The San Diego Padres’ Kim Ha-Sung may not have joined Asia’s “first” 20-homer, 40-double club and stolen 40 bases. But he did have one of the best years of his career this season.
Kim started at second base and batted second in the lineup against the Chicago White Sox at Garanteedate Field in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Feb. 2 (ET), going 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.
After snapping a four-game hitless streak the day before, Kim went 4-for-5 with a run scored and a walk. It was his second four-hit game in his major league debut and the first in a whopping 424 days since August 3 last year against the Colorado Rockies. However, it didn’t carry over to the final game of the regular season. Kim did his part by producing an RBI single in the 10th inning of extra innings, but he finished the game without a hit.
Kim also joined the ranks of “legend” Ichiro Suzuki. Kim had a multi-hit game against the Dodgers on August 8 and has now had 15 consecutive “multi-RBI” games, starting on July 23 against the Detroit Tigers. This tied the record for most by an Asian major leaguer held by Ichiro in 2017. While he didn’t break the record, it’s a testament to what a great season he had.
After surpassing Choo Shin-soo once, Kim Hae-sung called him up once again. He didn’t break the record, but he did come close. On August 12 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kim went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, and a run scored, tying Shin-Soo Choo’s record of 16 consecutive games with a hit, set in 2013 with the Cincinnati Reds.
Beyond Shin-Soo Choo, Ichiro had a breakout year
Prior to the 2021 season, Kim signed a 4+1 year, $39 million contract with San Diego to play in the major leagues. In his rookie season, Kim struggled to adjust to the fastballs of major league pitchers, batting just .202 in 117 games. However, in 2022, he earned the starting job after Fernando Tatis Jr. was injured and suspended for PED use.
Kim showed marked improvement at the plate, hitting .251 with 11 home runs, 59 RBIs, 58 runs scored and a .708 OPS in 150 games, while playing solid defense that earned him a Gold Glove finalist for the National League shortstop award, making him a staple in San Diego. And this year, he had a season that was even better than last year.
Moving from shortstop to second base due to the arrival of Xander Bogaerts, Kim was on fire until August. During his hot streak, he summoned a number of legendary players. On August 5, Kim stole two bases against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking the record for most stolen bases by a Korean major leaguer, surpassing Choo Shin-soo’s (SSG Landers) 22 stolen bases with the Cleveland Indians (now the Guardians) in 2010.
Kim also joined the ranks of “legend” Ichiro Suzuki. Kim had a multi-hit game against the Dodgers on August 8 and has now had 15 consecutive “multi-RBI” games, starting on July 23 against the Detroit Tigers. This tied the record for most by an Asian major leaguer held by Ichiro in 2017. While he didn’t break the record, it’s a testament to what a great season he had.
After surpassing Choo Shin-soo once, Kim Hae-sung called him up once again. He didn’t break the record, but he did come close. On August 12 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kim went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, and a run scored, tying Shin-Soo Choo’s record of 16 consecutive games with a hit, set in 2013 with the Cincinnati Reds.
Regular season finale
Kim did not continue his four-hit performance from the previous day. Facing White Sox starter Jose Urena in his first at-bat with the bases loaded in the top of the first inning, Kim opened the game with a four-pitch, 83.3 mph slider outside the strike zone, but retreated to the center field foul pole.
With the score tied at 0-0, Kim faced Urena again in the top of the third, this time on an 87.2-mph (140.3-kilometer) fastball in the outside corner of the strike zone. This time, however, he was only able to record a grounder as the ball sailed in front of the shortstop. With the bases loaded in the top of the fifth, he tried a 96-mph (154.5-kilometer) sinker on a three-pitch at-bat from Urena, but it was caught by the left fielder, ending his hitless streak.
The final at-bat of the inning was also hitless. Kim’s silence was prolonged in the eighth inning when he took a four-pitch four-seam fastball from Garrett Crochet but fouled off the first baseman. While he didn’t end up getting a hit on the day, he came through when it mattered most. In the top of the 10th inning of extra innings, Kim hit a sacrifice fly off Davey Garcia with runners on first and third and one out.
However, the sacrifice didn’t turn into a game-winning hit. Tim Hill, who took the mound in the bottom of the 10th inning of extra innings, gave up a single to start the inning. However, Ha-Sung Kim turned a Yasmani Grandal grounder into a double play with runners on first and second to send the game to the 11th inning, where San Diego scored a run in the top of the 11th and held on for a 2-1 victory.
3: Kim became the first Korean and first Asian to do so…
Kim Ha-seong was one of the hottest hitters in the major leagues through August. In September, however, his hitting started to cool off a bit, and he faced the variable of being sidelined by injury. After a game against the Oakland Athletics on September 17, he began complaining of abdominal pain. It wasn’t a muscular problem, but doctors couldn’t find the source of the pain and he was sidelined for five consecutive games.
There have been many major leaguers of Asian descent, but not a single one has joined the 20-homer, 20-double club as an infielder. Only Shin-Soo Choo (outfielder) and Shohei Oh (pitcher) Ohtani (LA Angels) have achieved the feat. Kim was on track to not only reach 20 home runs and 20 doubles, but also to become the first Asian major leaguer to reach 20 home runs and 40 doubles, but his late-season slump and injuries hurt.
In the end, Kim stole two bases in the previous day’s game to bring his season total to 38, but he was unable to add a hit or a stolen base in the final game, leaving him with a 17-homer-38 record. If he had gotten on base that day, he would have become just the second player in Asian major league history to reach 40 steals, after Ichiro.온라인바카라
Still, it was a great season. Kim finished the season with 140 hits, 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, 84 runs scored, 75 walks, 38 stolen bases, and a .260 batting average in 153 games this season.
Choi’s disappointing season before free agency
For Choi, it was a year of bad luck for the impending free agent. Traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates before the start of the season, Choi was stuck in the “platoon” system and didn’t get much of a chance despite his good hitting. He was then traded to San Diego, but this time, injuries held him back.
After only seven games with the team, Choi was sidelined with a rib injury. His time on the sidelines was longer than expected, and after being placed on the injured list (IL) on August 12, Choi didn’t return to the field until September 17. However, he finally broke his silence the day before (Sept. 1), as his first at-bat after the transfer was a long time coming.
Against the White Sox on the 1st, Choi got his first hit in 15 games since moving to San Diego, and he also got his first RBI. However, he was unable to capitalize in the season finale and played what could be his last game in San Diego. Choi, who was not in the starting lineup, came in to pinch-hit for Juan Soto in the top of the fourth inning.
Choi started the game with a grounder to first base against Urena, but his second at-bat was much less successful. In the top of the fifth inning, Choi swung hard at a 94.4-mph (151.9 km/h) sinker from Ureña on a five-pitch at-bat. The ball traveled 333 feet (101.5 meters) at 98.3 mph (158.2 km/h). However, the ball was caught by left fielder Tyler Nyquin in the dirt.
In his third at-bat with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth with Kim out, Choi lined out to a slider in the middle of the strike zone after a five-pitch battle with a crochet, and after drawing a walk in the top of the 10th, he reached second base on a fastball, but was unable to score and finished the game 0-for-3 with a walk. His final line for the year was 17 hits, six home runs, and a .163 OPS in 39 games, his worst season outside of his rookie campaign.