adminSan Diego Padres outfielder Ha-Sung Kim (27) returned to the field after a day on the disabled list with a multi-hit game after kicking a bucket of water near the dugout.
Starting at first base and batting second against the New York Mets in the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series at Petco Park in San Diego, California, USA, Kim went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and a triple in the Padres’ 6-2 win. With the win, Kim raised his season batting average to .258 as he prepares for the second half of the season.
Kim missed Game 9 after suffering a foot injury while kicking a bucket of water in Game 8. It wasn’t a major injury, and with only one day off, he returned to bat first on the 10th.
From the first inning onwards, he made the most of his leadoff role. Kim led off the inning with a single to left field on a four-pitch low changeup from Mets starter Max Scherzer. He advanced to third on a double by Fernando Tatis Jr. and scored on a single by Manny Machado. Machado took advantage of a five-pitch slider from Scherzer and smashed a three-run homer over the left field fence to give his team the lead for good in the first inning. The home run brought home Kim Ha-seong, who was pinch-hitting, for the first run of the game.토스카지노
After a foul-tipped grounder in his second at-bat, Kim was unable to capitalise on a chance in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded and two outs, he was two strikes away from a hit.
Even without Kim, San Diego had no problem scoring runs. It was Machado’s turn at the plate, erasing his early season slump. With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, Machado took a four-pitch fastball from Scherzer and smashed it over the right field fence for a two-run homer. His 15th of the season.
After Machado dominated Scherzer, San Diego added a run in the sixth on a Gary Sanchez double and an RBI single by Trent Grisham. Kim also had a multi-hit game with a single to left off reliever T.J. McFarlend. However, Tatis Jr. followed with an RBI single to end the inning.
With the game, Kim finished the first half with a .258 batting average, 10 home runs, 31 RBIs, 44 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, and a combined on-base percentage (.349) and slugging percentage (.411) for an OPS of .760. That’s a huge jump from last year’s first half, when he hit .242 with five home runs, 31 RBIs, 35 runs scored and an OPS of .692. Defensively, he led the league in a number of metrics, making him a strong candidate for the Gold Glove at second base.