What are you doing when you call someone? Roberts' continued turn away from Kim Hye-sung, and if it's a pinch runner, I'd rather pick a pitcher
Oct 30, 2025
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The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have 2 wins and 2 losses in the series, will play Game 5 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on the morning of the 30th (Korea time). It's the last game at home in LA. Regardless of whose victory this game ends, it must be played at least until Game 6, because Games 6-7 will be held again at Rogers Center, Toronto's home.
It is the last game of the year in front of home fans and an important showdown that will determine the direction of the World Series' second consecutive victory. Unlike before, Roberts adjusted his starting batting order considerably. It was to solve the problem that the batting line did not explode properly throughout the series. In Game 5 held the previous day, the Dodgers lost 2-6, scoring only two runs.
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Director Robert has predicted a batting adjustment to solve this problem. When asked in a field interview after losing Game 4, "Do you consider adjusting your batting order in Game 5?"Yes. I'm going to think deeply about it. The lineup could be a little different tomorrow (Game 5)." It was implemented.
In particular, Andy Paz, who has not been able to get out of the batting slump throughout the postseason this year, has finally been excluded from the starting lineup. Pazs, who played center field No. 9, was 1 for 15 with a batting average of 0.067 until Game 4. Roberts has already been considering the issue of starting Pazs since the second game, but he was not able to make a decision easily and was excluded from the lineup until Game 5.
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Therefore, it was expected that Kim Hye-sung would take over as center fielder if Pazs was excluded. Or, there was an expectation that he could be surprisingly put in as a second baseman instead of Tommy Edman, who is batting in the 10% range and has a bad ankle condition.
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In the end, this method proves that Roberts thinks of Kim Hye-sung only as a 'one-tool' for the opponent. In fact, Kim Hye-sung played only one game in a total of 15 games from the last wild card series to Game 5 of the World Series, and even as a pinch runner. Roberts does not expect Kim Hye-sung's defense or hitting ability at all. There is only one quick foot to see.
This is where the fundamental question arises. It is questionable whether there is a need for a 'one-tool agent' on the World Series stage.
Of course, there are cases where a pinch runner completely changes the aspect of the game. There is also the greatest pinch runner in Major League history. It's the main character of the 2004 American League Championship Series. none other than director Roberts was the main character. Roberts, who was an active Boston Red Sox manager at the time, was also appointed as a pinch-runner agent by manager Terry Francona, creating a memorable scene in history.
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Rather, it may be a better way to put a highly utilized bullpen pitcher in the entry instead of a low-utilization one-tool agent. The Dodgers' weakness was already pointed out as a bullpen. If the pitcher was put in place of Kim Hye-sung, who rarely has a chance to use it, the possibility of using it in any way, such as chasing or losing the game, could have been greater.
In particular, considering that Game 3 was a great blood fight that lasted until the 18th inning, it is even more regrettable that one pitcher was excluded to put in Kim Hye-sung. In the end, Roberts' stubbornness caused the situation. Not only Kim Hye-sung but also the entire team.
Reporter Lee Won-man wman@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
