'Oh my gosh' Kim Hye-sung doesn't trust him that much → When former KBO pitcher appeared, he said, 'I can't believe it's an immediate replacement...' I got a precious walk

*This content was translated by AI.

LA Dodgers utility player Kim Hye-sung (27) returned to the starting lineup for the first time in two days. However, he failed to add a hit and his batting average fell to the .200 level. The Dodgers overpowered the New York Mets with Japanese ace starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto's strong pitching and concentration at the end of the game.

Kim Hye-sung started as eighth batter and shortstop in a regular season home game against the New York Mets in the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on the 15th (Korea time), and had no hits and one walk in one at-bats.

After the game, Kim Hye-sung played in seven games and recorded a batting average of 0.286 (4 hits in 14 at-bats) with a double, one RBI, three runs, four walks, five strikeouts, and a on-base percentage of 0.421, a slugging percentage of 0.357 and an on-base percentage of 0.778 (OPS).

Kim Hye-sung started as the ninth batter and shortstop in a game against the Texas Rangers on the 13th at home, and recorded no hits and one strikeout in two at-bats. When faced with a chance situation in the middle of the game, he was replaced by a pinch hitter and finished his game. This trend continued in the game.

During the game on the 13th, Kim Hye-sung applied for the automatic pitching determination system (ABS) challenge and drank a bitter cup. No outs and no outs in the bottom of the third inning when the Dodgers were trailing 1-2. Kim Hye-sung struck out a rookie by freezing on the low slider of Jacob deGrom, the league's representative ace. Kim Hye-sung then objected to the strike decision and immediately applied for the ABS challenge. However, the reading showed that the ball was halfway across the strike zone, forcing it to head to the dugout as it was.

However, the head coach voiced unusual criticism after the game over Kim Hye-sung's choice. According to the U.S. media Dodgers Nation, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about Kim Hye-sung's ABS application status in an official interview after the game. In response, Roberts expressed his dissatisfaction publicly, saying, "I shouldn't have applied for the challenge there." The next day, on the 14th, Kim Hye-sung was excluded from the starting lineup, and the streak of consecutive business trips ended at "3.

And on this day, Kim Hye-sung returned to the starting lineup after two games. Yamamoto Yoshinobu took the mound as the starting pitcher for the Dodgers. The batting order was in the order of Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter), Kyle Tucker (right fielder), Will Smith (catcher), Freddie Freeman (first baseman), Teoscar Hernandez (left fielder), Max Muncy (third baseman), Andy Parx (center fielder), Kim Hye-sung (striker), and Alex Freeland (second baseman).

Nolan McClean started the New York Mets. Francisco Lindor (striker), Luis Robert (midfielder), Jorge Polanco (designated hitter), Bobissett (third baseman), Francisco Alvarez (catcher), Brett Beitty (right fielder), Mark Vientos (first baseman), Marcus Semien (second baseman), and Carson Benji (left fielder).

Kim Hye-sung targeted McClean's change-up in his first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning, but was withdrawn by a fly ball to left field. In the bottom of the fifth inning, he then managed to get on base by drawing a walk after two outs. He then advanced to second base taking advantage of McClean's check error, but the subsequent batters remained silent and failed to score.

Kim Hye-sung was replaced after taking the batter's box twice. The Dodgers threw a card that put right-handed batter Miguel Rojas as a pinch hitter at Kim Hye-sung's at-bat when the Mets put left-hander Brooks Raley on the mound at the bottom of the eighth inning when the two teams faced 1-1. But this winning move worked. Pinch-hitter Rojas walked to base. Kyle Tucker made a timely hit to left field in the chance to get the final hit with one out and runners on first and second bases, which was made with Espinal's sacrifice bunt and Shohei Ohtani's intentional pitches. It was the winning RBI of the game. In the end, the Dodgers won 2-1.

Dodgers starter Yamamoto pitched four hits (one homer) with one walk, seven strikeouts, and one run in seven ⅔ innings, but failed to secure the victory by coming down the mound in a crisis of first and third base after two outs in the eighth inning. Alex Besia, who took the mound in the top of the ninth inning, then won the save by striking out all three batters.

The Mets also pitched well with McClean allowing one run in seven innings. However, Reilly, who took the mound in the eighth inning, gave up the winning run and lost the game. As a result, the Dodgers took the lead in the National League West with their 13th win (four losses) of the season. On the other hand, the Mets marked 7 wins and 11 losses with seven consecutive losses.

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*This content was translated by AI.