Wearing a customized helmet, Kim Ha-seong (27, San Diego) broke his three-game hitting drought and helped his team snap a three-game losing streak.
Recently, Kim made a gritty outfield play that caused his helmet to come off, drawing applause from fans. However, the team was concerned about the injury to their key hitter.
In response, San Diego prepared a customized helmet for Kim. On Sept. 29 (KST), the team posted a video of Kim wearing the new helmet on social media.
The team is currently in the process of making samples and having Kim evaluate them. The club’s efforts to reduce Kim’s risk of injury are evident. Teammate Manny Machado advised, “Don’t let the helmet fall off during the game, that’s the most important thing.”
When the US media asked Kim why his helmet was coming off so often lately, he said, “Korean and American heads are shaped differently,” adding, “I tried on all the helmets in the clubhouse, and none of them fit my head.” The team responded with a new helmet. That’s why the team decided to customize a helmet to fit his head shape.
Kim responded to the team’s thoughtfulness with a hit. He started at first base against the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, and went 1-for-4 with a walk. Breaking a three-game hitting drought, Kim’s season batting average remained at .274 (119-for-435).
Opening the game with a leadoff single, Kim took advantage of the first pitch he saw from starter Adam Wainwright for a single up the middle. However, he was unable to follow up with a hit.
In the top of the third, with the bases loaded, he laid down a bunt that sent pinch-hitter Trent Grisham to second base. He was retired on a fly ball to center in the fifth and a grounder to shortstop in the eighth.
San Diego got RBI singles from Matt Carpenter in the sixth and Garrett Cooper in the seventh to take a two-run lead. St. Louis gave up a run-scoring single to Paul Goldschmidt in the bottom of the eighth, but Cooper hit a two-run double in the top of the ninth to make it a three-run game.메이저사이트
With the 4-1 win over St. Louis, San Diego snapped a three-game losing streak. They remained in fourth place in the National League West with a 62-70 record and a 4.7 winning percentage.