Ha-Sung Kim (San Diego Padres) added a stolen base.
Ha-seong Kim started at first base and second base for the San Diego Padres in their 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California, USA, on Saturday. He went 1-for-5 with a walk and a stolen base.
He has gone hitless in two straight games since going 1-for-4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 12. His season batting average dropped slightly from .268 to .266 (132-for-497).
Instead, he stole a base. It was his 36th stolen base of the season. Accumulated two stolen bases against the San Francisco Giants on April 4 to reach the 30-steal plateau. The first Korean major leaguer to do so. The previous record was 22 stolen bases by Choo Shin-soo (now SSG) with the Cleveland Indians in 2010.
Kim stole three bases against the Houston Astros on April 9. He followed that up with one more stolen base against the Dodgers on Dec. 12 and another against Oakland. He now has 17 home runs and 36 stolen bases, and with three more home runs, he will become the first Asian infielder to reach 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases. Four more steals and he’ll be the second Asian player to reach 40 steals in a season, joining Ichiro Suzuki. The milestones are in sight.
In his first at-bat, he battled Oakland starter Sean Newcomb for five pitches before retiring on a fly ball to center field. In the top of the second, he had the bases loaded with no outs. Kim struck out swinging on Newcomb’s seven-pitch, four-seam fastball. In the fourth inning, with the bases loaded, he took a fastball and sinker from reliever Adrian Martinez for an RBI single.
With the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, he drew a straight-up walk off Martinez. He stole second on the next pitch from Fernando Tatis Jr. It was his 36th of the season.
However, there was also a dizzying moment. While sliding into second base, he twisted his left ankle. After complaining of pain, Kim examined his ankle with manager Bob Melvin and the team trainer. After a few checks, he was cleared. He continued to play normally without being substituted. He didn’t get a follow-up hit, which didn’t lead to a run.
Kim struck out swinging with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. With two outs in the top of the ninth, he grounded out to shortstop.먹튀검증
While his batting didn’t stand out, his defense did. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Kim quickly chased down Ryan Noda’s hit and threw to first base for the final out.
Kim’s teammate, Choi Ji-Man, made his return to the big leagues today. Diagnosed with a left rib sprain, Choi was placed on the 15-day disabled list (IL) last month. He played a rehab game in Triple-A on June 6, but was hit in the ankle by a pitch and suffered a bruise. After a break, he threw another rehab game and was activated.
San Diego won its second straight game earlier in the day with an 8-3 victory over Oakland. They are in fourth place in the National League West (70-78).