Lucky seven for Lee Dae-ho, the Mariners’ Korean slugger

It was a day of lucky seven. The Seattle Mariners’ no. 7 hitter Lee Dae-ho, 33, blasted his seventh home run in the seventh game. The Baltimore Orioles’ outfielder Kim Hyun-soo, 27, also successfully got on base for seven consecutive games.

Lee hit a walk-off homer in the eighth inning in the home game against the San Diego Padres at Safeco Field, Seattle, on Tuesday. He hit the 97-mile-per-hour fast ball to blast a three-run homer. On April 14, Lee also hit the 97-mile-per-hour fastball to belt a walk-off home run since his debut in the U.S.

Lee hit four out of his seven home runs against right-handed starters, being ranked third in the home run category of the Rookie of the Year in the American League. Lee had four at bats, two hits and three RBIs, helping his team’s 9-3 victory.

After the game, Mariners manager Scott Servais said, “(He) does something in every game. Surprising!”

Kim Hyun-soo, who had his first homer in the Major Baseball League on Sunday, had one base on balls without a hit in the home game against the Boston Red Sox, being on base for seven consecutive games.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Korean infielder Kang Jung-ho, 28, scored five at bats, one hit and one RBI in the away game against the Miami Hurricanes.

강홍구기자 windup@donga.com