Just before the game, the San Francisco starting pitcher changed from left-handed to right-handed, but there was no place for Kim Hye-sung (Los Angeles Dodgers) to play. The starting pitcher was changed so abruptly that while it was understandable to exclude him from the starting lineup, it was incomprehensible that a contact-specialized batter with a batting average in the high .300s was not given a chance during such a close game.
Kim Hye-sung did not play in the home game against the San Francisco Giants held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on the 16th (Korean time).
The Dodgers submitted their lineup against the left-handed starter Kyle Harrison of San Francisco, which included Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter), Mookie Betts (shortstop), Teoscar Hernández (right fielder), Freddie Freeman (first baseman), Andy Pahes (center fielder), Tommy Edman (second baseman), Kiké Hernández (left fielder), Dalton Rushing (catcher), and Miguel Rojas (third baseman).
With left-handed Harrison announced as the starter, Edman was inserted at second base, and Pahes took the position of center fielder, which Kim Hye-sung could have played. Kim Hye-sung played as a starter on the 15th and contributed with 1 hit and 1 RBI in 4 at-bats, but he started the game on the bench following the Dodgers' Dave Roberts' platoon system.
However, just before the game began, the San Francisco starter changed from left-handed Harrison to right-handed Sean Jelly in a sudden move. This change occurred because San Francisco agreed to trade Harrison and Joe Dick Hicks to the Boston Red Sox and, in return, acquired Boston's franchise mega-star Rafael Devers. San Francisco countered the Dodgers lineup through a bullpen day led by opener Jelly.
With the San Francisco starting pitcher changing from left-handed to right-handed, it was a situation where the Dodgers' starter lineup could also have changed. However, Manager Roberts insisted on proceeding with the lineup he had planned against Harrison.
The game progressed closely. The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly by Pahes with one out and the bases loaded in the first inning and a solo home run by Edman in the second inning, but San Francisco turned the game around 3-2 with a timely hit by Cristian Costas and a 2-run triple by Lee Jeong-hu with two outs and runners on first and second in the fourth inning.
In the bottom of the 5th inning, the Dodgers set up a situation with no outs and runners on first and second after consecutive hits by lead-off batters Ohtani and Betts. Following Freeman's groundout and Hernández's Samjin strikeout, the situation changed to two outs with runners on second and third, and Pahes hit a 3-run go-ahead home run off Ryan Walker.
San Francisco closed the gap to one run with a solo home run by Daniel Johnson after one out in the eighth inning, but it was not enough to tie the game.
Thanks to the KKK show from closer Tanner Scott in the top of the ninth, the Dodgers defeated San Francisco 5-4 and maintained their lead in the National League West.
On this day, the only change made by the Dodgers was replacing Rojas, the seventh third baseman, with pinch hitter Max Muncy. Pahes performed well with 1 hit, 1 home run, 4 RBIs, and 1 run scored in 3 at-bats, while Edman had 1 hit, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored in 3 at-bats, and Kim Hye-sung did not get a chance as a defensive replacement or pinch runner.
Kim Hye-sung's season statistics remained at a batting average of .382 with 2 home runs, 11 RBIs, and 6 stolen bases in 30 games, as the matchup between Lee Jeong-hu and Korean Re was not materialized. These are impressive numbers, making it a shame to see him confined to the bench.
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