Shohei Ohtani’s Homer Caps Electric Inning as Ha-Seong Kim Sparks Padres Rally

By [Your Name]
May 8, 2025

In a game that had already been billed as a heavyweight showdown between two of the National League’s most dangerous lineups, it was the most fundamental of baseball moments—a leadoff single and a stolen base—that lit the fuse for a fireworks display.

Ha-Seong Kim, the often-underrated spark plug of the San Diego Padres, stood on second base, having just swiped the bag with the sort of quick burst that has come to define his game. Moments later, Shohei Ohtani—baseball’s biggest star and San Diego’s $700 million man—launched a towering two-run homer into the Western Metal Supply Co. building, sending Petco Park into a frenzy and tilting the game’s momentum for good.

The Padres would go on to win the game 6–3 over the visiting Atlanta Braves, but it was that single sequence—Kim’s base hit, his daring steal, and Ohtani’s majestic homer—that defined the night and perhaps offered a glimpse of this team’s true identity: part grit, part greatness, and all business.

Kim’s Impact Can’t Be Overstated

While Shohei Ohtani justifiably garners the headlines, the importance of Ha-Seong Kim to this Padres roster can’t be overstated. The 28-year-old South Korean infielder has become the heart of the lineup’s depth and hustle, a player whose versatility and baseball IQ consistently swing games in San Diego’s favor.

On Thursday night, in front of a sold-out crowd and a national TV audience, Kim delivered again—this time against Braves ace Spencer Strider. With the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Kim stepped into the batter’s box with two outs and no one on. Strider, who had largely kept the Padres’ big bats quiet, worked Kim into a 1-2 count. But Kim battled, fouling off two pitches before lacing a low fastball into left field.

It was his 39th hit of the season and the kind of contact that doesn’t necessarily light up the exit velocity charts but often proves lethal for opposing pitchers.

“Ha-Seong is the kind of player you win with,” manager Mike Shildt said postgame. “He puts pressure on pitchers in every at-bat and then gives you the added bonus of elite defense and base running. That’s a rare combo.”

Indeed, just seconds after reaching first, Kim was already eyeing second. On a 1-0 count to the next batter, he took off. Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud had no chance. Kim’s jump was perfect, his slide textbook. It was his 13th stolen base of the season and his third in the past four games.

“That’s just Kim being Kim,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “He plays the game hard and smart. He gives energy to the whole lineup.”

Ohtani Delivers—Again

With Kim now standing on second and the count 2-1, Braves manager Brian Snitker chose to stick with Strider rather than turn to his bullpen. Ohtani, who had been 0-for-2 on the night with a walk, made the decision hurt.

Strider’s 96 mph fastball came in high and tight, but Ohtani turned on it with the kind of bat speed that has become his trademark. The ball screamed off his bat at 111 mph and arced high into the Southern California sky. The crowd rose in unison as it sailed toward the left field stands.

Then—clang. The ball ricocheted off the iconic Western Metal Supply Co. façade, 417 feet from home plate.

“I didn’t even have to look,” Kim said with a grin. “I was already running home, but I knew. When Shohei hits it like that, it’s gone.”

The home run was Ohtani’s 14th of the season and his 55th RBI, continuing a torrid start that has firmly placed him in the early MVP conversation.

“It’s not just the power,” said former MVP and current Padres bench coach Matt Carpenter. “It’s the timing. He always seems to come through when the moment is biggest.”

Building Chemistry in Year One

This 2025 season was always going to be about how well Shohei Ohtani could integrate into a roster already brimming with expectations and personalities. After the Padres made him the richest player in North American sports history this past offseason, all eyes turned to how he would coexist with stars like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts.

But behind the headlines, one of Ohtani’s most effective partnerships has quietly become his synergy with Kim. The two have developed a tight rapport both on and off the field, fueled by their shared experiences as international stars and a mutual respect for preparation and precision.

“You can see they trust each other out there,” said broadcaster Don Orsillo during the postgame wrap-up. “When Kim gets on base, Ohtani almost always locks in. It’s like he’s thinking, ‘Time to bring him home.’”

That chemistry was on full display Thursday night and could prove vital down the stretch.

A Turning Point in the Series

While it’s easy to focus on the highlight moment, the win itself held broader significance. With the series tied 1-1, the Padres’ win puts them in position to take a key early-season series from an Atlanta team widely considered the class of the National League.

The Braves had struck first in the third inning, thanks to a Matt Olson RBI double, but the Padres quickly answered in the fourth with a solo shot from Fernando Tatis Jr. The sixth inning, however, changed the game’s trajectory. After Ohtani’s homer gave the Padres a 3-1 lead, they would tack on three more runs in the seventh, and despite a late Atlanta rally, San Diego held on for the win.

Reliever Robert Suarez shut the door in the ninth for his 12th save.

“This was one of those games you circle,” said Shildt. “You learn a lot about your team in these moments. Tonight, we responded like contenders.”

Big Picture: The Padres Are Starting to Click

San Diego entered the 2025 season under a microscope. After a disappointing finish in 2024 and the departure of Juan Soto to free agency, questions lingered about whether the roster could live up to its potential.

But with Ohtani now fully in rhythm, Tatis continuing to showcase his star power, and Kim blossoming into one of the game’s premier utility players, the Padres appear to be hitting their stride.

They’ve won eight of their last ten games, climbed to second place in the NL West, and boast a top-five team ERA. More importantly, their situational hitting—the very kind showcased in the sixth inning—has taken a leap forward.

“We’re more than just names now,” said Kim. “We’re starting to become a team.”

Ohtani’s Historic Pace

Ohtani’s home run wasn’t just another in a long list of majestic blasts. It pushed him past 150 career home runs, making him the fastest player in MLB history to reach the milestone while also recording over 500 career strikeouts on the mound—a dual accomplishment that further cements his legacy.

Though he isn’t pitching this season due to elbow recovery, Ohtani’s impact as a DH has been seismic. He leads the league in OPS and slugging percentage and is pacing toward a 50-homer, 130-RBI season.

“Every time he comes to the plate, you feel like you’re watching something historic,” said Braves pitcher Max Fried, who watched the homer from the dugout. “He’s that special.”

Kim’s Quiet Rise to Stardom

If Ohtani is the face of baseball, Kim is its engine.

His all-around game—defensive excellence, clutch hitting, heads-up baserunning—has made him one of the Padres’ most indispensable players. He’s on pace for a 5+ WAR season and is drawing early buzz for Gold Glove and even dark-horse MVP consideration.

“He does all the little things,” said Ohtani. “But they add up to something big.”

The two-run rally they engineered Thursday was emblematic of that equation: a modest single, a daring steal, and one thunderous swing.

Baseball is often a game of moments—those brief flashes when preparation meets opportunity. On a mild spring evening in San Diego, Ha-Seong Kim and Shohei Ohtani authored one of those moments: a perfect sequence that showcased the game’s poetry and power.

It was just one inning in one game of a long season, but it felt bigger than that. It felt like a signal. The Padres are coming—and they’re doing it with speed, smarts, and Shohei’s thunder.