In the hot corner at third base, Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres) was just as dominant. He threw out two hard-hit balls and showed why he’s a top-notch defender.
Kim batted first and third in the lineup for the Padres’ 2023 Major League Baseball home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park in San Diego, California, USA, on April 18 and went hitless in four at-bats.
The end of his two-game hitting streak dropped his season average from 2-for-8 to 2-for-1 (112 hits in 397 at-bats). San Diego also went 1-3 with the batting silence.
Against Arizona starter Zach Gallon, a candidate for the National League (NL) Cy Young Award, Kim and the Padres didn’t have much luck. Kim hit a line drive to left in the first inning and a line drive to right in the fifth, but both went straight at the beast, especially the fifth, which traveled at 98.8 miles per hour (159.0 kilometers per hour) and had a 77 percent chance of being hit.
But Kim made up for it with his defense at third base. Manny Machado was given a defensive break when he was designated hitter, and Kim was in the hot corner at third base. It was his 21st start at third base of the season, and it didn’t feel awkward. He recorded three groundball outs, two of which were foul balls.
In the fourth inning, he calmly handled a tricky grounder by leadoff hitter Kyle Lewis. The ball curved slightly after being hit, making it difficult to hit, but Kim sat low and extended his left arm. He looked at the ball with both eyes and caught it with the tip of his glove. He then spun around and made a precise throw to first base for the out. A 44% chance of a hit turned into an out.
The San Diego broadcasters also commented, “Look at his concentration. He made a great catch with his glove. He’s a fun player to watch.”토토사이트
An even more amazing defense came in the ninth inning. With two outs, Kim made a backhanded backhanded catch of Gabriel Moreno’s 99.6-mile-per-hour (160.3-kilometer-per-hour) line drive to short. His reaction was quick. After catching the ball, he threw to first base with a little extra time to end the inning.
It was a ball that would have been a double with a 56% chance of being hit. The runner at first base was able to get home. Hosmer virtually prevented a run from scoring. The San Diego broadcasters said, “It was a hard hit, but there was Kim at the end. He stretched his arm well and caught it. Kim Ha-seong is also brilliant at third base,” and praised him.