'Finally, it exploded.' Song Seong-moon's first home run in the U.S. blasts! 'A powerless protest toward an MLB call-up'... The Triple-A stage is too narrow

*This content was translated by AI.

Song Seong-moon (30, San Diego Padres), aiming to return to the Major League Baseball (MLB) stage, finally hit his first home run since entering the U.S.

Currently playing for El Paso Chihuahuas, the Triple-A team under the San Diego Padres, Song Seong-moon started at second base and batted fifth in a minor league game against Albuquerque Isotopes (a Colorado Rockies affiliate) at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the 4th (Korean time). He recorded one hit in four at-bats, including one home run, one RBI, and one run scored.

Song Seong-moon came to the plate as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the second inning with his team leading 1-0. He struck out swinging against a fast pitch from opposing starter Carson Fomkiest. Later, in the bottom of the fourth inning with El Paso trailing 1-3 and no outs with a runner on first base, Song Seong-moon stepped up to the plate again. This time, a well-hit ball went straight toward the second baseman, resulting in a line drive that left him with his head down.

Song Seong-moon's first home run came in the bottom of the seventh inning with El Paso trailing 1-3. As the leadoff hitter, Song Seong-moon aggressively attacked the first pitch—a 140 km/h slider inside from opposing right-handed reliever Seth Halvorsen—sending it over the right-field wall for a solo home run. This marked the moment Song Seong-moon hit his first home run in 25 Triple-A games.

El Paso, riding a momentum surge, followed up with additional hits in the same inning, finally tying the game at 3-3. Song Seong-moon was out on a ground ball to second base with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. Despite Song Seong-moon's home run, El Paso ultimately lost 4-3 after surrendering the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth.

Song Seong-moon successfully made his way to the Big Leagues by signing a four-year, $15 million (approximately 22.2 billion won) contract with the San Diego Padres in December last year. However, he suffered a side injury during off-season training and spent time focusing on treatment. In mid-January, he sustained a side muscle injury while hitting in Korea. At the time, a hospital diagnosis indicated that at least four weeks would be needed before he could resume training.

Ultimately, he underwent intensive treatment at the Ejima Clinic in Yokohama, Japan, before moving to Arizona to join the San Diego Padres' spring training camp. He participated in spring training games to steadily improve his condition. However, misfortune struck again. Due to his side injury, he began the season on the Injured List (IL).

On the 26th of last month, during the Mexico City series, he was temporarily called up to the Big Leagues under a special additional roster rule and appeared as a pinch runner. However, he was soon sent back down to Triple-A and has continued to knock on the door of the Big Leagues to this day.

After today's game, Song Seong-moon's minor league (Triple-A) statistics for this season stand at 25 games played, with a batting average of 0.293 (29 hits in 99 at-bats), one home run, two doubles, 15 RBIs, 14 runs scored, 11 walks, 27 strikeouts, an on-base percentage of 0.364, a slugging percentage of 0.354, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.718. He has successfully hit safely in five consecutive games from the 29th of last month through today's game.

Of course, even if called up to the Major Leagues, Song Seong-moon will have to face fierce competition for a starting spot. Regarding the anticipated competition, he stated, "I understand that some people are worried about that. In fact, the U.S. is truly the best stage. Regardless of which team you join, competition is inevitable. The same applies in both Korea and the U.S. There are many good players on every team. Now, it is important for me to compete at that level and show good performances. I will learn a lot from playing alongside good players. Just as Ha-seong Kim competed and survived alongside good players in the U.S., I will prepare well to show that same kind of performance."

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*This content was translated by AI.