Kim Ha-seong hits double-digit home runs three seasons in a row

Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres has hit double-digit home runs in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the third consecutive year.

Kim hit his 10th home run of the season off Brewers starter Carlos Rodriguez, with two outs and no runners on base, in the bottom of the fourth inning of Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. He sent a slider into the left-field seats. It was Kim's first home run in two weeks, his last on June 9 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The home run extended San Diego's lead from 3-0 to 4-0, and the Padres eventually held off a late Milwaukee rally for a 6-4 victory, marking their fourth straight win.

After hitting just eight home runs in 2021, his first year in MLB, Kim hit 11 in 2022 and 17 last year. Previously, only Choo Shin-Soo had hit double-digit MLB home runs for over three consecutive years. From 2008 to 2019, Choo hit double-digit home runs every year except for 2011 (8) and 2016 (7).

By this point, San Diego had played 81 games, half of its 162-game season. Kim arrives at the season's halfway mark with a career-high home runs and 15 stolen bases. If he maintains this pace through the end of the season, he could join the 20-homer, 20-steal club.


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com