Los Angeles Dodgers' Kim Hye-sung (26) suffered an unfair ball call. Although two consecutive pitches were judged as balls, his mental state was strong enough to smile at the umpire.

Kim Hye-sung was a starting second baseman batting eighth in the away game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on the 9th (Korean time), but he went silent with 0 hits in 4 at-bats and 3 strikeouts.

Over the 3-game series against the Miami Marlins from the 6th to 8th, he had hits in three consecutive starts, but he recorded his first game without a hit this day. His season batting average dropped from .417 to .313 (5 hits in 16 at-bats). His OPS also fell from .833 to .626.

For Kim Hye-sung, it was a day with many misfortunes. The umpire's ball call was unfair, and a well-hit ball went straight to the fielder, resulting in disappointment.

Facing Arizona's right-handed starter, Brandon Pfaadt, Kim Hye-sung struck out in his first at-bat in the 2nd inning. He took a low inside curve on the first pitch, but on the second pitch, he fouled off a fastball from the outside. On the third pitch, he swung and missed at a low outside fastball clocked at 94.9 mph (152.7 km/h). He was called out on strikes on a sinker that came in low on the inside corner at 94 mph (151.3 km/h).

The second at-bat in the 5th inning was just like being struck out by the umpire. Pfaadt's first curve missed the outside low zone slightly, but home plate umpire Brennan Miller called it a strike. The second backdoor sweeper didn't reach the outside zone either, but Miller again shouted strike.

In that moment, Kim Hye-sung also shook his head in disappointment. However, he soon looked at Miller with a smile and called for time. Despite the frustrating situation, he suppressed his emotions and maintained a smile for mind control. Then, after fouling off a sinker on the third pitch, Kim Hye-sung swung and missed on a change-up that dropped low on the outside for the fourth pitch.

The Dodgers' dedicated broadcaster, SportsNet LA, also pointed out in the 7th inning during Kim Hye-sung's third at-bat while reviewing the 5th inning strikeout that "some ball calls were biased."

However, in the 7th inning, Kim Hye-sung struck out again against Pfaadt. After swinging and missing at a low curve on the first pitch, he took a low outside change-up for a ball on the second pitch, but swung and missed on the third pitch, again resulting in a strikeout.

Pfaadt left the mound after striking out Kim Hye-sung three consecutive times, shutting down the Dodgers' strong batting lineup for 6⅓ innings with 4 hits allowed, 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts without allowing a run. He secured his 6th win of the season (2 losses) and lowered his earned run average from 3.79 to 3.28.

In his final at-bat in the 9th, Kim Hye-sung also had no luck. He pulled a slider that came in high on the inside for the 5th pitch from Arizona right-hander Kevin Ginkel, creating a line drive, but it went directly to the right fielder. The well-hit ball traveling at 105.2 mph (169.3 km/h) had a hit probability of 54%, but luck was not on his side.

Although he had been a starting player for four consecutive games, it is unclear whether Kim Hye-sung will be in the lineup for the game against Arizona on the 10th. In the last four games, all right-handed pitchers started, but for the game on the 10th, the starting pitcher for Arizona will be left-handed Eduardo Rodriguez. There is a possibility that left-handed hitter Kim Hye-sung might be omitted from the lineup.

Meanwhile, in this game, the Dodgers lost to Arizona 5-3. Shohei Ohtani hit his 11th solo home run of the season in the 9th, but it was not enough to change the outcome. Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto collapsed after giving up a grand slam home run to Gabriel Moreno in the 4th and a solo shot to Ketel Marte in the 5th. Yamamoto allowed 6 hits (2 home runs), 1 walk, and 1 hit by pitch while striking out 4 over 5 innings, suffering his 3rd loss of the season (4 wins), which raised his ERA from 0.90 to 1.80.

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