At Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, 28-year-old Ha-Sung Kim’s presence is almost as crazy as Fernando Tatis Jr.’s (24). His contributions to the team are overwhelming, as fans realize. His new teammate this season, Xander Bogaerts (31), wants others to recognize the value of such a teammate.

The San Diego Union-Tribune, a U.S. media outlet, described the mood in San Diego after the victory the previous day, saying, “Kim continues to impress,” on April 25 (KST).

On April 24, the Padres blasted the Washington Nationals 13-3, and leadoff hitter Ha-Sung Kim was at the center of it all. In his first at-bat, Kim launched a home run off Washington starter Patrick Corbin, setting a new major league record for a leadoff home run in the first inning. The game remained 1-0 until the fifth inning. In the fifth inning, Kim hit a two-run double with runners on second and third, setting up the big inning and giving San Diego an easy win. As San Diego manager Bob Melvin acknowledged in the postgame press conference, “Those two plays by Ha-Sung Kim started it all. He’s our engine.”

According to the media, San Diego’s average attendance was 39,800, third behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (40,873) and St. Louis Cardinals (40,873). Including the special game in Mexico City, the team trails only the Dodgers at 40,861, based solely on the 38 games played at Petco Park. It was the 29th sellout of the season with 42,510 fans in attendance.

In front of such a full house, Kim received more enthusiastic support than anyone else. The San Diego Union-Tribune said, “Kim is certainly the most exciting topic in San Diego these days,” adding, “On this star-studded team, Kim is getting better and better and more popular. His recent at-bats at Petco Park have drawn as many cheers as any other player except Fernando Tatis Jr.”

No wonder. Kim was one of the key players in San Diego’s victory. According to the media, his 15 defensive run saves (DRS) (10 at second base, three at shortstop, and two at third base) lead all major league infielders, and his 13 stolen bases are tied for first on the team with Tatis Jr. He’s also gone from batting just .197 with a .274 on-base percentage and .329 slugging percentage through April 27 to a .254 batting average, .344 on-base percentage and .390 slugging percentage. The recent hot hitting has been a reason for Melvin to use Kim, who is weak against right-handed pitching, in the leadoff spot against righties for the second straight day.

Bogaerts, the newest member of the keystone duo, can’t help but feel his partner’s presence and value, as he signed an 11-year, $280 million free-agent contract with San Diego before the season.카지노사이트

“Honestly, he wasn’t a player that was talked about a lot (out there), so he wasn’t a player that I heard a lot about,” Bogartz said. “I think when you think of San Diego, it’s always Manny Machado, Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto,” he said. “I think he’s kind of flying under the radar a little bit. I wish people would talk more about him because he’s a really solid baseball player.”