Kim Hye-sung, who goes in with his mouth tight, Ohtani, who patted his back, Roberts said he was weak in a strange replacement fast ball

Jun 10, 2025

Kim Hye-sung, who goes in with his mouth tight, Ohtani, who patted his back, Roberts said he was weak in a strange replacement fast ball
When Kim Hye-sung came in as a pinch hitter after San Diego changed the pitcher to a left-hander after one out in the top of the eighth inning, Shohei Ohtani patted his hip and comforted him. Photo = MLB.TV Capture



Kim Hye-sung, who goes in with his mouth tight, Ohtani, who patted his back, Roberts said he was weak in a strange replacement fast ball
Kim Hye-sung is waving his arms toward the dugout after hitting a timely double in the top of the fifth inning against San Diego on the 10th (Korea time). ImagesYonhap News
Local media are criticizing manager Dave Roberts as Los Angeles Dodgers' Kim Hye-sung, who continues to have a high sensitivity batting average of around 40%, was replaced against left-handed pitchers in the second half of the game.

Kim Hye-sung started as the ninth center fielder and recorded one hit and one RBI in three at-bats in the first of three consecutive away games against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on the 10th (Korea time).

Kim Hye-sung, who San Diego had a chance to start with right-hander Nick Pivetta as the starter, tied the game 6-6 with a timely double off the left-handed pitcher in the fifth inning, trailing 5-6. However, Roberts used right-handed batter Kique Hernandez as a pinch hitter when the opposing pitcher changed to a left-hander in the eighth inning of Kim Hye-sung's at-bat.




The pitcher who Kim Hye-sung stole a timely double in the right field with two outs and a runner on second base in the top of the fifth inning was left-hander Yuki Matsui. Kim Hye-sung accurately pulled Matsui's 88.9-mile slider and hit a powerful hit that flowed through the first base at 98.1 miles, but when another left-handed pitcher Adrian Morehorn took the mound after one out in the eighth inning, Roberts called Kim Hye-sung, who was entering the batter's box, and sent out Kike.

Kim Hye-sung looked embarrassed and entered the dugout with her lips firmly clenched. The broadcast camera caught leadoff Shohei Ohtani, who was waiting for the next batting order behind the waiting at-bat, patting Kim Hye-sung's passing back. It was a replacement situation that was difficult to understand.

Kim Hye-sung, who goes in with his mouth tight, Ohtani, who patted his back, Roberts said he was weak in a strange replacement fast ball
L.A. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. AFP Yonhap News
Kim Hye-sung, who started three consecutive games since the match against St. Louis Cardinals on the 8th and showed off his peak hitting sense by pouring four hits and three RBIs in nine at-bats, marked a batting average of 0.410 (25 hits in 61 at-bats), two homers, 10 RBIs, 13 points, three walks, 14 strikeouts, six steals, and an OPS of 1.028.




When Kim Hye-sung hit a double in the top of the fifth inning, local broadcasters said, "Kim Hye-sung not only hit a stronger ball than expected, but also hit an empty space. In particular, the left-handed hitter targeted the left-handed pitcher's breaking ball. He said, "I'm 3 for 3 against left-handed pitchers this year, and I hit one homer and one double." "I'll be the coach. It doesn't matter what type of pitcher your opponent makes. Please put me on the coachHe ordered Kim Hye-sung to be used as a left or right pitcher to the Dodgers bench.

In an interview with local media outlet SportsNet after the game, Roberts said, `Kim Hye-sung is doing well with both left and right pitchers. (5 times) For Matsui, the restraint is relatively slow, while the rotation and control are good. However, (Episode 8) The arrest of the day after marriage is faster. It can be tricky for Kim Hye-sung. I wanted to give Hernandez a chance", he explained.

Local reporters also asked questions about the reason for Kim Hye-sung's replacement, but Roberts said Kim Hye-sung was weak in fastball pitchers. However, according to Statcast, Kim has a batting average of 0.414 (12 hits in 29 at-bats) against fastballs this season, 0.316 (6 hits in 19 at-bats) against breaking balls, and 0.538 (7 hits in 13 at-bats) against off-speed pitches.




He also batted .273 (3 for 11) on fastballs over 95 miles and .500 (1 for 2) on 97 miles and above. In other words, it cannot be concluded that Kim Hye-sung is weak in fastballs.

Kim Hye-sung, who goes in with his mouth tight, Ohtani, who patted his back, Roberts said he was weak in a strange replacement fast ball
Kim Hye-sung hits a two-run home run from left-hander Brent Hedrick in the bottom of the second inning against the New York Yankees on the 1st (Korea time). AFP Yonhap News
Above all, there is no evidence that Kim Hye-sung is weak in left-handed pitchers. Rather, he had hits in all three confrontations with left-handed pitchers. Kim Hye-sung, who started as the ninth shortstop against the New York Yankees on the 1st, hit a superior two-run home run against left-hander Brent Hedrick after two outs in the bottom of the second inning with a 8-0 lead. He hit a home run in his first left-handed pitcher match since his Major League debut.

Then, in the game against St. Louis on the 8th, he went as the leadoff hitter in the seventh inning, 0-0, and made an infield hit to the second baseman against left-handed pitcher Stephen Mats. And on that day, he beat left-hander Matsui with a double on the right field line. He changed this batter to a right-handed hitter with a batting average of 0.223 and a strikeout rate of 26.2% in a tense situation of 6-6.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.