Can the San Diego Padres' Ha-seong Kim hit against the Los Angeles Dodgers' veteran left-hander?
Kim Ha-seong went 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts while starting at shortstop in the No. 9 spot against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park in San Diego, California, on Nov. 11.
His on-base percentage dropped from 2.1 to 2.8 on the season. While he was a 'masterpiece' on defense, he struggled to produce at the plate. The lack of hits may have been stressing him out, and he became unusually angry.
With the bases loaded in the top of the third inning after Camposano's solo homer to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead, Kim struck out on a 97.1 mph (156.2 km/h) sinker from Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow.
In his second at-bat, he took Glasnow's outside pitch and grounded out. In the sixth inning, Kim came to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs and fouled off a 96.9 mph four-seam fastball that was just outside the zone.
In the eighth inning, he made a masterful defensive play. With runners on first and second, Max Muncy hit a line drive to center field between the shortstop and second baseman.
Ha-Sung Kim was in good defensive position. 안전놀이터 Muncy's throw went toward Kim. However, it's not an easy play to make. Kim quickly stepped on second base to get the lead runner out.
He then threw quickly to first base. Kim's throw to first was right into the glove of first baseman Jake Cronenworth. It was faster than Muncy's throw to the plate. The Dodgers bench asked for a video review, but the call stood.
At the plate, however, he didn't get to smile. Kim struck out in his final at-bat of the ninth inning with the bases loaded. That's when Kim's anger came out.
Luis Campusano led off the ninth inning with a double. With the bases loaded, Kim tried to bunt on Michael Grove's first pitch but couldn't get it down and it was called a strike.
He continued to prepare to bunt, but Grove's second pitch was a ball. On the third pitch, he tried to bunt, but Grove's pitch was outside, and the umpire called it a strike.
Kim was frustrated and went to the dugout when he was hit by Grove's fourth slider. He even tried to slam his bat down before leaving the batter's box. His frustration was evident.
The MLB.com replay of the game captured his frustration. The team went on to win the game 2-1, thanks to Luis Araez's game-winning hit after Kim was ejected. But it was a bittersweet day for Kim.
He'll face Dodgers starter James Paxton on Wednesday. Paxton will start for the Dodgers and Matt Waldron will start for San Diego.
Paxton is 4-0 with a 3.06 ERA in six starts this season. The veteran pitcher won 11 or more games in three straight seasons from 2017 to 2019. This year, he's pitching like he's in his second prime. It will be interesting to see if Kim can regain his hitting touch against this pitcher.