It's a big deal. I'm not calling you to defend... Tampa Bay's Kim Ha-sung has no hit in three consecutive games. a crash in the ten percent range. It's all about disappointment
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In the first game of the second half, Kim Ha-sung had no hits and one walk in three at-bats. He has been hitless and silent for three games already.
Kim Ha-sung started as the eighth shortstop in the home game against the Baltimore Orioles in the 2025 Major League Baseball at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida on the 19th (Korea time), but failed to get a hit. There was one hit that was well hit with long balls, but there was also bad luck in being blocked by the opponent's defense.
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In the bottom of the fourth inning, he came out as the leadoff hitter and walked four times after a full count match. However, the follow-up hitter Danny Jansen hit a ground ball to shortstop, and Kim Ha-sung was forced out of second base.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, he came out to bat for the third time in a chance to score. a chance for an RBI single by a runner on second base with no outs. He faced Morton again this time. A scene similar to the first at-bat match came out. At the ball count of 1B1S, the 92.6-mile sinker was again drawn into the middle. This time, he floated the ball. However, the right fielder caught it without difficulty and put Kim Ha-sung out.
Fortunately, Tampa Bay was able to score. Baltimore right fielder Ramon Loreano, who caught the ball, threw to catch second baseman Jake Mangum's third-base tag-up, but as it became a bad pitch, Mengum turned third and came home. a score on an opponent's throwing error. It wasn't Kim Ha-sung's RBI.
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But luck didn't come this time. Baltimore left fielder Colton Kauser jumped in front of the fence and snatched Kim Ha-sung's ball. It was a hit that could have been a home run or at least a double. But in front of the lake, Kim Ha-sung bowed his head.
In the end, Kim Ha-sung recorded no hits and one walk in three at-bats. His batting average for the season also fell from 0.227 to 0.200 (5 hits in 25 times at bat). Even maintaining the 20 percent range is in jeopardy. The OPS is also only 0.591. The batting slump is serious.
Although Tampa Bay won 11-1 on the day and succeeded in escaping four consecutive losses, Kim Ha-sung's poor performance did not receive much attention. But if this pace continues, serious skepticism may emerge. This is because Tampa Bay's expectation from Kim Ha-sung is more hitting than defense.
Kim Ha-sung, who won the National League's Gold Glove in utility for the San Diego Padres in 2023, injured his right shoulder while returning to first base with a headfirst sliding against Colorado on August 19 last year. After that, he underwent surgery and was out for the season, and went into long rehabilitation.
Kim Ha-sung, who was undergoing rehabilitation, tried a big challenge. He came to the FA market instead of staying in San Diego, and after a long wait, signed a two-year, $29 million contract with Tampa Bay in February. He is Tampa Bay's highest salary this year with an annual salary of 13 million dollars (about 18.1 billion won).
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At that time, Tampa Bay was in the midst of a battle to lead the American League (AL) East with the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. Therefore, local media gave high expectations for Kim Ha-sung's joining. On the 1st, just before joining Kim Ha-sung, local media Astron Sports also predicted that if Kim Ha-sung joins Tampa Bay, which has recently been on the rise, he can greatly strengthen his power toward his goal to advance to the playoffs this season.
The basis of this expectation was focused on hitting rather than Kim Ha-sung's defense. Athlone Sports says the current Tampa Bay shortstop is Jose Caballero and Taylor Walls. They are playing a gold glove-grade defense. It should be noted that if Kim Ha-sung, who has considerable hitting ability, joins the team, he will show a better hitting ability to actively lead the entire offensive power in the central batting line.
In other words, what the Tampa Bay club expects from Kim Ha-sung is not only defense but also hitting ability. At that time, Caballero had a batting average of 0.225 and Walls' batting average was 0.207. The reason why he called up Kim Ha-sung even though there were two shortstop agents who were comparable in defense was because of the expectation that he would show better performance in terms of hitting.
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This will be embarrassing for Tampa Bay. Moreover, after Kim Ha-sung's call-up, Tampa Bay fell into an extreme slump. Kim Ha-sung is only 3 wins and 8 losses in 11 games from Minnesota on the 5th to Baltimore on the 19th. This pushed the ranking to fourth place in the AL East. There is now a 5.5 game difference from Toronto, which is ranked first. He is only fourth in the wild card competition.
As a result, Tampa Bay's expected 'Kim Ha-sung's return effect' has not appeared at all yet. In the second half of the year, there will be a full-fledged competition for rankings. If Kim Ha-sung cannot escape the current poor batting performance, Tampa Bay's FA recruitment will inevitably result in a failure. Then, Kim Ha-sung's plan to go back to the FA market after the season and aim for a big hit will also go up in smoke. Attention is focusing on whether Kim Ha-sung will be able to lead Tampa Bay to the postseason with his hot batting skills in the second half.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
