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Atlanta Braves infielder Kim Ha-seong (31) failed to record a hit against Chicago Cubs Japanese pitcher Sho Imanaga. Later, in the top of the 9th inning, he was unfortunately substituted with a pinch-hitter, concluding his game for the day.
On the 17th (Korean time), Kim Ha-seong started at third base and shortstop for Atlanta Braves in an away regular-season Major League Baseball (MLB) game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He went hitless in three at-bats.
As a result, Kim Ha-seong failed to record a hit in four consecutive games recently.
After this game, Kim Ha-seong's season statistics stand at 46 games played, with a batting average of 0.123 (114 at-bats, 14 hits), one double, nine RBIs, eight runs scored, 13 walks, 33 strikeouts, two stolen bases (zero caught stealing), an on-base percentage of 0.219, a slugging percentage of 0.132, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.351.
Atlanta constructed its starting lineup in the following order: Ronald Acuña Jr. (right fielder), Drake Baldwin (designated hitter), Matt Olson (first baseman), Aj Albies (second baseman), Michael Harris (center fielder), Duvon Mauricio (left fielder), Austin Riley (third baseman), Sean Murphy (catcher), and Kim Ha-seong (shortstop). The starting pitcher was right-hander J.R. Ritchie.
In response, the Cubs set their starting lineup as follows: Pete Crow-Armstrong (center fielder), Seiya Suzuki (right fielder), Michael Busch (first baseman), Alex Bregman (third baseman), Ian Happ (left fielder), Nico Hoerner (shortstop), Michael Conforto (designated hitter), Pedro Ramirez (second baseman), and Carson Kelly (catcher). The starting pitcher was Japanese left-hander Sho Imanaga.
Kim Ha-seong stepped up to the plate for the first time in the top of the 2nd inning with two outs and a runner on first base. After drawing a ball on the first pitch, he fouled off three consecutive pitches from the second through fourth. Ultimately, he swung and missed at Imanaga's fifth pitch—a 92.1 mph (approximately 148.2 km/h) high fastball in the strike zone—resulting in a strikeout.
Kim Ha-seong faced his second at-bat in the top of the 5th inning with two outs and no runners on base. He attempted to hit the fifth pitch while facing an unfavorable 1-2 count but was thrown out on a pop fly to first base. Prior to this game, Kim Ha-seong had recorded one hit in ten at-bats against Imanaga. With no hits today, his overall record against Imanaga now stands at 12 at-bats and one hit.
Kim Ha-seong then appeared as the leadoff batter in the top of the 8th inning. He swung at the fourth pitch while holding a favorable 2-1 count but was called out on a foul fly to the catcher.
Atlanta managed to score two runs in the bottom of the 9th, narrowing the deficit to 4-8 and mounting a comeback attempt. With two outs and runners on first and third, Atlanta faced another bases-loaded opportunity. The next batter was Kim Ha-seong. However, the Atlanta dugout opted for a pinch-hit substitution at this moment. It was Mike Yastrzemski, who had entered as a pinch-hitter in the 7th inning of the game against the Cubs on the 15th and hit a home run. This time, however, he grounded out to first base, and the game concluded without further scoring.
Atlanta secured its position as the leader of the National League East Division with 89 wins and 64 losses. Meanwhile, the Cubs finished with 85 wins and 68 losses, placing second in the National League Central Division. The Cubs currently hold first place in the Wild Card standings.
As a result of today's game, Imanaga pitched six innings, allowing four hits, issuing no walks, recording eight strikeouts, and surrendering only one earned run, achieving his 11th win (with 10 losses) for the season. Additionally, Pete Crow-Armstrong, one of the candidates for the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) this season, hit home runs in the 3rd and 7th innings, recording his 43rd and 44th home runs of the year. The gap between him and Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies (45 home runs), who leads the league in home runs, has been narrowed to just one.
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*This content was translated by AI.
