Kim Hye-sung (26) of the LA Dodgers reached the milestone of 10 stolen bases this season but was silent with no hits.
Playing with the Oklahoma City Comets in Minor League Triple-A, Kim Hye-sung started as the first baseman on 25th at The Ballpark at American First Square in South Jordan, Utah, where he recorded 4 at-bats with no hits, 1 walk, 1 run, and 2 stolen bases.
Leading off the game in the first inning, Kim Hye-sung faced right-handed starter Dakota Hudson and drew a walk on the 5th pitch. He then successfully stole second base, creating an opportunity with no outs on second base, and advanced to third on Dalton Rushing's hit. Following that, Michael Chavis hit a sacrifice fly, and Kim Hye-sung scored to put the team ahead.
In the second inning, with Oklahoma City leading 4-3 and one out, Kim Hye-sung faced Hudson again and hit an 88.7 mph four-seam fastball on the 3rd pitch, but it was caught as a line drive by the left fielder. The well-hit ball, with a speed of 98.7 mph (158.8 km), was disappointing as it went directly to the fielder.
In the 4th inning, with the score tied 4-4 and one out with runners on second and third, Kim Hye-sung hit Hudson's 2nd pitch, a 91.6 mph (147.4 km) four-seam fastball. The ball was caught by the second baseman, and the runner on third, Feducia, tried to score but was out. Kim Hye-sung successfully stole his second base of the game, creating an opportunity with two outs on second and third, but Alex Freeland struck out, missing the chance. Oklahoma City won 10-6.
After Oklahoma City regained the lead 6-4 in the 6th inning with one out, Kim Hye-sung entered his fourth at-bat. He faced right-handed reliever Mason Earler and hit a 92.3 mph (148.5 km) sinker on the 3rd pitch, but it resulted in a groundout to the third baseman. In the 7th inning with two outs and a runner on second, he faced left-handed reliever Zach Dashiwood and aimed at a 85.8 mph slider on the 4th pitch but was out on a grounder to second base. Oklahoma City won 10-7.
Kim Hye-sung is a South Korean national team infielder who, in 953 career games in the KBO League, has a batting average of .304 (1,043 hits in 3,433 at-bats), 37 home runs, 386 RBIs, 591 runs, and 211 stolen bases with an OPS of .767. Last winter, he signed a maximum $22 million (about 31.6 billion won) contract with the Dodgers for 3+2 years, successfully entering Major League Baseball. However, he only recorded a batting average of .270 (6 hits in 29 at-bats), 1 home run, 3 RBIs, 6 runs, and 2 stolen bases during 15 exhibition games, leading to a start of the season in Minor League Triple-A without participating in the Tokyo series.
In preparation for his Major League debut, Kim Hye-sung is hitting .253 (24 hits in 95 at-bats) with 4 home runs, 17 RBIs, 18 runs, and 10 stolen bases with an OPS of .785 through 22 games in Triple-A. He added 2 stolen bases on that day, reaching the milestone of 10 stolen bases for the season. However, the fact that he had a hitless streak in the last 4 games remains a disappointment.
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