'Dodgers Man' Kim Hye-seong has perfectly adapted to the first half of the Major League Baseball season and made a rich Japanese friend.
Japanese media Nippon Sports reported on the 15th that 'Dodgers right-hander Yamamoto Yoshinobu has revealed his friendship with rookie infielder Kim Hye-seong.'
On the 16th (Korea time), a day ahead of the 2025 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, a media interview was held locally, and Yamamoto received a question from reporters, asking, 'What do you usually talk about with Kim Hye-seong?'
Yamamoto said, 'I really like Korean food, so I sometimes tell him about that, and there are slight differences between Korean, Japanese, and Major League Baseball, so we also talk about that.' He added, 'I guess we talk about a lot of trivial things. I believe communication is important, so I talk a lot with Kim Hye-seong.'
Although Yamamoto and Kim Hye-seong have different nationalities and just started playing together this season, they have developed a close friendship in a short time during the first half of the season. The two players who are always seen talking in the Dodgers' dugout are Yamamoto and Kim Hye-seong.
They have made plans to eat together during the All-Star break. It seems that Kim Hye-seong will take Yamamoto, who likes Korean food, to a Korean restaurant in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Yamamoto revealed, 'I've heard that more Korean barbecue places and Korean restaurants that Kim Hye-seong likes are popping up in Koreatown, so we promised to go together.'
Yamamoto, who dominated Japanese professional baseball and declared his entry into the U.S., signed with the Dodgers through a massive 12-year, $325 million (about 448.6 billion won) contract ahead of the 2024 season. In his debut year, he recorded 7 wins and 2 losses with an earned run average of 3.00 in 18 games, but he excelled in the postseason with 2 wins and no losses and an earned run average of 3.86 in 4 games, contributing to the team's World Series championship. In his second year, he made the National League All-Star roster with 8 wins and 7 losses and an earned run average of 2.59 in 19 games.
After finishing the 2024 season, Kim Hye-seong knocked on the big league door through the posting system and became a Dodgers Man for a maximum of $22 million (about 30.3 billion won) over 3+2 years. He began the season in the minor leagues, but after being promoted to the big leagues in early May, he succeeded in landing in Major League Baseball with a batting average of .339 (38 hits in 112 at-bats), 2 home runs, 13 RBIs, and an OPS of .842 in 48 games, despite limited opportunities.
[OSEN]