Kim Ha-seong of San Diego Padres Hits Walk-off Homer

Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres hit a walk-off home run to clinch a win for his team in a home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday. 

As the starting second baseman and ninth hitter, Kim snatched a come-from-behind victory with his first homer of this season and his 20th since making his Major League Baseball debut with the Padres in 2021. 

The Padres entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 4-3 at Petco Park in San Diego, but David Dahl, a pinch-hitter batting eighth, hit a solo homer to tie the game 4-4.

Batting next, with the count at one strike and three balls, Kim crushed a slider from Scott McGough over the left fence to end the game 5-4. His first MLB walk-off home run, it was all the more impressive given that his performance had been disappointing in the game up to that point, only managing two grounders and a foul fly in three at-bats. 

According to global data company Opta Stats, the Padres, founded in 1969, became the first team in MLB history to win a walk-off victory with back-to-back homers by its No. 8 and No. 9 hitters. It was also the Padres' first-ever walk-off victory resulting from back-to-back homers, regardless of batting order. 

Kim said, "David Dahl hit the tying home run and I was just wanting to keep that momentum going and then I had a great pitch to hit and I was able to walk it off." 

Kim has appeared in four of the five games the Padres have played so far this season, posting a 0.385 batting average with a home run and an RBI.

After losing their first two games, the Padres have won three consecutive games, moving up to second place in the National League.