Kim Ha-sung of the San Diego Padres in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) got on base in seven consecutive games and improved his batting ability. However, multi-hitters failed due to bad luck with a well-hit ball heading straight to the fielders.
Kim Ha-sung started as the seventh batter and shortstop in the 2024 Major League Baseball regular season home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park in San Diego, California on the 12th (Korea time) and recorded one hit in four times at bat.
Kim Ha-sung took his first at-bat with two outs and no runners in the bottom of the second inning when San Diego was trailing 0-1. He got on base with a clean left-field hit off Dodgers starter James Paxton.
Kim Ha-sung caught Paxton’s high fastball of 153 kilometers on the seventh pitch in perfect timing on the full count. He sent a clothesline-like ball that measured the speed of the ball at 166 kilometers per hour.
Kim Ha-sung continued his on-base streak for six consecutive games with no hits and one walk in two at-bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 11th, and he also succeeded in getting on base for seven consecutive games with a hit.
However, Kim Ha-sung failed to score as his follow-up hitter Jose Akoka struck out. San Diego failed to score after Jurickson Profar loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the first inning, and failed to score in the bottom of the second.
Kim Ha-sung hit an outfield fly ball in his second at-bat. There was no timely hit in the bottom of the fifth inning when San Diego was trailing 0-1.
Kim Ha-sung missed timing on Paxton’s 128 km knuckle curve in another full-count match. He was thrown out on a fly ball to center field and returned to the dugout.
Kim Ha-sung’s third at-bat was an infield fly ball. Kim faced replacement pitcher Gus Valand with no outs and runners on second base in the bottom of the seventh inning, when San Diego was losing 0-5, but he failed to get on base. With one strike, the bat was pushed back on a 143-km high-speed slider for the second pitch.
Kim Ha-sung entered his last at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and runners on first base, when San Diego was losing 0-5. With runners on first base, he had a chance to get an RBI single by stealing second base against Dodgers pitcher Jonathan Firereisen.
However, Kim was unlucky in his last at-bat. He hit a high fastball of 146 km for the second pitch with one strike, but the ball did not pass through the infield.
A well-hit ball was sucked into the glove of Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, so he swallowed his regret. The game ended in a 5-0 victory for the Dodgers.
Kim’s batting average for this season edged up from 0.208 to 0.209 (31 hits in 148 at-bats). Shortstop’s solid defense is unmatched, but his offense has not shown the performance he showed last year.