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Kim Ha-seong (31, Atlanta Braves) avenged his pain of being excluded from the starting lineup for two consecutive games with a multi-hit performance and 2 RBIs.
On the 11th (Korea time), Atlanta defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in a regular season home game at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
After losing both of the first two games of the three-game home series against Tampa Bay, Atlanta avoided a sweep, broke its three-game losing streak, and improved to 86 wins and 61 losses. The Braves maintained their lead in the National League East division and extended their gap over second-place Philadelphia Phillies (82-65), who lost 1-2 to Houston Astros on this day, to four games.
Starting at ninth spot and shortstop today, Kim Ha-seong went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs. His season stats are a batting average of 0.126 (13 hits in 103 at-bats), 8 RBIs, 6 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases. His on-base percentage is 0.211 and slugging percentage is 0.136.
Given his recent form, the multi-hit performance was welcome news. After hitting a walk-off hit against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 27th of last month (Korea time), Kim Ha-seong recorded a hit and a stolen base against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, shifting the momentum. On September 2 against the Washington Nationals, he had three hits, and the following day he hit a double, showing signs of recovery. However, in the next three games against Philadelphia, he went hitless in eight at-bats, and was left out of the starting lineup for both previous games against Tampa Bay.
He did not miss the second chance. The Atlanta offense was tightly held by Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez. After Matt Olson's single in the first inning, a second hit rarely came. The batter who broke the silence was Kim Ha-seong.
In the bottom of the sixth with one out and no runners on base, Kim Ha-seong targeted Martinez's first pitch and produced an infield hit to right field. It was Atlanta's first hit since the first inning. However, he was thrown out by a pickoff attempt at that moment, so the hit did not lead to a run.
The highlight came in the eighth inning. With the score tied 0-0, after one out in the bottom of the eighth, pinch-hitter A.J. Albis hit a triple that struck the right-field wall, giving Atlanta an opportunity. Austin Riley then hit a sacrifice fly to left field against Kevin Kelly, finally breaking the 1-0 tie. Pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski then hit a two-run double down the right-field line, creating a situation with one out and runners on second and third.
At that moment, Kim Ha-seong stepped up to the plate. Kim Ha-seong drove a pitch from Kelly that was located in the middle of the strike zone into center field for an RBI hit. According to Statcast, the batted ball speed was only 81.3 mph (approximately 130.8 km/h), a weak hit, but it precisely found the gap between defenders at the most crucial moment. Riley and Yastrzemski scored in succession, giving Atlanta a 3-0 lead.
Ultimately, those two points were precious. Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias allowed a solo home run to Victor Mesa Jr. in the ninth inning, bringing Tampa Bay within 3-1. However, with no additional runs allowed, Kim Ha-seong's two-RBI hit proved to be the decisive blow that gave Atlanta breathing room for the victory. Iglesias recorded his 32nd save of the season.
The starting pitcher duel was tight. Tampa Bay's Martinez pitched 6⅓ innings allowing 2 hits with no walks and 3 strikeouts without giving up a run, while Atlanta left-hander Martin Perez matched him with 7 innings, 4 hits allowed, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, and no runs allowed. In particular, Perez allowed baserunners from three batters in the first inning but induced a double play to escape the danger and did not allow any further runs.
Didier Puentes, who retired the side in order in the eighth inning following Perez, earned his sixth win (2 losses) of the season. Kelly, who collapsed over ⅓ of an inning in the eighth allowing 4 hits and 3 runs, took on his fourth loss (6 wins).
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