King Ha-Sung Kim (28, San Diego Padres) had a multi-hit, four-run performance, including his 15th home run of the season.

Kim started at third base and batted leadoff for the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday (July 3) and went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, three runs scored and two walks.

It was Kim’s 11th consecutive game with multiple hits and his ninth consecutive game with a multi-hit game. He raised his season batting average to .284 (98-for-345) from .281. Ranks eighth in the National League in batting average. His OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) rose to .838. With 15 home runs already under his belt, Kim has also stolen 22 bases this season.
Kim’s home run came in the top of the first inning. After picking off a high fastball outside the zone in the first inning, Kim let the second pitch go for a strike. In the third inning, he pulled a 90.5 mph (145.6 km/h) four-seam fastball up the middle for a solo shot over the left field fence. The fastball was clocked at 103.1 mph (165.9 km/h), according to MLB.com Gameday, the official website of Major League Baseball. It traveled 425 feet (129.5 meters). The launch angle was 29 degrees. It was Kim’s 41st RBI. It was his first taste of the cannon in seven games since hitting two home runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 25. Kim’s first home run at Coors Field.

Kim completed his multi-hit game in just two at-bats. Bottom of the third inning, no outs. The opposing pitcher was still Colorado starter Kyle Freeland. He didn’t give Kim a good pitch. The first pitch was a knuckleball that was well outside the zone. The second pitch was a low sinker. The third pitch was another outside pitch. The fourth pitch was just outside the strike zone, but he finally picked out a slider that was well outside the zone in the fifth. It was his 11th consecutive multi-hit game. Two batters later, Kim scored on Juan Soto’s opposite-field home run.

Kim’s momentum continued. In the fifth inning, he stepped to the plate for the third time and lined a single to left. A strike and a foul on the second pitch put him in an unfavorable count. He picked off a low knuckle curveball in the third pitch and then a high slider in the fourth pitch for a line drive to left field. His helmet came off as he hit the ground, but he didn’t look back as he ran to first base. Kim reached base three times in three at-bats with a home run, a walk, and a hit. This time, however, he was unable to follow up with a hit to bring him home.

Kim stepped to the plate for the fourth time in the seventh inning with the bases loaded. After letting the first and second pitches go for strikes, Kim fouled off the third pitch. The fourth pitch was a ball. He then swung at a changeup that was just outside the zone on the fifth pitch, but was retired on a grounder to second base.

Kim completed his four-hit performance in the bottom of the ninth. With one out and Trent Grisham on second, Kim stepped to the plate. He was persistent. After a first-pitch strike, Kim picked off three pitches in a row. After seeing the fifth pitch for a strike, he fouled off the sixth. Then, on the seventh pitch, he picked off a 93.4 mph (150.3 km/h) four-seam fastball high in the zone and walked to first base. It was his third four-strikeout game of the season. He came home on the next pitch, a three-run shot to left by Fernando Tatis Jr. It was Kim’s 60th RBI of the season.
Kim’s best performance of the second half of the season, ‘3-for-20’… Next to break the 20-20 club: Kang Jeong-ho’s 21 homers, then Choo Shin-soo’s 24.
Kim Ha-seong has been dominating the second half of the season. In 19 games since the All-Star break, he is batting .412 (21-for-51) with four home runs, eight RBIs, 12 runs scored, a .531 OPS and a .686 slugging percentage in his last 15 games. On the team, he is fourth in home runs behind Juan Soto (23), Manny Machado (20) and Tatis Jr. (19). He also leads the team in stolen bases with 22 (Tatis Jr. is second with 17). Among the team’s regulars, he is first in batting average, second in on-base percentage (.380) behind Soto (.380), fourth in slugging percentage (.458), and second in OPS. His batting average is also on the rise, and he’s on pace to reach the 3-for-20 home run mark.

With the team having played 109 games, there are 53 games left for San Diego this season. If he continues on his current pace, the math works out to 22 home runs and 33 stolen bases. If Kim hits 22 home runs, he will surpass the record set by Kang Jeong-ho (retired – 21) in 2016. It would also break the record for most home runs by a Korean major leaguer, held by Choo Shin-soo (SSG). After reaching 20 home runs seven times in his 16 seasons in the big leagues, Shin-soo Choo hit 24 home runs in 2019. If Kim hits 20 homers, he will become the second player to join the 20-20 club in the big leagues, joining Shin-Soo Choo. He would also be the first Asian infielder to do so.바카라사이트

Meanwhile, San Diego defeated Colorado 11-1, led by Kim’s big game. The Dodgers took the lead in the first inning on a leadoff solo shot by Kim, followed by a two-run arch by Soto in the third (3-0). They gave up a run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Montero, but Sanchez made it 4-1 with a mid-month solo shot in the sixth. They scored seven runs in their final at-bat in the top of the ninth. Sanchez led off with a solo shot to left-center field, followed by a three-run homer by Tatis Jr. (8-1). Two batters later, Cronenwirth’s RBI double and Sanchez’s RBI double to right field made it 11-1.

San Diego Padres vs Colorado Rockies Starting Lineup (August 3, 2018 @ Coors Field, 28,437 fans in attendance)

• San Diego Padres: Ha-Sung Kim (third base)-Fernando Tatis Jr. (right field)-Juan Soto (left field)-Manny Machado (designated hitter)-Zander Bogaerts (shortstop)-Jake Cronenweth (second base)-Gary Sanchez (catcher)-Matthew Batten (first base)-Trent Grisham (center field). Starting pitcher Nick Martinez.
• Colorado Rockies: Jurickson Profar (designated hitter)-Ezequiel Toba (shortstop)-Ryan McMahon (third baseman)-Brendan Rogers (second baseman)-Nolan Jones (left fielder)-Elehoris Montero (first baseman)-Michael Toglia (right fielder)-Brenton Doyle (center fielder)-Austin Wins (catcher). Starting pitcher Kyle Freeland.