July 26, 2023 10:10
Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres had his first multi-homer game in Major League Baseball on Monday.
He hit his 13th and 14th homers of the season in a home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Petco Park in San Diego, extending his career high for home runs in a season.
As the third baseman and leadoff hitter, Kim went two-for-three with two home runs, three RBIs and a walk. He was able to raise his season batting average from 0.267 to 0.270 and now has 37 RBIs and 53 runs scored.
In the bottom of the first inning with the score at 0-0, Kim drove a fastball from starter Quinn Priester over the left-center fence for a solo homer. His 13th home run of the season came two days after he set a new personal homer record of 12 during an away game against the Detroit Tigers. He hit 11 home runs last year.
With the Padres trailing 8-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and a runner on second base, Kim took aim at a slider from Priester and hit a two-run homer over the left fence. He has hit five homers this month alone.
Kim has also posted 18 steals this year, increasing the chances that he will achieve 20 homers and 20 steals this season. Among former and active Korean major leaguers, Choo Shin-soo, who currently plays for the SSG Landers, is the only player to achieve the feat so far.
The Padres lost the game 8-4 to the Pirates, and now rank fourth in the National League West with 48 wins and 53 losses.
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