Atlanta Braves shortstop Kim Ha-seong admitted to feeling the nervous tension of postseason baseball as his team secured a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on October 30 in the opening game of their Wild Card series.
Making his return to October baseball for the first time in four years, the infielder drew the start as the ninth-hitter. Facing Philadelphia left-hander Jesús Luzardo twice in the early frames, Kim struck out in both plate appearances, though the Braves ultimately powered through to capture the series opener.
“Overall, I was a bit nervous,” Kim said through a team interpreter after the win. “Anyway, I’m glad we won.”
Early-Game Collision at Second Base
The intensity of the series opener flared in the top of the third inning. With two outs and a runner on first, Phillies baserunner Trea Turner was caught in a pickoff rundown between first and second base. As Kim covered the bag and prepared to apply a tag on the advancing runner, Turner’s arm struck the Braves shortstop directly in the face.
The collision drew immediate boos from the Truist Park crowd after a replay was shown on the stadium video board, with some spectators questioning whether the contact was intentional. Kim walked off the field under his own power at the end of the frame.
“The place where I got hit is fine,” Kim said regarding the collision. “The throw was a little to the right, and from a tagger’s perspective, you have to go toward the runner. With the steal attempt, I was moving in.”
Addressing the crowd’s reaction and the physical nature of the play, Kim added that postseason play naturally amplifies competitive aggression. “It could have been intentional, but in autumn baseball, players themselves tend to become a bit over-aggressive,” he said. “They tend to take more aggressive actions. Defenders just have to duck out of the way well. I think it’s part of the game. If I were running the bases there, I would have done the same thing.”
Luzardo and the Phillies' Pitching Strategy
Against Luzardo, Kim failed to find success in his two trips to the plate. After failing to make solid contact in his first at-bat, Kim worked a more competitive count in his second turn before being fooled by a breaking ball for his second strikeout of the night.
“I have to acknowledge it,” Kim said of the matchup. “The pitcher simply pitched very well. He threw pitches that forced your bat to come out, so our hitters seemed a bit hesitant. He kept pitching well using his breaking stuff.”
Philadelphia later turned to right-hander Yoán Duran in the bottom of the seventh inning, prompting Braves manager Brian Snitker to deploy left-handed hitter Dominic Smith off the bench as a pinch-hitter for Kim. While acknowledging that the tactical shift made complete sense on paper, Kim admitted the competitor inside him naturally wished to stay in the game.
“That is something I’ve experienced all year,” Kim said. “I think it might have been different if I had produced a result in my first two at-bats.”
Focusing on Team Success Over Personal Stats
Despite his hitless night and early exit, Kim maintained an outward focus on collective advancement rather than individual box scores.
“In autumn baseball, as long as the team wins, that’s all that matters, so whether I do well or not, as long as the team wins, it’s fine,” Kim said. “I won’t feel pressured by those things; I just want to enjoy it. I will do my best within the scope of what I can control, enjoy the other aspects, and try to play that way.”
Kim also offered high praise for veteran starting pitcher Chris Sale, who surrendered three runs on four hits and one walk while racking up nine strikeouts over just one-third of an inning before handing the ball over to the bullpen.
“He was just like always,” Kim said of Sale. “He is a pitcher who has always been good, and the way he defends himself using his own ability even in crisis situations is remarkable. Even though I’ve faced him as an opponent and now played behind him, every time I watch him, he is impressive.”
