Kim Ha-seong steals his 30th base as first Korean major leaguer

Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres stole his 30th base as the first South Korean player in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB).

Kim who was the lead-off hitter and second baseman in a home game on Monday made a safe hit to right field against Alex Cobb, the pitcher of the San Francisco Giants, in the bottom of the first and stole second base when Fernando Tatis Jr. was in at bat. It was his 30th base stealing in the season, nine days after he got his 29th one in an away game against the Milwaukee Brewers on August 26.

His 31st base stealing also took place during the same game. In the bottom of the fourth with two outs and a runner on third base when his team was leading the game by 4-0, Kim got a walk and stole second base again. This was his fourth time in the season where he stole more than one base in a game. However, he was unable to score as he was out on base in the first inning and there was no following hit in the fourth. His team, the San Diego Padres, won the match 4-0, recording its third consecutive win.

If Kim adds two more base stealing in the remaining 24 matches, he matches the highest record of base stealing per season in the KBO League, which he set in 2019 while he played in the Kiwoom Heroes. In addition, with three more homers added to his current record of 17, he can become the second South Korean batter, after Choo Shin-soo, who recorded 20 homers and 20 base stealing in the MLB. There is no Asian infielder who set such a record in the MLB.


Kyu-In Hwang kini@donga.com