'This can't be!' Kim Ha-seong, benched after just one at-bat → Stuck in a no-hit slump across 4 straight postseason games

*This content was translated by AI.

He seized a surprise starting opportunity against a right-handed starter, only to be sent back to the bench in a humiliating fashion after just one at-bat. Kim Ha-seong (31, Atlanta Braves) endured the embarrassment of being replaced by a pinch hitter during the game, extending his no-hit silence in the postseason.

On the 7th (Korean time), Kim Ha-seong started as the ninth batter and shortstop in Game 3 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the LA Dodgers at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. However, after recording a no-hit in one at-bat, he was substituted out early.

At the time the starting lineup was announced that day, Kim Ha-seong's appearance was somewhat unexpected. Having suffered severe struggles with a regular-season batting average of 0.116, Kim Ha-seong had been utilized strictly as a platoon player against left-handed pitchers since late in the season. In fact, he had stayed on the bench even in Game 2, where the Dodgers started left-hander Blake Snell, making his return to the starting lineup against right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto an unusual choice.

But the hard-won opportunity slipped away in vain. It was his first at-bat in a bottom-of-the-third situation with one out and no runners on base, while his team trailed 0-3. Kim Ha-seong did not wait long for the pitch, making contact with Yamamoto's first-pitch 96.1 mph (approx. 154.6 km/h) four-seam fastball. The batted ball speed reached only 88.8 mph (approx. 142.9 km/h), and he ultimately retired on a routine fly out to left field, leaving behind regret.

The real trial came at the second at-bat. With Atlanta trailing 0-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and runners on first and second base—a critical opportunity—the ninth-place batter Kim Ha-sung stepped up to the plate. It was an important chance to ignite a comeback, but Kim Ha-sung, who had been retired on just one pitch in the third inning, was not given another opportunity. The Atlanta bench immediately replaced Kim Ha-sung with left-handed batter Rowdy Tellez as a pinch hitter.

Pinch hitter Roudi Teles drew a walk to load the bases, resulting in a partial success for the team's strategy, but it was a painful substitution for Kim Ha-seong personally. Having secured a valuable starting opportunity against a right-handed starter, he had to swallow his bitterness after retiring to the bench in just one at-bat, leaving behind only a first-pitch fly out.

With this, Kim Ha-seong's no-hit silence in this postseason has extended to four games. Kim Ha-seong, who has recorded only two walks and one run in this postseason, felt the reality of his shrinking role within the team without registering a single hit.

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*This content was translated by AI.