The San Diego Padres’ Kim Ha-seong got a hit against the iconic Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) “reverse export” pitcher, Doosan Bears’ Chris Flexen (Seattle Mariners).
Kim started at shortstop and batted seventh in the lineup against the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) at Petco Park in San Diego, California, U.S., on Aug. 8, going 1-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored.
Kim struggled at the plate on the day, striking out in three straight at-bats until the fifth inning, and was stranded with runners in scoring position on two occasions.
He struck out swinging with runners on first and second in the second inning for a 1-0 lead, then struck out swinging with runners on first and third in the third inning for a 4-1 lead. With runners on second and third in the fifth, Kim struck out swinging on five pitches.
But in the top of the seventh inning with a 7-0 lead, Kim lined a 147.2-mph fastball from Flexen into the left-field seats for a single. He later crossed home plate on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s infield grounder, giving him his 24th RBI of the season.안전놀이터
Flexen, who played for Doosan in the KBO in 2020, became the protagonist of the “reverse export myth” when he won 14 games for MLB Seattle in 2021.
Kim grounded out to shortstop in his final at-bat of the eighth inning.
San Diego went on to win 10-3. At 29-33 on the season, the Padres remain in fourth place in the National League West.