What does ‘hustle’ mean to San Diego Padres infielder Kim Ha-seong?
On the 6th (Korean time), he was preparing for a home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He nodded his head and said forcefully, “It means something.”메이저놀이터
Kim Ha-seong left a strong impression with numerous hustle plays during his short two-and-a-half-year stint as a Padres player. The image of him sprinting after his helmet came off has now become a scene that symbolizes him.
Now, hustle play has become a word symbolizing Kim Ha-seong. Photo =ⓒAFPBBNews = News1
Director Bob Melvin also said, “If someone has to symbolize Heart and Hustle, Ha-seong Kim is the right person. It’s a really fantastic play. He deserves it,” said Kim Ha-sung, highly appreciating his hustle.
Ha-seong Kim revealed his thoughts on his hustle play, saying, “I think it should be done in the line of not getting injured.”
There is another reason why he is determined to play hustle. He added that he was trying to keep his initial promise, saying, “When he first signed, he said he was a ‘player who hustles,’ so maybe we should keep those things.”
Ha-seong Kim said at a press conference in January 2021, “San Diego is a young team and I think they do a lot of hustle play in every play. There are many good players, and I also play without sacrificing myself, so I think there will be a good synergy effect,” he said, conveying his impression of the team. I am still working hard to keep what I said then.
He said, “I don’t lose my body, I run one more step for the team, and other players will feel something by doing those things. That’s a good thing,” he said, hustle play also helps the team.
He set the standard of ‘the line of not being injured’, but Ha-seong Kim sometimes dangerously crosses that line. In his last home game against the Texas Rangers, he slid head-first into home and bumped his shoulder. He complained of pain and was substituted, but fortunately avoided serious injury.
Ha-seong Kim said, “My colleagues say, ‘Don’t do head-first sliding.’ Every time that happens, I reply with ‘it doesn’t matter’. It’s like instinct to me. It is an instinct to score. It’s the same in defense,” he explained, as plays that come out instinctively.
It is the first time that a Korean player has been nominated for the ‘Heart and Hustle Award’ club since Choo Shin-soo was nominated for the Cincinnati Reds in 2013.
This alone is significant. He expressed his thoughts on this, saying, “It is an honor for me just to be mentioned by name like Shin-soo Choo, who has made great achievements in the United States.”