Kim Ha-seong, Choi Ji-man to play in MLB postseason

Baseball

Published: 06 Oct. 2022, 15:01 Updated: 06 Oct. 2022, 15:25

Kim Ha-seong, Choi Ji-man to play in MLB postseason

San Diego Padres' Kim Ha-seong scores off a single during the sixth inning of a game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. [AP/YONHAP]

The 2022 MLB regular season ended Wednesday with two Korean players headed to the playoffs after a fairly quiet year for the local big league stars.

Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres and Choi Ji-man of the Tampa Bay Rays will both advance to the Wild Card Series, where the Padres will face the New York Mets and the Rays will take on the Cleveland Guardians.

Kim ends the regular season as the strongest of the Korean contingent, having established himself as a confident defender and versatile batter in his sophomore season in the majors. He has a .251 batting average on the season with 59 RBIs, 11 home runs and 12 stolen bases, every one of those numbers an improvement on last year.

Kim became a regular starter for the Padres in the absence of Fernando Tatis Jr., first with an injury and then due to a ban, but the 26-year-old rose to the challenge, showing off his defensive prowess and becoming a firm fan favorite at Petco Park.

Tampa Bay Rays' Choi Ji-man celebrates with Vidal Brujan during a game against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. [AP/YONHAP]

Choi ends the regular season with a .233 batting average, 52 RBIs and 11 home runs. Those numbers show a serious improvement on the last two years as he spent a lot less time sidelined with injuries, but still not the big slugger figures the Rays would have liked to see him throw up.

After a difficult summer, Choi ended the season on the right foot on Wednesday, bringing home two runs with a big fly in the third inning against the Boston Red Sox.

Ryu Hyun-jin’s Toronto Blue Jays will also advance to the Wild Card Series where they will face the Seattle Mariners, but Ryu will not be with them. The veteran pitcher has been out since June after undergoing season-ending elbow surgery.

Both Park Hoy-jun and Bae Ji-hwan made sporadic appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates throughout the season, with Park racking up a total of 51 plate appearances and Bae making 33.

While Park was called up for brief appearances on a few different occasions, Bae made his big league debut on Sept. 23 and held on to his spot until the end of the season, batting a respectable .333 with six RBIs and three stolen bases.

The Pirates did not advance to the playoffs.

The Padres will play their first game of the Wild Card Series against the Mets on Friday. If they win the series, they will go on to face the LA Dodgers in the Division Series.

The Rays will also play their first Wild Card game against the Guardians on Friday, and will face the New York Yankees if they win the series.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]