Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers player Kim Hye-sung had an outstanding performance in his first starting appearance.
The Los Angeles Dodgers won 7-4 against the Miami Marlins in an away game at Londepo Park in Miami, Florida, on the 6th (Korean time).
After receiving his first starting opportunity in just three games since being called up to the big leagues, Kim Hye-sung played as the No. 9 second baseman, recording 4 at-bats, 2 hits, 1 RBI, 1 run, and 1 stolen base. He recorded his first hit, run, and RBI in the big leagues simultaneously.
Kim Hye-sung, who had previously played as a defensive substitute and pinch runner in 2 games, came to the plate for his first Major League at-bat in the 3rd inning. He hit a 99.2 mph (159.6 km/h) fastball on the fifth pitch from Sandy Alcantara, who won the Cy Young Award, but was out on a fly ball to right field. In the 5th inning, as a lead-off batter, Kim Hye-sung faced a ball count of 1 ball-1 strike and hit a 96.6 mph (155.5 km/h) fastball from Alcantara, getting a base hit to left field. This was his first hit in the big leagues. The ball he hit was retrieved by the Dodgers' dugout. Kim Hye-sung also successfully stole second base, marking his second stolen base of the season. Then, Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run home run over the right fence, and Kim Hye-sung recorded his first run in the big leagues.
After scoring, Kim Hye-sung received congratulations for his first hit in the big leagues from his teammates in the dugout. Ohtani, who hit the home run, celebrated Kim Hye-sung more warmly than anyone.
In the 6th inning, after two outs, Pahes and Conforto got consecutive hits, creating a scoring opportunity on first and second bases. Kim Hye-sung, facing relief pitcher Tyler Phillips, hit a changeup with a 2-strike count, producing a timely hit that dropped in front of the left fielder. This brought the runner from second base home, recording his first RBI in the big leagues.
In the 8th inning, with one out and a chance on third base, Kim Hye-sung was out on a ground ball to the first baseman due to the defensive positioning of the infield, missing an opportunity to drive in another run.
Kim Hye-sung showed a stable performance defensively. In the 1st inning, with one out, he fielded a ground ball hit by Kyle Stowers between first and second base and threw to first base for the out. He then easily handled a ground ball hit by Eric Wogaman, having positioned himself next to second BASS.
The most impressive defensive play from Kim Hye-sung came in the 8th inning. After one out, he quickly chased and fielded a ground ball that curved toward first base from Ronnie Simon and made a glove toss. The throw bounced off first baseman Freddie Freeman's mitt, resulting in a fielding error. Kim Hye-sung's fantastic glove toss regrettably did not result in an out.
SportsNet LA commentator Eric Karros noted, "Watching Kim Hye-sung perform the flip, he made the glove turn and flipped it backhanded. Many players perform that flip underhand, so I wonder if Freddie was expecting the backhand flip. Usually, players make underhand tosses, but Kim Hye-sung completely turned his glove and tossed it from a higher point."
It was mentioned that Freeman was not prepared for Kim Hye-sung's exceptional defensive sense.
The official social networking service of the Dodgers conducted a fan vote to select the player of the game after the match. There were three candidates: Kim Hye-sung, Freeman (who went 5 for 2 with a two-run home run), and Ohtani (who went 4 for 1 with a two-run home run). Kim Hye-sung received 51.9% of the votes from the 26,218 participants in the player of the game fan vote, while Ohtani received 29.2% and Freeman 18.9%.
After the game, Kim Hye-sung said in an interview with local broadcasting, "The Dodgers are a strong team, and I wanted to contribute even a little. I feel happy that I was able to contribute somewhat today."
Regarding his first hit, he said, "At that moment, as I was the lead-off batter, I thought I had to get on base no matter what. Moreover, since there are so many strong hitters behind me, I wanted to get on base no matter what, and I felt happy that I managed to do so."
Kim Hye-sung, who celebrated with Ohtani in the dugout, said, "The home run was hit by Ohtani, but he congratulated me, which made me feel very happy."
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