Kim Hye-seong, the day he received the World Series ring → fatal error! Dodgers surge to three-game sweep with dramatic 9th-inning comeback

*This content was translated by AI.

The joy of holding the World Series ring was brief; Kim Hye-seong (27, LA Dodgers) nearly endured a harsh day. But the Dodgers' "winning mentality" was formidable. They overturned a situation on the verge of defeat in the bottom of the 9th inning to secure a dramatic comeback victory.

On the 28th (Korea time), the Dodgers defeated the Miami Marlins 5-4 in a dramatic comeback in the first game of their three-game home series at the UCLA Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA, in the "2026 Major League Baseball (MLB)" season. They added three runs in the bottom of the 9th, when they were trailing 2-4, to turn the game around.

With this win, the Dodgers surged to three consecutive victories, reaching 20 wins (9 losses) for the season and firmly holding the top spot in the National League West Division. However, the second-place San Diego Padres also won today, maintaining a 0.5-game difference.

The atmosphere before the game was festive. Kim Hye-seong, a member of the 2025 World Series championship team, received his World Series ring amid applause from the Dodgers coaching staff and teammates, experiencing a moving moment. Kim Hye-seong also expressed his joy through comments on a video released by the Dodgers, saying, "Coming to the Dodgers was the best decision of my life." Teammates responded with "Great speech," sincerely congratulating Kim Hye-seong.

However, once the game began, Kim Hye-seong left a sense of regret. Starting at shortstop and batting eighth, Kim Hye-seong struggled both offensively and defensively. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, his first at-bat ended with a fly ball to left field. In the top of the 4th inning, with the team leading 2-0, he committed a painful error.

With two outs and bases loaded, he fielded a deep ground ball to the shortstop area from Javier Sano but fumbled while removing the ball from his glove, allowing the runner to reach base. It was recorded as an error, not a hit. Thanks to this error, the Dodgers allowed their first run, trailing 2-1 and giving the Marlins a chance to catch up.

Kim Hye-seong also left a bitter taste in the bottom of the 4th inning with a ground ball to second base with two outs and runners on first and third. He was eventually replaced by pinch-hitter Alex Colome in the bottom of the 7th inning, finishing the game with two at-bats and no hits. Kim Hye-seong's season batting average dropped slightly from 0.333 to 0.319.

Yamamoto Yoshinobu, the Dodgers' ace starting pitcher, also did not perform as usual today. Yamamoto recorded five innings, five hits allowed (one home run), four walks, and four runs allowed (three earned runs).

As a result, the Dodgers lost their 2-1 lead in the top of the 5th inning when Liam Hicks hit a go-ahead three-run home run. The Dodgers' lineup failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded, two-out opportunity in the bottom of the 7th inning, and the team appeared to be on the verge of defeat for much of the latter half of the game.

However, in the fateful bottom of the 9th inning, the Dodgers' focus exploded. With consecutive walks by the leadoff batters creating a one-out, runners-on-first-and-second situation, Shohei Ohtani, who had alternated between hits, strikeouts, and ground balls in previous at-bats, emerged as the savior. Ohtani attacked Miami closer Pete Fairbanks' slider, hitting a one-run, two-out, two-run double that cleared the fence in one bounce, narrowing the gap to 3-4.

In the following situation with one out and bases loaded, Will Smith was retired by a strikeout, seemingly ending the chance. However, the hero was Kyle Tucker. Tucker displayed his focus and hit a two-run single to end the game directly.

For Kim Hye-seong, it was a day where the glory of the championship ring and the regret of the error intertwined, but the Dodgers proved why they are strong championship contenders in the bottom of the 9th. Miami, having nearly caught the big fish, fell into a three-game losing streak.

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*This content was translated by AI.