October 04, 2022 10:26
Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres hit a home run against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.
As the starting shortstop and seventh hitter, Kim went two-for-four, scoring a run and an RBI in the home game.
Despite losing 2-1, the Padres secured the third Wild Card spot in the National League, meaning Kim will make his first postseason appearance since his Major League Baseball debut two years ago.
Kim's solo home run came in the seventh inning, with his team losing 2-0. It was his 11th homer of the season and first in 12 days.
He improved his batting average to 0.249 this season from 0.202 last season while recording 11 steals. He also performed solid defense as a shortstop, ranking sixth in the position in the major leagues, with a fielding percentage of 0.982.
This year's postseason will feature a new format, increasing the pool of teams from 10 to 12 and replacing the single-elimination Wild Card Games with best-of-three Wild Card Series.
In both the American and National league, the two highest-seeded division winners advance straight to the best-of-five Division Series. The third-best division winner and three wild card teams play the Wild Card Series, and the two best teams advance to the Division Series.
Besides the Padres, the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves or St. Louis Cardinals will play in the National League Wild Card games from Oct. 7 through 9.
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