The San Diego Padres have confirmed their advance to fall baseball without the main shortstop Kim Ha-sung (29). Even during the absence of Kim Ha-sung, he is running fast with a whopping .656 winning rate.
San Diego won the away game against the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on the 25th (Korea time). The game ended with a 5-4-3 triple play in the bottom of the ninth inning amid a surprising judgment by third baseman Manny Machado, who caught Miguel Rojas’ strong grounder with runners on the first and second bases with no outs. It was the 28th walk-off triple play in the history of the Major League. San Diego is the first team to confirm its advance to the postseason.
San Diego, ranking second in the NL West with five consecutive wins and 91 wins and 66 losses (winning rate .580), is dreaming of an upset win in the remaining five games. It is also lagging behind the top-ranked Dodgers in the district (93 wins and 64 losses and a .592 win rate). As the team has secured eight wins and three losses in matches against the Padres this year, San Diego will win the title. The actual gap is one game, and San Diego has the opportunity to win the district championship. The game between Dodgers and Dodgers is important from Friday to Sunday.
According to local media including MLB.com , San Diego rookie Jackson Merrill said after the game, “We have a better position than the wild card. We still have a chance to win the district championship. We will pour everything we have into it.” Machado said, “We are a very good baseball team. We enjoy each other’s games every day. We lost several key players, but many players have grown significantly.”
After last year’s season, pitchers Blake Snell, Seth Lugo, Michael Waka, Josh Hader, and outfielder Juan Soto left, but Dylan Shees and Michael King, who were brought in by trade, took the mound as one-two punches. Merrill, a center fielder who emerged as a candidate for the Rookie of the Year, made his debut successfully, and left fielder Profar, who returned to the FA, spent a career high season. The “hit king” Luis Arraez, bullpen Jason Adam, Tanner Scott, and Brian Hoying, who were brought in trade during the season, also gave wings to the team.
It is surprising that the result was achieved without being swayed even after the main shortstop Kim Ha-sung’s injury. Kim Ha-sung was replaced by right shoulder pain while sliding on the first base at the check ball against the Colorado Rockies on the 19th of last month. Kim Ha-sung, who was on the injured list after finding shoulder inflammation, has not been able to return even though more than a month has passed. He is having difficulty increasing the intensity of his throws at the shortstop position. 메이저사이트
However, even after Kim Ha-sung’s absence, San Diego rushed with 21 wins and 11 losses (winning rate .656) in 32 games. Mason McCoy, who was called up from Triple-A after Kim Ha-sung was on the injured list, showed stable performance in defense, but showed limited hitting. As Kim Ha-sung’s return was later than expected, San Diego made a decision to put second baseman Xander Bogaerts as the starting shortstop from the Seattle Mariners match on the 11th.
With first baseman Jake Cronenworth at second base and backup Donovan Solano at first base, the overall balance of offense and defense is in harmony. Since Bogaerts entered the starting shortstop, San Diego has been on a scary rise with 10 wins and 2 losses in 12 games (winning percentage .833).
However, Bogaerts’ defense is feared to be unstable. Having played shortstop for more than 10 years until last year, Bogaerts moved to second base during this year’s spring training. He thus gave way to Kim Ha-sung, who has a wider range of defense. Bogaerts, who showed stability by ranking seventh in the league with OAA +6 as second baseman, is below average with OAA -2.
In the last five games, Ryu has made three errors, showing signs of faltering performance. In the game against the Dodgers on the day when the team confirmed its fall baseball season, it allowed Mookie Betts to hit a grounder, who was taller than the first baseman, with no outs and no outs, at the second base in the bottom of the first inning. The Athletic also pointed out that San Diego has shown that it is not without serious flaws.
It is best for Kim Ha-sung to come back healthy, but it does not seem easy. San Diego has only five games left in the season. Citing Kim Ha-sung as the biggest question mark on San Diego’s postseason roster, MLB.com said, “He is still suffering from the aftermath of his shoulder injury. It is unclear whether he will return this season. With the end of the season imminent, the possibility of his return seems low.”
He added, “San Diego moved Bogaerts to shortstop in the absence of Kim Ha-sung, and signed Nick Ahmed to use him as a backup shortstop.” In case Kim Ha-sung fails to return, 11-year veteran shortstop Ahmed was hired on a minor contract on the 1st and called up on the 23rd.
