‘Awesome Kim’ Ha-seong Kim (28, San Diego Padres) boasts the highest level of defense in the Major League (MLB). His splendid defense is pouring admiration in Japan.메이저놀이터
Japanese media The Answer said on the 4th, “When Ha-seong Kim performed as a super play in the starting game for Yu Darvish, Japanese fans were excited and said he was the best infielder in Asia.”
Earlier on this day, Ha-seong Kim started as a second baseman with the 7th batter in the 2023 American Professional Baseball Major League (MLB) home game against the Chicago Cubs held at Petco Park in San Diego, California.
At bat, Ha-seong Kim proved his recent upsurge. After advancing runners with a clean sacrifice bunt at the bottom of the second inning, he made a lucky double in the bottom of the fourth inning against second baseman Nico Horner’s clumsy defense. He went to first base again with a straight walk in the 6th inning and succeeded in stealing second base despite being caught in check. In the 8th inning, he went out with a left-handed hit, and recorded 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 stolen base and 1 run in 2 at-bats that day.
Ha-seong Kim’s defense. /AFPBBNews=News1
But what stood out even more was his performance on defense. Kim Ha-seong, who had a difficult ball out from the first inning, caught a fast ball going sideways from 2 out 2 base in the beginning of the 3rd inning and connected it with a clean throw. It didn’t stop there, and in the 4th inning, he ran past the pitcher and caught a ball that was headed for the second base base, then caught the last out of the inning with a running throw. Pitcher Darvish also showed his gratitude with a smile.
This game was also a game that attracted attention in Japan. It was because it was the day Darvish, the national team ace, was pitching. On this day, Darvish fought hard with 2 hits, 9 strikeouts, and no runs in 7 innings, earning his 4th win of the season and his 99th major league win. Needless to say, Ha-seong Kim played a great role.
The media said, “The 4th inning Kim Ha-seong’s defense video was posted on MLB’s official Twitter account, and Japanese fans also commented, ‘Kim Ha-seong is a god’, ‘It was an amazing defense’, and ‘Kim Ha-seong is the best infielder in Asia’.” He is a player from Korea, a rival of fate, but he had no choice but to acknowledge his skill.
There were cheers from not only Japanese but also American fans. After Kim Ha-seong scored a hit in the 8th inning, the local relay screen caught the image of a cheering crowd holding a national flag. As much as that, Kim Ha-seong is currently revealing an indispensable presence in San Diego.