Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers recorded his first hit in front of home fans and followed it up with his first major league home run.
On the 15th (Korean time), Kim Hye-seong started at second base, batting ninth, in a game against the Athletics held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. He came to bat as the lead-off hitter in the bottom of the fifth inning with his team trailing 2-3 and hit a solo home run to right center field.
This was Kim Hye-seong's home debut at Dodger Stadium. The day before, on the 14th, he made his first appearance in front of Dodger Stadium's home fans as a pinch hitter for Mookie Betts in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The starting pitcher for Oakland that day was Gunnar Hoglund, a prospect who was called up in May and had recorded 1 win with an earned run average of 2.38 over 2 games this season. He faced his first at-bat after the team led 2-0, thanks to solo home runs from Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pahes in the first and second innings, respectively.
With two outs and no runners on base, Kim Hye-seong fell behind in the count against Hoglund. He fouled off a changeup, sweeper, and four-seam fastball in a 1B-1S count. In a 1B-2S count, he connected with an 87.6-mile changeup.
The ball rolled slowly and passed by pitcher Hoglund. Though the second baseman handled it quickly, Kim Hye-seong managed to reach first base with an infield hit thanks to his quick sprint. He made his first hit at Dodger Stadium with his swift legs.
Kim Hye-seong also made his presence felt defensively. In the top of the fourth inning, with two outs and a runner on second, he caught a line drive from Luis Urias to get the out, preventing further scoring against Yamamoto with a sliding catch of a strong hit that reached a speed of 106.2 miles (170.9 km).
Then, in the bottom of the fifth inning as the lead-off hitter, Kim Hye-seong elevated a 92.2-mile (148.4 km) four-seam fastball for a tying solo home run over the right-center field fence. This marked his first career home run in the major leagues. The hit traveled at a speed of 104.3 miles (167.9 km) and covered a distance of 385 feet (117 m).
Kim Hye-seong returned to the dugout and was showered with sunflower seeds, enjoying the moment as a home run hitter for the Dodgers.
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