San Diego Padres’ Ha-Sung Kim (28) extended his multi-hit streak to 15 games with two hits. He tied Ichiro Suzuki (50) for the most by a major league player of Asian descent.
Kim batted first and third in the lineup against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park in San Diego, California, U.S., on Monday (Aug. 8) and recorded his first multi-hit game of the 2023 Major League Baseball season with a single to left field in the third inning and an RBI single up the middle in the fifth.
In his first at-bat against Dodgers right-hander Tony Gonsolin, Kim was disappointed to see a well-placed pitch go straight to center field in the first inning. But with one out in the third inning, he lined a low slider from Gonsolin into left field to set the stage for another run. He came home on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s double.
In the fifth inning, with the momentum on his side, Kim hit Gonsolin’s second pitch, a high slider up the middle, to center field to complete the multi-hit game in three at-bats.
Kim extended his multi-hit streak to 15 games, dating back to March 23 against the Detroit Tigers. The streak is the longest by a Korean player, surpassing the previous record of 10 games held by Shin-soo Choo (SSG Landers). Shin-Soo Choo had a 10-game multi-hit streak from Sept. 1, 2013, against the Colorado Rockies to Sept. 10, 2013, against the Chicago Cubs, when he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
Broadening the scope to Asian players, retired Japanese outfielder Ichiro Ichiro holds the record. The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame legend had 15 consecutive games with multiple hits, starting on June 4, 2007, against the Texas Rangers and ending on June 20, 2007, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, when he was a member of the Seattle Mariners. Sixteen years later, South Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong tied Ichiro’s record.먹튀검증
On Sept. 9 against Seattle, Kim will attempt to become the first Asian player to reach base in 16 consecutive games. The San Diego franchise record in that category is 18 games, set by Steve Finley in 1996.
Meanwhile, Kim’s recent 13-game hitting streak, which began on May 25 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, has pushed his season batting average from .288 to .290 (102 hits in 358 at-bats). However, despite Kim’s multi-hit performance, the game is still in the sixth inning with San Diego trailing the Dodgers 5-13.