*This content was translated by AI.
Song Sung-moon (30, San Diego Padres), who had failed to regain his batting form even in the minor leagues, returned to the big leagues after six days and made a strong impact with a walk, a stolen base, and an RBI.
On the 31st (Korean time), Song Sung-moon started at third base and batted ninth in the away game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropica Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. He went 2-for-4 with no hits, one RBI, one walk, and one stolen base in four plate appearances.
Sent down to the minor leagues on the 25th, Song Sung-moon played three games with 14 at-bats, one hit, one walk, and two strikeouts, failing to make a significant impact. However, he was called up to the big leagues after six days to replace infielder Luis Rengifo, who suffered a knee injury in the previous game.
Although he recorded no hits, Song Sung-moon fulfilled his role adequately. His season batting average dropped from 0.202 to 0.198 (116 at-bats, 23 hits), while his on-base percentage and slugging percentage also slightly declined from 0.305 and 0.263 to 0.304 and 0.259, respectively. His OPS (on-base plus slugging) stands at 0.563.
In the bottom of the second inning with two outs and a runner on first, Song Sung-moon came to bat for the first time, but the inning ended when Dustin Harris failed to steal second base, passing his plate appearance opportunity to the next inning. Returning as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the third, Song Sung-moon flew out to center field.
Appearing again as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the fifth, Song Sung-moon hit a ball that was caught by the shortstop, leaving him with a sense of regret.
He finally seized an opportunity in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out and a runner on third. With a 3-1 count, he swung decisively, sending the ball high into the air toward right field. Despite the steep launch angle, the ball traveled far. Although caught by the right fielder's glove, it was enough to bring in the runner from third base. This marked Song Sung-moon's 16th RBI of the season.
In the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and a runner on second, he drew an automatic intentional walk. Behind him, Jay Bowen entered as a defensive replacement instead of Fernando Tatis Jr., and the Rays judged that Bowen had a higher probability of success than Song Sung-moon.
With runners on first and second, Jander Bogatz (second base) and Song Sung-moon (first base) attempted a double steal, both successfully advancing to their respective bases. This was Song Sung-moon's 13th stolen base of the season. However, the Rays' strategy succeeded as Bowen struck out.
Later in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and a runner on first, San Diego allowed a tying two-run home run to Johnny DeLuca and eventually headed into extra innings.
Taking the lead in the top of the 11th inning thanks to Ty France's sacrifice fly, San Diego surrendered an equalizer due to a defensive error in the bottom of the 11th and ultimately lost 4-5 after allowing Jorge Mateo's walk-off hit for the win.
With three consecutive losses, San Diego remains in third place in the National League West with a record of 72 wins and 65 losses. In the National League Wild Card race, they hold fourth place, trailing third-place Arizona Diamondbacks by 0.5 games.
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*This content was translated by AI.
