Kim Ha-seong (28) of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball has tied the Asian record for multiple hits in consecutive major league games held by Japanese legend Ichiro Suzuki (50).
Kim started at first base and third base against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2023 Major League Baseball World Series at Petco Park in San Diego, California, U.S., on Monday (Aug. 8) and went 2-for-5 at the plate.
In his first at-bat, Kim hit a well-pitched pitch in the top of the first inning, but it went straight to the center field fence. But in his second at-bat, with the bases loaded and San Diego up 3-0, he lined a clean single to left field. He then crossed home plate on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s double to center field.
With momentum on his side, Kim swung the bat again in his third at-bat of the fifth inning. He led off with a single up the middle to complete his multi-hit performance. A 13-game hitting streak was a bonus.
Kim raised his season batting average slightly from .287 to .288 (104-for-361). He also extended his streak of consecutive multi-hit games to 15, which began against the Detroit Tigers on March 23, and tied for first among Asian hitters in that category with Ichiro.
Ichiro previously held the record for the longest streak among Asian hitters with 15 consecutive games with multiple hits from June 4-20, 2007, when he was playing for the Seattle Mariners, but now he is tied for first place with Kim Ha-seong.
Coincidentally, Kim’s next game will be on June 9 against the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro will attempt to break the record for most consecutive games with multiple hits by an Asian player against Seattle, where he spent 11 of his 19 seasons in the big leagues.
Kim already has 15 home runs and 24 doubles on the season and needs just five more to become the first Asian infielder to hit 20 home runs and 20 doubles in a single season.
With San Diego still 49 games away from the end of the season in the pennant race, the 20-homer, 20-steal milestone is not a tree to climb. Kim has been consistent in his home run production, with two home runs in April, three in May, four in June, five in July, and one in August.스포츠토토
Meanwhile, infielder Choi Ji-Man, who is batting seventh and playing first base in San Diego, went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored, dropping his season batting average to .185.
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