC+ of 97 and a hard-hit rate of 22.3 percent, both of which ranked near the bottom of the league, but “those numbers can be forgiven considering that as a second baseman, and more recently as a third baseman in place of the injured Manny Machado, he provides a lot of defensive value to San Diego.”
Since returning, Kim has proven that assessment correct. In the bottom of the first inning, with runners on first and third, D.J. LeMahieu hit a double down the left field line that was relayed to left fielder Juan Soto. After racing to the outfield to retrieve the ball, Kim made a strong throw to the catcher to stop the runner at first base and recorded an automatic tag to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, he quickly tracked down a line drive that nearly sailed out of the outfield by leadoff hitter Aijaea Kainer-Palepa, spun around and threw to first base to erase the runner. Starting pitcher Michael Wacka was impressed and thanked Kim.
Kim celebrates his game-winning hit against the Yankees on Aug. 28. /AFPBBNews=News1
A shining presence at the plate… but the team lost in extra innings
Kim Hae-sung made his presence felt at the plate as well, much to the dismay of the local media. He struck out swinging in his first at-bat in the top of the third inning, but settled down in the top of the fifth with a double.
In the top of the seventh, with runners on first and second, Kim hit a 151-mph sinker from reliever and Yankees starter Michael King for a three-and-out to bring home the second baseman. As the ball rolled toward home, Kim dug in at second base and celebrated. 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Kim stood out on defense again. After making a bare-handed catch of a ball that hit the pitcher’s glove, but the throw was too late to extend the out count, Kim made a strong throw to first and second to end the threat.메이저놀이터
Kim was stranded at second base in the top of the ninth when he grounded out to the second baseman, and the teams headed to extra innings. The Padres failed to score in the top of the 10th, putting runners on first and second with nobody out, and then gave up the game-winning hit to Palepa in the bottom of the 10th to fall to 2-3.
With a 24-28 record, San Diego remained in fourth place in the National League (NL) West, seven games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.