Kim Hye-sung (26) of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Major League Baseball (MLB) is on the starting list again.
He was placed in the batting order nine times for the second consecutive game. Kim Hye-sung, who has recently shown the hottest hitting sense in the Dodgers, seems to be solidifying his position as a key member.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will play a home game against the New York Mets in the 2025 MLB regular league at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on the morning of the 4th (Korea time). The second of a four-game home series against the Mets. In the first match of the previous day, the Dodgers lost 3-4 after extra time.
LA Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made some changes to the batting order for the revenge. The leadoff hitter is Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter). However, Mookie Betts (striker) came out in the second batting order. Betts took a short break from May 31 against the New York Yankees due to a toe injury. After returning from the away schedule, he was injured by hitting his left foot against furniture at home.
Fortunately, it was not a major injury, so he started as the second shortstop after a four-day break. The batting order was then adjusted in the order of Freddie Freeman (first baseman), Kiké Hernández (right fielder), Will Smith (catcher), Max Muncy (third baseman), Andy Parz (middle fielder), and Michael Confoto (left fielder).
Kim Hye-sung will start as the 9th-2nd baseman. There was a brief concern that Betts would be pushed back to the bench due to his return. However, Roberts could not ignore Kim Hye-sung, who has recently shown the hottest batting performance in the Dodgers. He rested Tommy Edman, the main second baseman, and entrusted Kim Hye-sung to second base.
It is evidence that Kim Hye-sung's proportion in the team has taken a step forward. This change is purely the result of Kim Hye-sung's ability.
Kim Hye-sung started against the New York Yankees on the 1st and set a great record. He came out as the 9th shortstop and hit 4 hits in 4 at-bats (one home run), and in defense, he went between shortstop and center fielder, followed by a "single double play" and a "outdoor bodhisattva". This strong offense and defense performance is the first milestone in the modern baseball era since 1900. It was the first major league 'Super Utility Play'.
Kim Hye-sung, who took a break from the game on the 2nd, started as the 9th shortstop again in the game against the New York Mets on the 3rd and recorded multi hits (2 hits in 4 at-bats) and stolen bases. In addition, he continued to be stable in defense and gained solid trust from the bench.
Kim Hye-sung's batting average for the season rose to 0.420 (21 hits in 50 times at bat) due to multi hits on the day. The OPS is a whopping 1.033. In particular, his batting average in the last seven games has reached a whopping 0.538 (7 hits in 13 at-bats). In addition, if the period is limited to the last week, he is the unrivaled best hitter in the team. He has a batting average of 0.667 (6 hits in 9 at-bats).
As a result, there are a lot of demands in the region to give Kim more chances to play instead of locking her up in the platoon system. Roberts seems to be changing his mind due to Kim Hye-sung's steady performance. Attention is focusing on what kind of play Kim Hye-sung will impress Roberts in the match against the Mets on the 4th.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
