Although San Diego suffered an upset loss, the first baseman’s performance stood out.
He has proven to be a solid defender early on, and recently he’s made a name for himself in the leadoff spot with his hard-hitting bat and aggressive base running. It will be interesting to see if he can translate his double-digit home runs and 30 stolen bases to the major leagues, where he only had one triple in his KBO career.
Kim went 1-for-3 with a home run, a double, a walk, three stolen bases, and a run scored in a game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, USA on Tuesday (July 10), starting at second base and batting first.
Kim drew a walk in his first at-bat and stole second. It was his 25th stolen base of the season. He then stole third base. His 26th of the season.
After Fernando Tatis Jr. struck out swinging and Juan Soto grounded out to the pitcher, Kim quickly crossed home plate. Kim’s aggressive play at the plate gave San Diego the lead.
After Kim scored, Darvish Yu tied the game in the third inning. Darvitshu worked out of the jam without allowing another run, and Kim extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a single to left-center in his second at-bat after the first.
Continuing his recent hot hitting streak. He followed it up with a stolen base. He reached base on a walk and a hit and added three stolen bases. His on-base percentage increased to 2.8-9 on the season, up from 2.8-8. He added three more stolen bases on the day to reach 27. Tied for fourth in the National League in stolen bases.
Although his performance was overshadowed by the team’s 1-6 loss, it’s worth noting.
During his time in the KBO, Kim hit 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, the signature of the Hota Jun clan. Prior to the big leagues, he was the best shortstop in the KBO in 2020, batting .306 with 30 home runs and 23 doubles.
He struggled in his first year in the big leagues, batting .222 with six doubles and eight home runs, before making his presence felt last season with a .251 batting average, 11 home runs and 12 doubles.카지노사이트
This season, he’s taken over the leadoff spot and is thriving. His batting average is on pace for a triple. He’s three stolen bases away from 30. He’s already surpassed 10 home runs and is on pace for 15.
A triple-digit batting average and double-digit home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season has only happened once before in the KBO, in 2019. At the time, Kim led the Kiwoom offense with a .370 batting average, 19 home runs, and 33 doubles.
It will be interesting to see if he can replicate those numbers in the American Major Leagues.