Despite a disappointing at-bat, Ha-Sung Kim (28-San Diego Padres) had a multi-hit performance, but he wasn’t the one smiling in the end.
Kim went 1-for-3 with a walk, two strikeouts and a run scored in the Padres’ first game of the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) season against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., on Monday (Aug. 28).
토스카지노His season batting average dropped from .276 to .274. The two walks kept his on-base percentage at .368, but his slugging percentage dropped from .442 to .439. His OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) was 0.807.
San Diego’s lineup was Ha-Sung Kim (second base), Fernando Tatis Jr. (right field), Juan Soto (left field), Manny Machado (third base), Zander Bogaerts (designated hitter), Garrett Cooper (first base), Gary Sanchez (catcher), Trent Grisham (center field), and Matthew Barton (second base). Michael Wacha got the start on the mound.
Milwaukee’s starting lineup was Christian Yelich (left field), William Contreras (catcher), Carlos Santana (first base), Sal Flerich (center field), Mark Canha (left field), Bryce Turan (second base), Andrew Monasterio (third base), and Taion Taylor (right field). Adrian Hauser got the start in center field.
Kim Ha-Sung. /AFPBBNews=news1
Ha Sung Kim. /Photo=San Diego Padres Official Social Media
Even when the bats are silent, the eyes shine: 14th multi-hit game in ‘three games without a hit’
No hits on the day. Silence for three games in a row. It’s been more than two months since Kim went hitless in three consecutive games, after a four-game silence from June 11 to 15. It’s an ‘Awesome Kim’ that showed a hot bat.
In the top of the first inning, he was facing a 1-2 count against Hauser, but he was able to hold off four, five, and six pitches for a walk.
Then, on a Tatis Jr. line drive that sailed over the second baseman’s head, he dug past second base to third. For a moment, he almost couldn’t contain his speed. Machado’s grounder to shortstop brought him home. His 74th run of the season.
After Contreras’ tying homer (No. 14) tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the second, San Diego took a 4-1 lead on Cooper’s RBI single, Sanchez’s two-run homer (No. 18) and Barton’s solo shot (No. 2). Two batters later, Kim took a quick swing at a 90.2-mph (145.2-kilometer) fastball from Hauser, but the ball came up empty and was caught by Fleury in center field.
Kim led off the fifth inning with a walk to reliever Bryce Wilson. He lined a three-pitch 89.5 mph (144 km/h) cut fastball deep into the infield, but was robbed of a hit by a throw after a spectacular bare-handed catch by third baseman Monasterio.
Kim Ha-Sung (right) and Tatis Jr. /AFPBBNews=News1
In the eighth inning, a three-pitch at-bat that was out of the zone was called a strike and Kim retired the side. /Photo=MLB.com Gameday
Despite his struggles at the plate, Kim stayed true to his role as the No. 1 hitter. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Padres were down 7-4 and needed a run. Grisham walked and Barton singled to put runners on first and second with nobody out.
Kim faced Abner Yuribe, and after picking off three pitches in a row, he couldn’t swing at a sinker that hit 97.5 mph (156.9 km/h) on the fourth pitch and 98.4 mph (158.4 km/h) on the fifth. However, he wasn’t fooled by a 99.1 mph (159.5 km/h) six-pitch over the zone and ended up grounding out. He hasn’t had a hit in three straight games, but he’s had multi-hit games in two of them, showing off some incredible eye baseball.
After a walk to Ha-Sung Kim loaded the bases, San Diego scored a run on a wild pitch by Yuribe. Tanis Jr.’s pushoff made it 6-9, and the Milwaukee bench was mobilized. Pitcher Harvey Milner was replaced, but no more runs were scored as Soto hit an infield single, Machado followed with a pop fly to first, and Bogart grounded out to second. Kim Hae-sung was also stranded at third base.
In the eighth inning, with runners on first and second, Kim faced hard-hitting pitcher Trevor Megill. The first pitch was a 100.4 mph (161.6 km/h) four-seam fastball that Kim fouled off. The second pitch was another 100.6 mph (161.9 km/h) fastball, and this time, Kim’s bat went wide. Kim was timing a fiery fastball, and the third pitch was an 89.4-mph (143.9-kilometer) knuckle curve.
But it was ruled a strike. According to MLB.com’s Gameday, the pitch was very slightly outside the zone, but Kim didn’t bat at it because he thought it was a ball, and afterward, he made an unusual gesture of protest to the umpire in frustration.
In the bottom of the third inning, when the team led 4-2, Kim made a quick play at shortstop to prevent another run from scoring. In the seventh inning, he made a quick advance on Yelich’s grounder and threw out the runner at first base.
Kanha (right) is congratulated by a teammate after hitting the game-winning home run for Milwaukee. /AFPBBNews=News1
San Diego’s Soto fails to catch a fly ball. /AFPBBNews=News1
The bullpen that gave up the big six-run inning… SD fall hopes fade
With a 4-2 lead, San Diego’s defense came up short in the bottom of the sixth inning. Waka, who gave up two runs in five innings, got Adames to ground out to second, but was pulled after giving up a single to Kanha and a walk to Turang.
It was the start of a nightmare. The second pitcher on the mound, Steven Wilson, couldn’t get a pitch down and walked Monasterio before giving up a one-out double to Tellez in right field. With two runners on base, the game was tied 4-4.
Yelich hit an automatic double to load the bases and got Contreras to fly out to right field, but gave up a pushing grounder to Santana.
San Diego switched pitchers to Nick Martinez, but the red-hot Milwaukee bats continued to heat up. Fleury swung at the first pitch he saw and lined a double down the left field line. Two runners crossed the plate again. 4-7.
He gave up a walk to Adames and then a two-run single to left by Kanha to cut the deficit to 4-9. He was unable to close the gap and lost the game.
San Diego, which fell to 6-10 and lost its third straight, took another step backward in its fall baseball hopes, falling to 61-70, fourth in the NL West and seventh in the wild-card race, eight games behind the third-place Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Brewers suffered a crushing defeat after starter Wacha was tagged for four runs on five hits (one homer) and five walks with five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings before the bullpen couldn’t last 2 ⅔ innings and gave up six runs.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, rattled off eight straight wins to improve to 73-57 and remain in first place in the NL Central. The Brewers were able to pull off the upset after Hauser gave up four runs in two innings, but Wilson pitched four scoreless innings and the offense exploded.
Milwaukee’s Megill roars after winning the game. /AFPBBNews=News1