Kim Ha-seong (28‧ San Diego) recently showed off his climax of hitting and was clearly erasing the tag of ‘a player who is only good at defense’. Kim Ha-seong, who has been able to take the leadoff position of the team based on his consistently rising batting performance since mid-June, has been playing a big role in the second half, competing for the first place in the league in on-base percentage.토토사이트
In particular, from the game against Detroit on July 23 (Korean time) to the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 8, he showed off his on-base ability by recording two or more on-base games in 15 consecutive games. He had a good ability to produce hits with his sensuous bat control as a weapon, and most of all, he contributed to the team’s batting line by going on base in various ways, such as picking out walks while harassing opposing pitchers with a persistent game.
His streak of 15 games with two or more on base is his longest in the major leagues all season. The previous record was 10 games by Freddie Freeman (LA Dodgers), but Kim Ha-seong far surpassed it. Choo Shin-soo’s 10 games, the longest in Korea, has long since passed, and the Asian record is on par with Suzuki Ichiro’s 15 games. If he recorded more than two bases in the game against Seattle on the 9th, it would be a great feat to set a new Asian record.
However, on this day, Kim Ha-seong only had one hit in the last at-bat in the ninth inning. He was 1-for-4 with three strikeouts. He continued his 14-game hitting streak, but his streak of two or more on-base streak was broken at 15 games. Of course, there is no need to attach great importance to it as it is a record that will stop someday. But in the process, there was an unfortunate part.
He struck out on a swing in his first two at-bats. Logan Gilbert, who started for Seattle that day, had a good pitch. He also liked his signature heavy fastball, and the fall of breaking balls such as splitters was also excellent. Ha-seong Kim, who had rarely struck out recently, had to concede defeat in his first two at-bats. It wasn’t just Kim Ha-seong. Other San Diego hitters were also struggling with Gilbert’s “scratchy” pitch.
However, the third strikeout in the sixth inning was different. It was Kim Ha-seong who came to the plate in the 6th inning, 0-1 behind, with no runners on the 2nd. Although it was a situation where there was no second runner, Ha-seong Kim was able to enter second base at any time with his feet, and the hitters who stepped in behind were players with one-shots such as Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, and Manny Machado. Once I got on base, I didn’t know what would happen next.
Kim Ha-seong seemed to be well aware of this and endured with concentration. Even when he was driven by 2S, he picked 2 balls and made 2B-2S. On the 5th pitch, he removed a slider that ran outside, and also cut a fastball in the middle of the 6th pitch. It wasn’t the exact timing, but he was persistent and induced Gilbert to miss a shot.
The San Diego relay team also praised Kim Ha-sung’s persistent game, saying, “If you are a leadoff player, you need to battle like that.” However, the 7th district was unfair. In 2B-2S, Gilbert’s splitter landed on Kim Ha-sung’s body. The strike zone graphic provided by the broadcasting company as a reference material and the ball on Game Day, the official website of Major League Baseball, were all balls that fell outside the zone. But referee Doug Eddings’s hand went up too resolutely. It was a strikeout.
The San Diego relay team also sighed, saying, “Ah!” It was obviously not a strike, but it was because there was a misjudgment. When Kim Ha-seong was also judged to strike out, he immediately turned around and confronted the referee. However, the referee did not even look at him, and Kim Ha-seong had no choice but to swallow his regret. If there was a fight over words, there was a possibility of being kicked out. The game was a one-point difference, and Kim Ha-seong was in a situation where he should not be missing.
Because it was the end of the inning situation when the offense and defense were switched, the San Diego relay team could not continue to talk about this situation for a long time. However, he sided with Ha-sung Kim, saying, “I was surprised and embarrassed (rung up) by Ha-seong Kim.”
If the ball had been ruled a ball, it would have created the possibility of a walk or otherwise reaching base, and could have increased San Diego’s chances of winning. It’s a consequential story, but considering the hits in the ninth inning, there was an arithmetic possibility of playing at least two bases in 16 consecutive games. But at the coming, everything was blown away.
This is the ninth time in his major league career that Ha-seong Kim struck out three or more in one game. 1st in 2021, 2nd in 2022, and 6th this year. The previous game, 3 strikeouts, was against the Los Angeles Angels on July 4, and at that time, Kim Ha-seong recorded 1 hit and 3 strikeouts in 5 at-bats.
Along with Kim Ha-seong, the four strikeouts of Juan Soto, who is currently the best starting pitcher in San Diego, also catches the eye. Soto, who has the best eye in the league, struck out in all four at-bats that day. It was the first time in Soto’s career that he recorded more than four strikeouts in a game. It was a day when Gilbert’s balls and Seattle pitchers’ balls could be judged to be overall good.