Luis Arraez (27, San Diego Padres) hit a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning in his first game at home. Arraez started as the first designated hitter in the 2024 Major League Baseball home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park in San Diego, California on the 11th (Korea time).
One hit came at the critical moment. In the bottom of the ninth inning, when the game was tied 1-1, Luis Campusano, the leadoff hitter, hit a right-handed double. Kim Ha-sung could have been a hero as he finished the game, but he was struck out by Michael Globe. Still, San Diego fans were not disappointed.
This is because Arraez, the “hitting machine,” entered the batter’s box. Arraez didn’t miss when the glove’s first pitch cutter came into the middle. It connected with a heavy hit. The game ended when second baseman James Outman homered. San Diego won 2-1.
In 2022, when he was with the Miami Marlins, Arraez became the batting champion with a batting average of 0.316 in the National League. In 2023, he hit a batting average of 0.354, becoming the combined batting champion of the National League and the American League. In this season, he also had a batting average of 50 hits in 161 times at bat, with a batting average of 0.311 with 27 RBIs and an OPS of 0.737.
After moving to the San Diego Padres, he had nine hits in 24 at-bats for a 0.375 batting average, two RBIs and five runs scored in six games. He is not strong in defense, but he is the best player in contacting players in the Major League. He ranks first in strikeout rate with 6.9 percent, at least in the entire Major League. He is slightly ahead of Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) with 8.2 percent.
San Diego is saturated with infield. However, the designated hitter position is not strong compared to other teams. Arraez will take the role for now. Shortstop Kim Ha-sung or second baseman Xander Bogaerts may take a break and Arraez may enter the second base.
Arraez was surprised by the cheers of the San Diego fans. He told MLB.com , “It’s amazing. It’s a different energy. With the energy, I feel like I can do better things. I’m not trying to do too much. I’m just at the plate. When a pitcher throws the ball to me, I just think I want to hit the ball that comes in the middle.”
Already, people in San Diego are “Arazeholic.” Michael King said, “I am a huge fan of him.” Coach Mike Shildt said, “He is a player of extraordinary talent. Welcome to Patco Park. It was a good game.” MLB.com also said, “Araze has a good start (in San Diego).”스포츠토토