The San Diego Padres’ Ha-Sung Kim has been recognized for his hitting prowess this season, and it’s all down to his plate discipline.

This is the ability to recognize balls and strikes. Seeing as many pitches as possible and not being fooled by pitches out of the zone has become 바카라사이트 a staple of his hitting style. His strikeout rate this season is 19.7%, which is similar to his career rate of 19.5%, but his walk rate is 12.2%, which is significantly higher than his career rate of 9.7%. That means he’s picking out pitches.

As his command has improved, so has his ability to adjust to the fastball. Last year, Kim was criticized for not being able to handle fastballs in the mid-to-high 90s, but this season he’s been able to hit fastballs well enough to be called a fastball killer. By comparing his batting average by pitch type from last year to this year, Kim’s batting average increased from 0.222 to 0.256 for his four-seam fastball and from 0.278 to 0.291 for his sinker.

Kim and Gary Sanchez are the only two San Diego players to hit 10 home runs this season. AP
Kim Ha-seong continued to attack the fastball, going 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored against the Miami Marlins on April 22 at Petco Park. He capped off the night by hitting a grand slam for the first time in his three-year major league career.

Kim, who started at first base, doubled in his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning. Starting for Miami was left-handed fireballer Ryan Weathers. Weathers is a hard-throwing pitcher with a four-seam fastball that has topped out at 98.4 mph and averaged 95.1 mph this season. He topped out at 97.8 mph and averaged 96.1 mph on the day.

On a 2B1S pitch, Kim drove a 96.5-mph fastball down the middle of the plate for a two-run double to the right side of the infield. It’s not a stretch to say that Weathers’ decision to stick to fastballs around 96 mph was a mistake.

After a walk to Fernando Tanis Jr. in the second, Kim stole third on a double steal. After Soto struck out swinging, Manny Machado’s fly to deep left field brought home Ha-Sung Kim for the go-ahead run.

Kim’s big blast came in the second inning. After a one-out walk, Luis Camposano, Garrett Cooper and Trent Grisham (7-9) drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Kim then stepped up to the plate and saw both his first-pitch 97-mph fastball and second-pitch 89-mph changeup for strikes. On an unfavorable count, a 96.6 mph (156 km/h) fastball dug into the body.

Kim, who was still concentrating, swung his bat like a thunderbolt. Hitting the sweet spot, the line drive sailed to left field, over the head of left fielder Brian De La Cruz and into the stands. It had a 29-degree launch angle, 95.0 mph bat speed and traveled 359 feet. His 17th home run of the season.

Ha Sung Kim and Jake Cronenwirth celebrate after the win. USATODAYYonline
The home run was enough to give San Diego a 6-2 win and snap a two-game losing streak.

The game highlighted Kim’s strength against fastballs. So far this year, he’s batting .250 (6-for-153) against fastballs over 95 mph.