The quick feet shone. Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers recorded his first hit in Major League Baseball with his feet. This was his first time playing as a center fielder.

The Dodgers played a spring training game against the San Diego Padres on the 24th (Korea time) at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The Dodgers won 8-3, securing their first victory after three consecutive losses in spring training.

Kim Hye-seong came in as a pinch hitter in the fourth inning, recording 1 hit in 2 at-bats, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout. He played 2 innings as a shortstop and then switched to center field, completing 3 innings. His batting average in spring training became .167 (1 hit in 6 at-bats).

On that day, the Dodgers started Mookie Betts (shortstop), Tommy Edman (second baseman), Michael Conforto (designated hitter), Kiké Hernández (first baseman), Austin Barnes (catcher), Miguel Rojas (third baseman), Chris Taylor (left fielder), Andy Pahes (center fielder), and Zaire Hope (right fielder). The starting pitcher was Dustin May.

For San Diego, Tyler Wade (third baseman), Connor Joe (left fielder), Gavin Sheets (first baseman), Oscar Gonzalez (designated hitter), Mike Brosseau (third baseman), Leodalis De Breaze (shortstop), Ethan Salas (catcher), Yonathan Daza (right fielder), and Forest Wall (center fielder) started. The starting pitcher was Brandon Naughton.

In the bottom of the fourth, with one out, Kim Hye-seong stepped in as a pinch hitter during Betts' at-bat. He faced right-handed pitcher Eduaniel Nunez. Kim watched the first two pitches that were outside the strike zone. He hit a 96.3 mph sinker on the third pitch, but it was a foul ball. He hit a 97.1 mph (156.3 km) sinker on the fourth pitch, which rolled between first and second base.

First baseman Sheets ran out to catch and tossed the ball to the pitcher covering first base, but Kim Hye-seong's quick feet shone. He was safe at first base by a narrow margin. This was his first hit in three spring training games. The ball had a good trajectory, thanks to Kim Hye-seong's quick feet. After that, Kim continued to play in the game as a shortstop.

In the sixth inning, with two outs and a runner on first base, Kim Hye-seong had his second at-bat. He faced right-handed pitcher Francis Peña. After a ball on the first pitch, the second pitch was a wild pitch, allowing the runner on first to advance to second base. The third pitch was also a high ball. The fourth pitch was a ball that was far outside, resulting in a walk on four straight balls. With two outs and runners on first and second, the next batter, Ryan Ward, was out on a line drive to center field.

In the eighth inning, with no outs and runners on first and second leading 4-3, Kim Hye-seong came to bat. He swung and missed at the first pitch, an 80.5 mph slider, and the second pitch was a ball. He swing and missed at the third pitch, an 88.1 mph fastball. The fourth pitch was a foul. He worked a good at-bat on the fifth pitch, a 79.1 mph slider, but ended up striking out on a tipped fastball (89.1 mph).

In the seventh inning, with the score at 3-2, Kim Hye-seong moved from shortstop to center field. This was his first appearance as a center fielder since joining the professional league. While playing in the KBO League, Kim had experience as a left fielder and right fielder, but he had never played center field.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted the previous day that "Kim Hye-seong will play not only as a second baseman and shortstop but also as a center fielder," and he did play as a center fielder on this day.

In the seventh inning, with two outs and a runner on second, Trent Brooks' hit went toward right-center field, and Kim Hye-seong and right fielder Ward ran for it. The ball hit the fence close to the right fielder and dropped. Ward caught it and threw it to second base. The score became 3-3.

In the eighth inning, after one out, a hit by Clay Dungan went toward center field, and Kim Hye-seong made a good catch on a line drive. In the ninth inning, with one out and runners on first and second, he calmly handled a pop-up hit by Brooks.

San Diego opened the scoring in the second inning when Brosseau hit a double down the left field line. After one out, Salas hit a one-run double off the center field fence. Although Yonathan Daza, who played for Hanwha last year, struck out, Wall hit a timely single to right field, taking a 2-0 lead.

The Dodgers quickly turned the game around. In the bottom of the second, Barnes was hit by a pitch, Rojas hit a single to right, and Taylor walked, creating a no outs, bases loaded situation. Pahes struck out, but Hope hit a two-run double to right field, tying the game. Then, with one out and runners on second and third, Betts hit a sacrifice fly to right field, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.

In the seventh inning, with two outs and a runner on second, Trent Brooks hit a double to right-center, tying the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the eighth, with no outs and runners on first and second, David Bote hit a one-run single to center, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. Then, with two outs and the bases loaded, Cody Hodge hit a bases-clearing double off the left-center fence, extending the lead to 7-3. A one-run double from Lockwood-Powell brought the score to 8-3.

Meanwhile, on the 21st, Kim Hye-seong started as a second baseman in the opener against the Chicago Cubs, and on the 23rd, he started as a shortstop against the Kansas City Royals. On this day, he was excluded from the starting lineup but came in as a pinch hitter. Kim Hye-seong recorded 0 hits in 1 at-bat and 1 walk in the game against the Cubs on the 21st, and 0 hits in 3 at-bats with 1 strikeout in the game against Kansas City on the 23rd.

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[OSEN=글렌데일(미국), 한용섭 기자]