[breaking news] Kim Hye-sung's "two-run timely hit" exploded in his first exhibition game! '158.8km' fastball hit, full base opportunity saved 'fresh start'

*This content was translated by AI.

LA Dodgers' all-round utility player Kim Hye-sung (27) made a timely hit from the first at-bat of this year's first exhibition game, signaling a refreshing start.

Kim Hye-sung started as a second baseman and sixth batter in an away game against the Los Angeles Angels in the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) exhibition game at Diablo Stadium in Tempie, Arizona on the 22nd (Korea time), and hit a two-run timely hit in the first inning with two outs and a full base.

On this day, the Dodgers organized the starting lineup in the order of Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter), Teoscar Hernandez (left fielder), Andy Parz (center fielder), Dalton Rushing (catcher), Santiago Espinal (third baseman), Kim Hye-sung (second baseman), Alex Freeland (striker), Ryan Ward (first baseman), and Jack Erhard (right fielder).

The Dodgers went to second base when leadoff hitter Ohtani got on base with a deep infield hit to third base, followed by Teoscar Hernandez's heavy hit. With Pazs and Rushing striking out in a row, Espinal calmly drew a walk and continued his chance to load the bases.

Here, Kim Hye-sung entered the batter's box. The opposing pitcher is right-hander Jose Soriano. Kim Hye-sung, who watched the first strike, picked out the second one-bound ball. Kim Hye-sung, who cut three balls in a row from the third to the fifth pitches, became a full count by picking up the sixth and seventh pitches. And the 8th ball. He hit a four-seam fastball to Soriano's 98.7-mile (about 158.8 km/h) body course for a single to escape between shortstop and third baseman. In the meantime, Ohtani and Hernandez also homered, leading to a two-run timely hit.

Meanwhile, Kim Hye-sung, who entered the Major League ahead of the 2025 season, played his role in the Dodgers. In 71 games in the 2025 season, he played a batting average of 0.280 (45 hits in 161 at-bats), three homers, six doubles, one triple, 17 RBIs, 19 runs, seven walks, two strikeouts, a 13 steals (1 failed) on-base percentage of 0.314, a slugging percentage of 0.385 and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.699.

Furthermore, Kim Hye-sung was on the roster of all postseason games last year, from the National League Wild Card Series to the Division Series (NLDS, best-of-five), the Championship Series (NLCS, best-of-seven), and the World Series (WS, best-of-seven). In the fourth game of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, he played as a substitute in the 11th inning of overtime and scored the winning goal. In the end, he finally enjoyed the joy of winning the World Series with his Dodgers teammates.

However, Kim Hye-sung is not yet a clear starting member of the Dodgers. He played only two games in the postseason last year. He has already proved his skills, but he has to show good performance again in this spring camp exhibition game.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.