Padres cult hero Ha-Seong Kim had the perfect response to his wild wall-slamming catch on Sunday

With Fernando Tatis Jr. suspended for the year and Juan Soto struggling since his move at the trade deadline, San Diego Padres fans have been forced to look elsewhere for a favorite. Manny Machado has always been lacking in likeability and the less said about Josh Hader’s past the better, so they have turned to an unlikely source instead:

Ha-Seong Kim.

On Sunday, the South Korean infielder delivered the heroics Padres fans had long been longing for, plowing ribcage-first into the wall in foul ground to record a crucial out in one-run ballgame. After slamming awkwardly into the barrier, Kim remained prone for several seconds, in obvious pain, before popping to his feet with a smile on his face and the ball in his glove.

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The catch was nice, propelling the Padres to an important 2-1 win over Soto’s former team, but it was what happened next that really cemented Kim in the hearts of the Petco faithful. When asked how he emerged unscathed from the collision after the game, this is what Kim had to say …

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Hero. Legend. Icon. As you can probably guess, Padres fans had exactly one response.

Hilarious stuff. Also a good reminder to always do your crunches, kiddos. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but one day it will pay off for you.