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Can he secure the starting role? Kim Hye-sung (27, Los Angeles Dodgers) will start at shortstop for four consecutive games.
On the 25th (Korean time), the Dodgers announced their starting lineup for the home game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, for the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season.
The Dodgers' lineup for the day features Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter), Freddie Freeman (first baseman), Will Smith (catcher), Kyle Tucker (right fielder), Teoscar Hernandez (left fielder), Max Muncy (third baseman), Andy Pages (center fielder), Kim Hye-sung (shortstop), and Alex Freeland (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Emmett Shehan.
The opposing Cubs lineup consists of Nico Hoerner (second baseman), Michael Busch (first baseman), Alex Bregman (third baseman), Ian Happ (left fielder), Seiya Suzuki (right fielder), Moises Ballesteros (designated hitter), Carson Kelly (catcher), Pete Crow-Armstrong (center fielder), and Dansby Swanson (shortstop). The starting pitcher is James Taillon.
Kim Hye-sung has effectively filled the void left by injured shortstop Mookie Betts. Kim was unexpectedly called up on the 6th due to a back injury while in Washington. In the early days after his call-up, he was primarily used as a pinch runner and defensive replacement.
However, he has been producing hits even in limited opportunities, increasingly replacing veteran Miguel Rojas (38). The day before (24th), he recorded a multi-hit game, and over the past seven games, he has batted 0.375 (6 hits in 16 at-bats) with 2 RBIs, 2 walks, 3 stolen bases, and an on-base percentage of 0.444.
The opponent in these four consecutive starts at shortstop is veteran right-handed pitcher Taillon. Taillon was selected as the second overall pick in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Although he has not grown as expected, he has established himself as a reliable third starter with a career record of 83 wins and 61 losses, an ERA of 3.87, 1,259⅔ innings pitched, and 1,094 strikeouts across stints with the New York Yankees and the Cubs.
He throws a variety of pitches, including a fastball and cutter averaging 91.4 mph, a sweeper, changeup, curveball, and sinker. He is a pitcher with a strength in breaking balls, as the whiff rate for all pitches except the sinker exceeds 20%.
As such, he is a favorable opponent for assessing Kim Hye-sung's ability to handle breaking balls, as Kim is still adapting to Major League Baseball. The two have never faced each other in a matchup.
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