'Maintaining the Momentum from His Three-Hit Game the Previous Day,' Ha-seong Kim Declares a Complete Comeback with Multiple Times on Base... First Extra-Base Hit of the Season

[Financial News] Ha-seong Kim finally ended his long drought without an extra-base hit through his trademark relentless determination. After raising his batting form with three hits the previous day, the Atlanta Braves shortstop gained further momentum by recording his first double of the season with a fearless headfirst slide.
On the third, Korean time, Ha-seong Kim started at shortstop and batted ninth in an away game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., recording one hit, one walk and one run in three at-bats.
By reaching base multiple times and carrying over the hitting form he showed the previous day, Ha-seong Kim raised his season batting average slightly from 0.112 to 0.120.
The early innings were relatively quiet. In the top of the third, with one out and a runner on first in a scoreless game, Ha-seong Kim grounded out to second. In the top of the fifth, he also missed an opportunity with no outs and a runner on first, flying out in foul territory to the catcher.
However, the long-awaited extra-base hit came in the latter part of the game after his team took the lead. With the Atlanta Braves ahead 3–0, Ha-seong Kim came to the plate for his third at-bat with one out and the bases empty in the top of the seventh, facing opposing right-hander Max Kranick.


With a count of one ball and no strikes, he did not miss a slider that caught too much of the middle of the plate on the second pitch. As the ball traveled somewhat slowly toward left field, Ha-seong Kim rounded first and sprinted before throwing himself into a headfirst slide, reaching second base. It was the moment he recorded his first extra-base hit of the season, a feat that had stubbornly eluded him since Opening Day.
Ha-seong Kim later scored comfortably when Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a two-run home run. In his final at-bat in the top of the eighth, with the Atlanta Braves leading 8–0, he patiently drew a walk to complete a multiple-on-base game.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves battered the Washington Nationals' pitching staff with 14 hits, winning decisively, 9–0.
The centerpiece of the victory was the team's “star player,” Ronald Acuña Jr. Starting in right field and batting second, Acuña Jr. went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs and a stolen base, including a three-run home run in the seventh that brought Ha-seong Kim home.
Acuña Jr. had entered the game with 199 career home runs and 224 stolen bases through the previous day. By adding a home run, he reached the landmark of 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases in his 904th career game. He set a new MLB record, surpassing Alfonso Soriano's previous record of 929 games for the fewest games needed to reach 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases by 25 games.
Meanwhile, Song Sung-mun of the San Diego Padres sat out the team's away game against the Cincinnati Reds to rest. Cincinnati won the game, 7–3.


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