'First stolen base of the season' Kim Ha-seong crushes 156 km/h fastball in Cy Young performance, leads team to three-game winning streak

*This content was translated by AI.

Returning to the starting lineup, Atlanta Braves shortstop Kim Ha-seong (31) is gradually regaining his form with a hit and his first stolen base of the season.

On the 22nd (Korea time), Kim Ha-seong started at the eighth spot and as shortstop in a road game against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, USA, during the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season. He went 3-for-3 with one hit, one walk, one strikeout, one run scored, and one stolen base, leading Atlanta to a 9-3 victory.

This marked his return to the starting lineup after two days. After approximately five months of rehabilitation, Kim Ha-seong was reactivated to the first division on the 13th but had shown poor performance with a batting average of 0.087 prior to this game. Ultimately, he was left out of the lineup in the previous game, a painful experience.

This performance helped alleviate that disappointment. His opponent was Sandy Alcantara (31), the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner. Alcantara is a right-handed pitcher known for his fastball reaching speeds up to 99 mph (approximately 159.3 km/h). Kim Ha-seong struggled in his first at-bat of the second inning, grounding out to third base after making contact with an 89.5 mph slider.

However, he quickly repaid the challenge with a hit. In the bottom of the fifth inning, with Atlanta leading 3-2 and no outs with a runner on first base, Kim Ha-seong connected powerfully with a 96.9 mph (approximately 155.9 km/h) fastball inside, resulting in a line drive single to center field. He advanced to second base on Chadwick Tromp's sacrifice bunt and scored on Ronald Acuña Jr.'s two-run single to center field.

Kim Ha-seong took a break after striking out swinging on a 7-pitch at-bat against left-handed pitcher Cade Gibson in the bottom of the seventh inning. However, he drew a walk against Gibson in the bottom of the eighth, successfully reaching base multiple times. He then stole second base during Tromp's at-bat, creating a scoring opportunity. Unfortunately, the subsequent batters failed to drive him in.

As a result, Kim Ha-seong's season statistics now stand at a .115 batting average (3 hits in 26 at-bats) over 8 games, with 1 RBI, 3 runs scored, and 1 stolen base. His on-base percentage is 0.348 and his slugging percentage is 0.115.

Meanwhile, Atlanta's lineup, including Kim Ha-seong's multi-hit performance, combined for 13 hits, securing a decisive 6-run victory over Miami. With this win, Atlanta, now on a three-game winning streak, solidified its first-place position in the National League East with a record of 35 wins and 16 losses.

Starting pitcher Spencer Strider earned his second win of the season, pitching 6 1/3 innings, allowing 4 hits (3 home runs), issuing 2 walks, striking out 9 batters, and giving up 3 earned runs.

Acuña Jr. went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and 1 run scored, Michael Harris II went 2-for-5 with a home run, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs scored, and Kyle Schwarber went 3-for-3 with a home run, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs scored, delivering powerful performances.

In contrast, Cy Young pitcher Sandy Alcantara collapsed, pitching 6 innings, allowing 9 hits (2 home runs), issuing 0 walks, striking out 3 batters, and giving up 6 earned runs. The Miami lineup managed only 6 hits, and the team fell into a three-game losing streak.

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*This content was translated by AI.