Published: 08 Jun. 2025, 14:05
Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Kim Hye-seong singles during the seventh inning of an MLB game against the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis on June 7. [AP/YONHAP]
Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Kim Hye-seong made a strong return from injury with a multihit performance against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Saturday.
Kim started as the No. 9 hitter and center fielder, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base and raising his season batting average from .404 to .411.
It was his seventh multihit game of the season and his first appearance since June 3 against the New York Mets. In that game, he was replaced by Tommy Edman after just two plate appearances.
U.S. media speculated that Kim suffered a minor injury after taking a ball to his left ankle during his first at-bat.
The Cardinals’ starting pitcher was Eric Peddie, a familiar face from the KBO.
Peddie dominated the KBO in 2023 with the NC Dinos, winning the pitching Triple Crown before returning to MLB.
Kim had struggled against Peddie in the past, batting just .182 with two hits in 11 at-bats.
But Saturday’s matchup told a different story. Kim flied out in his first at-bat in the third inning after making weak contact on an inside sinker.
Leading off the fifth, however, he battled through a seven-pitch at-bat and drove a low cutter up the middle for a single.
He then stole second during Shohei Ohtani’s at-bat, improving to 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts this season. He was left stranded as Ohtani flied out and Freddie Freeman grounded into a double play.
Kim logged his second hit of the night in the seventh, reaching first on an infield single off left-handed reliever Steven Matz.
It was his second hit of the season against a lefty, a noteworthy development given that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has typically opted to pinch-hit for Kim against left-handers. This time, Roberts let Kim bat, and he delivered.
Kim again reached base as a leadoff hitter, but Ohtani and Freeman failed to bring him home, with Ohtani flying out and Freeman grounding into another double play.
In his final at-bat in the ninth, Kim struck out against Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley.
The Dodgers tied the game 1-1 later in the inning thanks to a wild pitch, but the Cardinals won 2-1 in walk-off fashion when Nolan Arenado hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth.
Elsewhere in the league, San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo started Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Braves on the bench and appeared as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning.
San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo runs to the dugout during an MLB game against the Atlanta Braves at Oracle Park in San Francisco on June 6. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
He struck out, causing his season batting average to dip slightly from .277 to .276.
Lee had shown signs of a turnaround in recent games, reaching base multiple times in three consecutive games and doing so three times in two consecutive games.
That resurgence came shortly after MLB.com named him a potential All-Star outfield candidate on Wednesday.
U.S. media reported that Lee felt minor discomfort in his lower back before Saturday’s game and was held out of the starting lineup by Giants manager Bob Melvin as a precaution.
The Giants won the game 3-2 thanks to Matt Chapman’s walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.
The team extended their winning streak to four games, all by one run, and now stand at 37-28 — narrowing the gap with the National League West-leading Dodgers (38-27) to just one game.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SONG JI-HOON [[email protected]]
