grapplegraphics.com This time, it was against a Cy Young Award-winning pitcher. San Diego Padres outfielder Kim “Awesome Kim” Ha-seong (28) hit a two-run double and scored the game-winning run.
Kim batted first and started at third base in the Padres’ home game against the Miami Marlins at Petco Park in San Diego, California, USA, on April 24.
San Diego’s starting lineup on the day was Ha-Sung Kim 먹튀검증(third base), Fernando Tatis Jr. (right field), Juan Soto (left field), Manny Machado (designated hitter), Zander Bogaerts (shortstop), Jake Cronenweth (second base), Gary Sanchez (catcher), Garrett Cooper (first base), Trent Grisham (center field), and starting pitcher Seth Lugo.
Miami countered with a starting lineup of Jorge Soler (designated hitter), Luis Araez (second base), Josh Bell (first base), Jazz Chizom Jr. (center field), Jake Berger (third base), Brian De La Cruz (left field), Jesus Sanchez (right field), Joey Wendle (shortstop), Jacob Starlings (catcher) and starter Sandy Alcantara.
Miami’s starting pitcher, Alcantara, is an ace who won the National League Cy Young Award last year after going 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA in 228⅔ innings pitched in 32 games.
Kim got off to a great start against last year’s National League Cy Young Award winner. In the top of the first inning, with the score 0-0, he chose the first pitch, fouled off the second, and with the count 1B 1S, he crushed Alcantara’s three-pitch 91-mph (146-kilometer) slider into the left-field seats. That’s when Kim used his quick feet to sprint to second base and make the catch for the out, putting the tying run in scoring position. Kim sprinted so hard that his helmet came off again. It was Kim’s 20th double of the season.
Tatis Jr. grounded out to the third baseman to load the bases with one out, but Kim was able to advance to third. Soto followed with a single to right and Kim, who was on third, crossed home plate with time to spare. San Diego took a 1-0 lead. San Diego had runners on first and second with one out when Machado drew a walk, but Bogaerts hit into a double play to end the inning.
San Diego had runners on second and third in the top of the second when Chizom Jr. singled and Sanchez reached on an error by first baseman Cooper, but Wendle grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
San Diego got a spark in the bottom of the second when Cooper singled to left, but Grisham struck out swinging to end the threat. In the top of the third inning, Grisham retired the Miami bats in order to preserve the 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third, Kim Ha-seong led off with a walk. This time, he hit Alcantara’s 98-mph (158-kilometer) sinker, but it was a grounder to the second baseman. After Tatis Jr. struck out and Soto grounded out to third, San Diego had to end the inning with a triple play.
Kim Ha-seong avoids a ball to the body.
San Diego starting pitcher Seth Lugo pitches.
Miami starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara pitches.
After another strikeout in the top of the fourth inning, San Diego was unable to score in the bottom of the fourth when Machado singled to shortstop. In the top of the fifth, Wendle doubled to right, stole third and walked Starlings to put runners on second and third, but the Padres got Soler to strike out swinging to end the threat.
San Diego looked to capitalize in the bottom of the fifth when Grisham led off with a walk. With runners on first and second and two outs, Kim hit Alcantara’s three-pitch 98-mph fastball, but was stranded when he flied out to right field. Tatis Jr. also flied out to right field, ending the San Diego offense in the bottom of the fifth.
In the top of the sixth, Araez led off with a single to right, but back-to-back strikeouts of Bell and Chizom Jr. and a fielder’s choice to get Berger to ground out to first gave San Diego a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth when Machado led off with a walk and Bogart hit a two-run homer to center field. It was Bogart’s 14th home run of the season.
Miami’s frustrating offense continued in the seventh. Another triple play ended the inning, as Sanchez’s shot was caught on a fly out by third baseman Ha-Sung Kim.
San Diego then drove in a run in the bottom of the seventh. Cooper led off with a single to left, and after Grisham grounded out to the second baseman, Cooper stole second to put runners in scoring position.
Kim faced Alcantara once again and continued to battle, hitting three consecutive foul pitches on a 1B 1S pitch. With six pitches to go, Kim hit a 99-mph (159-kilometer) sinker in the seventh, but had to swallow his disappointment when it was lined out to the first baseman. Still, San Diego was not discouraged. Tatis Jr. followed with a single to right, scoring Cooper from second and making it 4-0.
With both teams retiring the side in order in the eighth, it was time for the ninth. San Diego brought in closer Josh Hader to start the ninth. He gave up a single to Bell and a walk to Chizom Jr. to put runners on first and second with no outs, but he got Berger to ground into a double play and then walked Dela Cruz to load the bases, but he got Garrett Hampson to ground into a double play and then Yuli Gurriel to ground into a double play to end the game.
The game ended with a 4-0 San Diego victory. San Diego improved to 61-67 on the season. Miami is now 65-63.
Kim, who had two hits on the day, including the game-winning double, finished 1-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored, raising his season average to .280. For the season, he is batting .280 with a .368 on-base percentage, .448 slugging percentage, and .816 OPS with 17 home runs, 49 RBI, and 28 stolen bases.
San Diego closer Josh Hader pitches a dynamic game.
San Diego’s Ha-Sung Kim scored the game-winning run.
At the plate, Cooper was the only San Diego player to record a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Tatis Jr. was 1-for-4 with one RBI, Soto was 1-for-4 with one RBI, Machado was 1-for-2 with two walks and one run scored, and Bogartz was 1-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and one run scored.
In a Miami lineup that was plagued by a four-hit shutout, only Arajuez, Bell, Chizom Jr. and Wendle produced hits. Arajuez, who once challenged for a .400 batting average, finished 1-for-4 on the day, raising his season average to .355.
San Diego starter Lugo earned his fifth win of the season, lowering his season ERA to 3.70 while striking out four and walking one in six innings of work. Following Lugo, San Diego sent Stephen Wilson, Roberto Suarez, Tom Cosgrove, and Heider to neutralize the Miami bats.
Meanwhile, Miami starter Alcantara was limited to four runs on seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts in 6⅔ innings, despite his sinker reaching a top speed of 100.3 mph (161 km/h). Alcantara, who suffered his 11th loss of the season with the loss, has yet to repeat his Cy Young Award-winning performance from last year. This year, he is 6-11 with a 4.16 ERA in 171 innings pitched in 26 games.
The game was played in front of a crowd of 33,640 at Petco Park and was completed in 2 hours and 23 minutes.