Padres’ Kim Ha-seong sets new career high in hits

Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres has established a new career high for hits in a season.

Kim went 1-for-4 against the Houston Astros in Minute Maid Park in Houston on Sunday (local time), picking up his 131st hit of the season.

Kim collected 130 hits in 150 games as a big league sophomore last year but has surpassed that total in his 139th game this season.

The milestone hit came in Kim’s second trip to the plate at the top of the Padres’ lineup in the top of the third. He hit a soft liner to shallow center, and center fielder Chas McCormick appeared to have made a diving grab at first. The Padres, though, challenged the out call, and the video review showed that McCormick had trapped the ball after it’d hit the ground first, awarding Kim the base hit.

Kim was robbed of a hit by a fine defensive play in the fifth, with right fielder Kyle Tucker making a clean diving catch that needed no video review.

The Padres dropped the game 12-2.

Kim has already set a new career high with 17 home runs this year, six more than last season. With 57 RBIs so far, Kim is three knocks away from a new personal best in that department.

Kim has also swiped 34 bags so far this year, the most by a South Korean player in a major league season. His previous career high was 12 in 2022.

He is now batting .271/.361/.417, in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, career-best marks across the board.