Can he make it to the major leagues?
Song Seong-mun of the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Triple-A minor league team under the San Diego Padres, started at third base and batted third in the home game against the Albuquerque Isotopes (affiliated with the Colorado Rockies) of the 2026 minor leagues at Southwest University Park in El Paso, Texas, on the 10th (Korean time), going 0-for-3 with one walk.
His first plate appearance was a routine out. It was the bottom of the first inning with two outs and no runners in a 0-0 game. He squared up on Keegan Thompson's first pitch, a 90.3-mile-per-hour (145 km) cutter that came down the middle, and grounded out to the catcher.
His second plate appearance was different. Still tied 0-0, in the bottom of the fourth with two outs and no runners, he drew a walk after a six-pitch battle against Thompson. After a full count, he held back on a low four-seam fastball on the sixth pitch. Song Seong-mun saw the inning end at first base when the following batter, Marcos Castanon, flew out to right field.
Trailing 1-6 in the bottom of the sixth, with two outs and no runners, he grounded out to short on the first pitch. He couldn't square up on left-hander Sammi Peralta's first pitch, an 89.1-mile-per-hour (143 km) sinker that came in on the hands.
He ultimately failed to record a hit. Still down 1-6 in the bottom of the eighth, with two outs and a runner on first, he watched the first pitch from right-hander Seth Halvorsen, a 100-mile-per-hour (160 km) fastball (strike), then swung at the second pitch—a low 89.9-mile-per-hour (144 km) splitter—and flew out to center field.
Song Seong-mun's Triple-A batting average dropped sharply from .278 to .256.
After joining the 20-20 club and winning the third base Golden Glove with the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2025 season, Song Seong-mun realized his dream of moving to the U.S. by signing a four-year, $15 million contract (about 22.2 billion won) with the San Diego Padres.
Was his eagerness ahead of him? Song Seong-mun injured a side muscle during batting practice in January and missed the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC). To make matters worse, the injury recurred during spring training, and he began the season in the minors.
With San Diego having played 12 games, a big-league call-up still looks unlikely.
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