For Kim, the 149-kilometer fastball was too easy.
In his first at-bat of the 안전놀이터 inning, he sent a fastball over the left-center field fence.
“I got over it, and it’s a good start to a six-game homestand.”
His third leadoff home run of the season.
And it wasn’t the end of it.
In the fifth inning, he lined a changeup over the wall for his first multi-homer game of his big league career.
With his two home runs and three RBIs, Kim raised his season batting average to 2-for-7.
Notably, after hitting just five home runs in the opening two months, he has hit nine in a month since he began using a so-called “axe bat” with an unusual curve in the handle on March 23.
He now has 14 home runs and 18 doubles.
At this rate, a 20-20 club with 22 home runs and 29 stolen bases is possible.
In the game, Santana, filling in for Choi due to his sudden absence, hit two home runs and Pittsburgh won.
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The game also featured some unexpected faces.
“Look at this crowd, don’t you think they used to play baseball? That’s probably Pittsburgh’s Jung-ho Kang.”
Kang Jeong-ho, a former teammate of Kim Ha-sung’s in the KBO, made headlines by catching a foul ball with his bare hands.