“It’s the bench after a historic game.”
The ‘Dodgers Nation’, which primarily covers news about the LA Dodgers, raised questions about manager Dave Roberts' utilization of Kim Hye-seong.
The Dodgers announced their starting lineup for a home game against the New York Yankees at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on the 2nd (Korean time). Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, right fielder Teoscar Hernández, first baseman Freddie Freeman, catcher Will Smith, left fielder Andy Pahés, center fielder Tommy Edman, third baseman Max Muncy, second baseman Kiké Hernández, and shortstop Miguel Rojas.
Kim Hye-seong, who etched a new chapter in the 125-year history of Major League Baseball, starts from the bench. After walking in his first at-bat in the first inning on the 1st, Kim Hye-seong opened the scoring in the second inning with a two-run home run to right-center field. He continued with a left single in the fifth, a left-center single in the sixth, and a left double in the eighth, nearly hitting for the cycle, missing only a triple. Kim Hye-seong's batting average skyrocketed from .366 to .422, and his OPS surged from .859 to 1.058.
In shortstop defense, he made a double play after catching a line drive from Yankees’ Yorbit Vivas in the third and diving to second to tag out the runner returning to the base. In the sixth, while playing center field, he caught a hit by Aaron Judge that hit the left-center fence and made an accurate throw to second base for an assist. It was his first assist as an outfielder.
The media reported on the 2nd, “The Dodgers crushed the New York Yankees 18-2 in a home game at Dodgers Stadium on the 1st. The ‘defending champion’ Dodgers aim for a series sweep in the final game of the World Series rematch on the 2nd.”
It was also noted, “Mookie Betts will miss this game due to a toe fracture. Kim Hye-seong started as a shortstop in the previous game and made a historic impact against the Yankees. He became the only player in the 125-year history of Major League Baseball to simultaneously record four hits, a home run, a double play without an assist, and an outfield assist.”
However, Kim Hye-seong did not make the starting lineup on the 2nd due to the Yankees' left-handed starter Ryan Yarbrough. ‘Dodgers Nation’ reported, “Despite Kim Hye-seong’s perfect performance, the Dodgers opted to start Miguel Rojas at shortstop. Rojas also had the opportunity to start in place of Betts in the first game on the 31st of last month.”
[OSEN]