"Know-how? I only got 170 at-bats" Kim Hye-sung imagines a showdown with Ohtani-Yamamoto, the "now enemy." [At Saipan]

*This content was translated by AI.

"I only had 170 at-bats last year. Wouldn't you be better than me?"

Kim Hye-sung (27, LA Dodgers) lowered his posture although he recorded a batting average of 0.280 in his first season of the big league after winning the World Series. Nevertheless, he did not hide his expectations for a showdown with his teammates Shohei Ohtani (32) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (28), who will face off in the Korea-Japan match.

Kim Hye-sung left Incheon International Airport for Saipan on the 9th with the national team players for the first camp in preparation for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC).

Until the news of the Dodgers' advance to the World Series, there was a lot of concern about whether they would get a good chance to play. However, Kim Hye-sung was active in 71 games with a batting average of 0.280, 13 steals (one failure), a on-base percentage of 0.314, a slugging percentage of 0.385, an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 0.699, and a scoring average of 0.382.

In defense, he has established himself as a key utility man in the Dodgers, which has won the championship for two consecutive years by transforming into a center fielder as well as a familiar second base and shortstop.

Kim Hye-sung, who has completed her adaptation, is showing her willingness to participate in the WBC. Unlike Kim Ha-sung (Atlanta) and Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco), he is strong enough to join the first camp of the national team.

Age to be a bridge between newcomers and veterans. Data on the players to compete in the WBC must have been accumulated, and know-how on top-notch pitchers must have been accumulated. Nevertheless, Kim Hye-sung said, "I still don't have enough time to build know-how. "I only had 170 at-bats last year," he said. "I think (the juniors) would be better than me because they went to the batter's box more often."

Nevertheless, as a senior who entered the Major League first, there is no choice but to have a lot to say to his juniors. Kim Hye-sung said, "I didn't even dream of having an international competition as a major league when I first entered the professional league in elementary, middle and high school. He said, "I want to go to a bigger stage, too," and added, "If I have friends who have goals now, I hope my eyes on baseball will expand through international competitions."

"The players are not treating major league girls, but they are treating them well with 'human Kim Hye-sung'," he said. "I don't know because we haven't trained together yet, but I'm going to let you know if I have any questions." Since everyone is representing the national team, I don't think they are the ones I should talk about first. If I have any questions, I will sincerely answer them when a question comes in, even if it's trivial," he explained.

They are teammates who won the World Series together, but they meet as enemies in the WBC. If he has to face World Series hero Yamamoto and Ohtani also plays as a pitcher, it is a rare opportunity to face off. Kim Hye-sung, who has been in contact with Yamamoto until recently, said, "I want to meet everyone. "I think it'll be really fun," he said. "I'm really looking forward to that feeling when we meet again in the team after the game. I can tease you or tease you, but I'm looking forward to just saying things like that," he said.

His individual performance was very good in the competition where he played for the national team. He hit a batting average of 0.615 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and also performed well in the 2023 WBC with one hit, three RBIs, three runs, three walks, and an OPS of 1.167. Nevertheless, except for the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games (winning), the national team did not have much good memories of his competition.

Kim Hye-sung is painting a bigger picture. "If you look forward to it, we have to work harder, and if we win the Korea-Japan match, it's so good and very important," he said. "Because of the nature of the WBC group stage, it doesn't just go up to beat Japan, so I want to prepare well and do well against all teams."

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*This content was translated by AI.