By Dae-Ho Lee = San Diego Padres outfielder Ha-Sung Kim (27) hit an exhilarating home run to lead his team to victory after eight games.
Kim started at first base and went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two walks, one home run, one RBI and three runs scored against the visiting Colorado Rockies in the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, U.S., on Wednesday.
His season batting average rose from .281 to .284 (98-for-345), and his OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) soared from .822 to .838, making him one of the best “offense and defense” infielders in baseball.
Kim’s home run came in the first inning.
He took a 90.5 mph (146 km/h) four-seam fastball from Colorado starter Kyle Freeland on the third pitch of the at-bat and smashed it over the left field wall.
The ball was clocked at 103.1 miles per hour (166 kilometers per hour) and traveled a massive 130 meters.
Resuming his home run production after a brief hiatus following his two-homer game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 25, Kim hit his 15th home run of the season.
It was his fourth leadoff home run of the season.
Kim, who has already stolen 22 bases, needs just five more to become the first Korean player to reach that mark since Shin-Soo Choo (SSG Rangers), who joined the 20-homer, 20-steal club three times in 2009, 2010 and 2013.
After his home run, Kim’s bat didn’t stop rolling.토스카지노
In the third inning, he drew a walk and came around to score on Juan Soto’s 23rd two-run homer of the season.
With the hit, Kim extended his multi-hit streak (two or more hits in a game) to 11 games, dating back to March 23 against the Detroit Tigers.
In the fifth, he singled up the middle but did not come home, and in the seventh, he was stranded on an infield grounder.
In his final at-bat with runners on first and second in the ninth, he drew his fourth walk of the game and came home on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s three-run homer.
The home run, Tatis Jr.’s 19th of the season, pushed him over the 100-homer plateau in the big leagues.
San Diego blasted the Colorado mound for an 11-1 victory and their 54th win of the season (55).
Choi, 32, who was acquired by San Diego in a two-day trade, watched from the bench.