Kim Hye-sung of the Los Angeles Dodgers had a successful debut in the 2025 Major League Baseball spring training opening game.

He showed stable fielding and throwing, and demonstrated patience at the plate by going full count in every at-bat. Manager Dave Roberts praised him after the game, saying, "Kim Hye-sung had a good game." However, when asked to rate his performance, Kim Hye-sung said, "It's a zero." The Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Chicago Cubs 4-12 in the 2025 Major League Baseball spring training opening game held at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, on the 21st (Korean time). Kim Hye-sung started as the eighth baseman, recording one hitless at-bat and one walk in two plate appearances, and was replaced in the fifth inning.

The Dodgers' starting lineup included Mookie Betts (shortstop) in the first position, Max Muncy (third baseman) in the second position, Teoscar Hernández (right fielder) in the third position, James Outman (center fielder) in the fourth position, Eddie Rosario (left fielder) in the fifth position, David Bote (first baseman) in the sixth position, Hunter Feducia (catcher) in the seventh position, Kim Hye-sung (second baseman) in the eighth position, and Dalton Rushing (designated hitter) in the ninth position. The starting pitcher was Yoshinobu Yamamoto from Japan.

Kim Hye-sung stepped to the plate in the second inning with no outs and runners on second and third base, following Eddie Rosario's two-run homer that put the Dodgers ahead 2-0. However, against Cubs starting pitcher KODI Podi, he hit a changeup on a full count but ended up with a ground ball to third base, failing to advance the runners.

In the fourth inning, with two outs and a runner on first base, trailing 3-6, Kim Hye-sung faced right-handed pitcher Brad Keller and drew a walk on a full count after selecting a 96.4 mph fastball. However, with two outs and runners on first and second, the subsequent batter, Rushing, struck out, ending the inning without any runs.

The Dodgers replaced all eight starting players during the top of the fifth inning. Kim Hye-sung was also substituted and returned to the Dodgers' camp nearby to engage in weight training.

After the game, Kim Hye-sung mentioned that he was informed about his starting role in the spring training opening game around 8 p.m. the night before. He said, "I thought I would probably play since some players are given a chance in spring training games, so I was glad to get the opportunity."

Regarding his feelings about making his debut in the MLB as part of the spring training opening game, he said, "It was the first time, and doing it in a new stadium with a new atmosphere made it a bit fun before the game. I thought it was fun in this atmosphere, and during the game, I had some chances, got on base, and though there were regrettable points, it was still enjoyable."

One of his regrets was his batting form, which he is in the process of adjusting. Kim Hye-sung noted, "That is one thing, but results are important in games. My first at-bat was crucial. It was a scoring opportunity, and I regret not capitalizing on it. However, I think I did alright in focusing on my second at-bat, so at least that was fortunate."

He reflected on not bringing any runners home during the opportunity in the second inning with no outs and runners on second and third base, saying, "I went to the plate thinking that I had to hit a sacrifice fly no matter what. My goal was not a hit, but a sacrifice fly, and I regretted that I couldn't do that."

In both at-bats, Kim Hye-sung faced full counts and battled through 13 pitches. He said, "I was thinking I should look at as many pitches as possible since it was my first time experiencing the MLB strike zone. I tried to see a little more."

He swung and missed at a changeup in his first at-bat, and he hit a changeup for a ground ball to third base, which was a poorly struck ball. Kim Hye-sung said, "The breaking ball felt like it had a sharper angle that dropped quickly."

He felt the tension of playing in a Major League game. Kim Hye-sung noted, "The defense is slightly different from Korea. When the pitcher records a strikeout or an out, there are differences in how infielders throw the ball back and forth. Since the order of passing the ball was different, I was a bit bewildered, but it didn’t seem too tense."

In the first inning, Kim Hye-sung made a stable catch after handling two outs following one out. At one out with a runner on first base, Ballesteros hit a 91.7 mph cutter from starting pitcher Yamamoto. It was a high fly ball, but Kim Hye-sung calmly retreated to catch the ball in front of the outfielder. That was the first out recorded by Kim Hye-sung.

Kim Hye-sung said, "Fortunately, there was no sunlight to worry about because the sun was behind my head while playing defense here." He loudly called out, "I got it," to signal that he would catch the fly ball.

He explained, "Here, I have to do it in English. In Korea, the crowd is really loud, so I am used to calling out louder. That's why I think I called out loudly. In Korea, I usually just say, 'Okay, okay,' or 'My ball.' Here, they told me to say 'I got it,' so I did that."

However, when asked how many points he would give himself for today's game, Kim Hye-sung replied, "It's a zero." He handled defensive plays well without mistakes and did not get a hit in two at-bats but drew one walk. When it was pointed out that he rated himself too low, Kim Hye-sung laughed and said, "There were some regrets today, so I think it's a zero because if there are regrets, I usually give myself a zero."

Finally, he expressed his determination, saying, "Since I had regrets in today's first game, I need to think carefully about those points and perform well in future games without any regrets."

/orange@osen.co.kr

[OSEN=Glendale (U.S.), Han Yong-seop]