Awesome! You're back! The Awesome Kim Ha-sung minor league rehabilitation game we knew, 3 hits and 5 bases, is about to explode, and the big league is about to go
Jun 25, 2025
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2023 Major League National League Utility Gold Glove winner. Prior to the injury, the special infielder was evaluated as an FA worth $100 million (about 136.2 billion won).
The image of Kim Ha-sung (30, Tampa Bay Race), who Korean fans were enthusiastic about, has been revived. For the first time in a minor league rehabilitation game, he had three hits in a game. In addition, he completed the game on the fifth base with two walks, signaling his return to the big league.
Kim Ha-sung, a member of the minor league Triple-A Durham Bulls under Tampa Bay, started the minor league Triple-A home game against the Memphis Redbirds (under the St. Louis Cardinals) at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in North Carolina on the morning of the 25th (Korea time), and led his team to a 15-6 victory with three hits, two walks, one RBI and one run from four times at bat. Durham continued its seven-game winning streak.
This is the first time Kim Ha-sung has had three hits in a minor league rehabilitation game. Of course, it is also the first time in a rehabilitation game that he got on base five times with three hits and two walks in a game. It is an indicator that Kim Ha-sung's batting sense is being adjusted to the major league mode in earnest.
On this day, Kim Ha-sung hit from his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning. Kim Ha-sung, who came to the batter's box with no outs and no outs, hit a four-pitch outside changeup (81.4 miles) against Memphis left-hander Quinn Matthews in the ball count 2B1S. The batting speed was 100.4 miles (about 161.6 kilometers). It means it's caught properly. It was a hard hit that could have been a home run hit if it hit the angle upward.
However, Kim Ha-sung hit the ball with a downswing. A strong ground ball cut the infield and rolled to the center field. However, Kim Ha-sung, who went to first base, was forced out of the second base when the follow-up hitter Bob Seymour grounded out in front of the shortstop and failed to hit home.
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Durham, who took a bases-loaded chance with one out with Kim Ha-sung's walk, added one run with a push-out walk and scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning with Tristan Peters' grand slam with two outs. When Peters hit a grand slam, Kim Ha-sung also scored.
Kim Ha-sung, who gained momentum, came out as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the fourth inning and hit again to complete the multi-hit game.
Kim Ha-sung, who faced the second pitcher in Memphis, Michael Gomez, hit the cutter (85.1 miles) of the fourth pitch that came into the middle from the ball count 2B1S, making it another heavy hit. This time, it flew cool to Line Drive Castle. The batting speed was 96.7 miles, which was also a hard hit. However, this time again, Seymour was forced out of the second base when he grounded out to the second base. A similar situation unfolded at the end of the first inning.
Kim Ha-sung, who easily achieved multi-hit, struck out swinging in his third at-bat in the bottom of the fifth inning with a 10-3 lead. He came to the batter's box with no outs and runners on the first and second bases against the third pitcher Jack Weiss. Kim Ha-sung carefully continued to play until the full count. However, I was completely deceived by the sixth high slider that came in from 3B2S.
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In the end, Kim Ha-sung achieved a three-hit and five-base game on the day, performing his best since he started a minor league rehabilitation game on May 27. His minor league batting average rose from 0.184 to 0.226 (12 hits in 53 at-bats).
Reporter Lee Won-man wman@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
