San Diego infielder Ha Sung Kim’s (28) streak of consecutive “multi-hit” games has come to a halt at 15. Despite not breaking the record for the first time, Kim has been putting together an “all-time great” season that has him in the conversation for Most Valuable Player (MVP).안전놀이터
On 9 September, Kim started at first base and second base against Major League Baseball (MLB) Seattle at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, USA. In the game, he attempted to extend his streak to 16 consecutive games with multiple hits, a feat that no other Asian player in the big leagues has achieved.
The previous day, Kim went 2-for-5 with a double against the Los Angeles Dodgers to extend his streak to 15 consecutive games with multiple hits, tying him with Japanese baseball hero Ichiro Suzuki for first place among Asian hitters in that category.
Unfortunately, Kim was unable to reach the milestone as he was held in check by opposing starter Logan Gilbert, who pitched seven innings of one-hit ball. After leading off the first inning with a walk, Kim struck out swinging in his second at-bat with two outs in the top of the third. Facing Gilbert again in the top of the sixth inning, Kim struck out in three straight at-bats after a questionable strike call by the umpire.
He did, however, get a hit in his final at-bat to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. He hit a slider from reliever Andres Muñoz to centre field. Kim, who went 1-for-4, kept his season batting average at .288. The team fell to 0-2 and lost its third straight.
Kim, who has transcended his club this season to become one of the best “offensive and defensive” infielders in the majors, is now starting to be considered for the MVP award, which, while not likely to happen, is significant because it puts him in a league of MVP calibre players.
On the 8th, MLB.com released the results of a mock MLB MVP voting poll for the 2023 season that included 48 experts. They voted for the five players in the American League (AL) and National League (NL) who were closest to winning MVP in each league, in that order.
While Kim didn’t make the top five, he was one of the voters alongside Cody Bellinger (Chicago Cubs) and Nolan Hernandez (St. Louis Cardinals). This means that some experts ranked Kim’s performance this season as “top five” in the NL.
If Kim does indeed receive votes in the MLB regular season MVP voting, he will become the third Korean major leaguer to win the award, joining Shin-Soo Choo (now SSG) and Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto).