San Diego Padres outfielder Ha-Sung Kim (28) had a multi-hit, stolen base game against Major League Baseball’s highest-paid pitcher, Gerrit Cole (33-New York Yankees). He followed it up with a hit to drive Cole off the mound.
Kim batted seventh in the line-up against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, USA, on 29 September, going 1-for-2 with a double, three runs scored, two walks and a stolen base.
After going 1-for-3 with one run, one RBI and one stolen base against the Yankees the previous day (28), Kim’s second straight game with a hit and three RBI raised his season average from 2-for-39 to 2-for-48 (157-for-38).메이저사이트
Walk, stolen base, run scored in first at-bat against Cole
The Yankees’ starter for the day was right-handed fireballer Gerrit Cole. Cole, who signed a nine-year, $324 million free-agent contract with the Yankees in December 2019, making him the highest-paid major league pitcher in history, had been dominant this year, going 5-0 with a 2.53 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 11 games (67⅔ innings).
Facing Cole for the first time in his career, Kim was unfazed. In his first at-bat with the bases loaded in the second inning, he rattled Cole with an early bunt. Five pitches later, he drew a walk and stole second on the next at-bat against Trent Grisham. Cole made one throw to first base, but Ha-Sung Kim broke for second on the second pitch, sliding head-first to touch second before catcher Kyle Higashioka’s throw. Seventh stolen base of the season.
Grisham lined out to left field but came around to score from second on Jose Azucar’s single up the middle. Scored for a 2-1 lead. Yankees centre fielder Harrison Bader’s grounder to first turned into an error as it sailed over the catcher’s head and was thrown to third by catcher Higashi Oka, who caught the loose ball behind him. Back-to-back errors allowed Azoka to come home, giving San Diego a 3-1 lead.
A wild pitch to the body and a hit by pitch in the next at-bat.
With the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Kim persevered in a full-count battle with Cole that went to nine pitches. After two strikes, he harassed Cole with three foul cuts. The next pitch, an eight-pitch 96.4 mph four-seam fastball, went deep into Kim’s head, sending him tumbling to the ground and knocking his helmet off.
After briefly stepping out of the batter’s box and putting his helmet back on, he froze on Cole’s nine-pitch slider and struck out looking.
But in his third at-bat of the seventh, he made amends with a hit that chased Cole off the mound. He took a six-pitch low knuckle curve outside for a single to left-centre. It was Cole’s 100th pitch of the game, and he was forced to turn the mound over to Jimmy Cordero with the bases loaded. After advancing to third on Trent Grisham’s double, Kim came home on Azorka’s grounder to second for his second run of the game.
In his final at-bat of the ninth, Kim completed his three-hit game by drawing a walk to Yankees right-handed reliever Clay Holmes, this time working a full count of six pitches. With runners on first and third, Brett Sullivan’s sacrifice fly brought in three runs, but it wasn’t enough to overturn the deficit.
Darvish’s seven-run collapse sees Yankees lose series
Despite Ha-Sung Kim’s 3-for-3 performance, the Dodgers fell 7-10 and dropped a two-game series to the Yankees after taking one of three from them. 24-29 on the season. Starter Darvish was tagged for seven runs (one earned) on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 2⅔ innings to take his fourth loss of the season. It was his most complete game of the season and raised his ERA to 4.61 from 3.67.
Darvish, who gave up a tying solo homer to Aaron Judge in the first inning to make it 3-1, was torched for six runs on six hits, including five straight to start the third. Whether it was a slider, sinker, splitter, cutter or four-seam fastball, Yankees hitters were getting it right.
The Yankees are 32-23 when winning a complete-game series. Cole struggled, giving up six runs (five earned) on four hits (two homers) in six innings with three walks and nine strikeouts, but got support from his bats to pick up his sixth win of the season and remain unbeaten. With his 15th home run of the season, Judge moved into sole possession of first place in the American League (AL) in that category. Judge, who led the Yankees with two hits and two RBIs, made a splash in the second inning when he swatted away O’Dowd’s fastball.