Ichiro Suzuki has finally reached the 30-steal plateau, a first for a Korean major leaguer, a record that has never been achieved by Runaway Locomotive or Choo Choo-train.
Ichiro Suzuki remains a baseball legend beyond Japan. His record for most consecutive games with multiple RBIs is fifteen.
Tied with him is Kim Ha-sung of the San Diego Padres, who has been perfectly fulfilling the role of a table-setter for his team’s ‘scoring meal’ this season.
In the sport of baseball, being a “multi-position” resource who can cover not only the defensive-demanding shortstop position, but also second and third base, makes him an important part of the team, but this season, he’s not content with that.
In 2021, his first year in the major leagues, Kim hasn’t been able to showcase the powerful swing he showed in the KBO, and has been labeled as a “hitter who can’t hit fastballs.
Furthermore, the Padres had a stellar infield with Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and others, so Kim’s somewhat lackluster batting average, which barely crossed the double digits, was highlighted as a weakness.
However, after gradually adapting to the ‘fastball’ of the major leagues from last season, he has shown a complete ‘turnaround’ this season.
Not only is he contributing significantly to his team’s run production with his excellent leadoff defense, as evidenced by the aforementioned “multi-RBI” record, but he’s also developed a long ball, hitting 17 home runs this season after hitting double-digit home runs for the first time last year.
Hotshot. The symbol of “good bat and quick feet,” 20 home runs and 20 doubles.
He’s just three home runs away from the record, and he’s already surpassed it in stolen bases.
In his first season, in 117 games, he stole just six bases, and just last year, in 150 games, he stole 12 bases.
This season, however, he has already stolen 31 bases through 133 games, making him the first Korean major leaguer in history to reach the “30-steal” plateau.
For pitchers facing Kim, it’s bad enough that he’s generating hits and walks with a good leadoff pitch, but it’s even worse that he’s stealing bases with his quick feet.
You’d think that with all the growth he’s had in his offensive stats, he’d falter a bit on defense, where he has to play multiple positions, but the opposite is true: He’s been so good that some have called every game a Kim Hae-Sung defensive special.
His defense has been so solid that he consistently ranks in the top 10 in Defensive Wins Above Replacement (dWAR) across all major league clubs.
He is a perennial contender for the Golden Glove Award at second base, which recognizes the best player at the position based on defense. With even growth in all categories of balls, runs, and weeks, this season has been more of an evolution than a growth.스포츠토토
His nickname “Awesome Kim,” given to him by English-speaking fans, is similar in pronunciation to “Ha Sung Kim. The “major league rookie” Ha Sung Kim, who was vulnerable to fastballs and ineffective on the basepaths, evolved into the fast-footed Awesome Kim with great vision and an “unexpected one-hitter.
A Korean major leaguer with unpredictable growth, Kim Ha-sung’s “ongoing sprint” is now aiming for bigger goals, bigger records to steal.