Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego Padres) had his hitting streak come to an end after he was unable to overcome a bad call by the umpire.
Kim went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh inning of the Padres’ 2023 Major League Baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on June 21 (KST).
In doing so, he snapped a streak of 15 consecutive games with a hit, a streak that began on March 30 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and ended the previous day (March 20) against Toronto. It was his longest streak of the season, one more than his previous 14-game streak. His season batting average and on-base percentage dropped from .264 and .352 to .263 and .351, respectively. San Diego, which had won two straight, also fell to 0-4 and remained in fourth place in the National League West at 46-51.
With Toronto starting right-hander Chris Bassitt, San Diego rested Ha-Sung Kim (batting .249 as a right-hander). But in the seventh inning, with the team down to four hits, the Dodgers brought in Alfonso Rivas with one out.
Prior to this game, Kim was one of the most patient hitters in the majors with 4.41 pitches per at-bat. “Padres second baseman’s growth can be seen in patience, poise at plate,” wrote the San Diego Union-Tribune on the 20th.메이저놀이터
However, when it came to a call that was difficult to understand, the “Patience King” also became frustrated. Tim Mayza’s high fastball sinker was called a no-hitter, and Kim nodded in agreement. The second pitch was a disappointment. Mayza fired an 85.2-mile-per-hour slider about two pitches higher than his first pitch, and the umpire called it a strike, too.
Kim then made no secret of his disappointment, gesturing with his hand that it was a little high. According to the pitch tabulation on MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, Meijer’s second pitch was very slightly over the top of the strike zone. Depending on the umpire, it could have been called a ball, so Kim’s frustration was understandable.
The bad luck didn’t stop there. Kim scooped up a low slider from Meza. The ball never left the infield and found its way into the glove of first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. However, first baseman Trent Grisham completely misjudged the pitch and was too late to make the catch, and Kim’s routine infield fly turned out to be the worst hit of the inning, causing the inning-ending double play.
The San Diego bats continued to struggle after that. In the eighth and ninth innings, they managed to get on base with singles, but both times the subsequent batters were stranded, leaving them with an 0-4 record.
San Diego starter Blake Snell struggled with his command, allowing five runs on seven hits with four walks and one strikeout in five innings to fall to 8-6 on the season. Xander Bogaerts, who started in the No. 4 spot and at shortstop, went 3-for-4, but 10 other batters, including the pinch-hitter, produced three hits. Four walks broke up the offense.
Toronto starter Bassitt improved to 10-5 on the season with a quality start, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five. Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk helped Bassett get the win with a solo shot to right and a two-run shot to left, respectively.