Kim Hye-sung of the Los Angeles Dodgers is steadily improving the completeness of his new batting form. He is adapting his body to the changes in his batting form. Home runs are a positive signal in this process.

On the 2nd (Korean time), Kim Hye-sung started as the eighth shortstop in a 2025 Major League Spring Training game against the San Francisco Giants at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. He showed impressive performance with 1 hit, 1 home run, 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 3 runs with a solid home run. His spring training batting average improved to .125.

That day, after one out in the bottom of the third inning, Kim Hye-sung stepped up to the plate and got a walk against right-handed pitcher Tristan Beck. He swung and missed once at the third pitch slider but then effectively laid off three curveballs, and on the fifth pitch, a fastball bounced once as he walked to first base. His ability to read breaking balls is improving. After the following batter, Rockwood-Powell, hit a double to left, Kim Hye-sung showcased a storming run as he rounded third and headed home.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, with one out, Kim Hye-sung hit a 91.6 mph two-seam fastball from right-handed pitcher Mason Black over the left field wall. Although it was a middle-in mistake pitch, his focus was commendable as a left-handed hitter took advantage and cleared the left field fence.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, with no outs and a runner on first base, Kim Hye-sung selected balls for the slider and sinker before hitting the third sinker that caught the outside zone. Unfortunately, it became a ground ball to the second baseman, and the lead runner was out at second base.

After the game, when asked about his feelings during the home run situation, Kim Hye-sung laughed and said, "As I rounded the bases, I thought, just go, go, and I was relieved when it went over the fence, so I dashed hard around the bases." He must have shaken off some of the emotional distress caused by his batting slump until now. Kim Hye-sung noted, "Honestly, even if it wasn't a home run, I wanted to feel like I was making good contact, and I felt good to finally feel solid contact after a long time."

On the 1st, The Athletic reported that Kim Hye-sung's batting form adjustment is about "20-30% complete." When Kim Hye-sung was told about the report, he said, "I think I'm better now than I was then. My ability to see the ball is improving, and today feels about 40% complete. I think I'm seeing the ball better than yesterday."

When asked if the home run boosts his confidence regarding his batting form, Kim Hye-sung replied, "I think confidence will come as I produce more results. Beyond today's home run, what I liked was that I didn’t miss many swings at the ball. That aspect seems a bit encouraging." He added, "I haven’t been swinging and missing at pitches, which I see as an improvement over yesterday. In my last at-bat, I saw the ball well, but I was a bit disappointed with my swing."

It was a walk, a home run, and a ground ball to the second baseman. Compared to his performance on the 1st against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, where he went 0-for-2 with 2 strikeouts, the quality of his hitting was very good. He only swung and missed once, and he kept his bat from going after balls outside the strike zone.

With numerous reports from American media regarding the prospect of him being sent to the minor leagues and his batting average dropping to .071, he must have experienced significant emotional distress. Kim Hye-sung noted, "I think it's only natural. It's a fact that I haven’t performed well, so it’s not like I can go to the majors while not doing well. I have to do better, so I can’t help it. I need to perform well in the remaining spring training games to show that I can do it."

He added, "I tend not to care too much about various comments, so rather than worrying about that, I focused on what I need to do, so regardless of the outcome, I concentrated a lot on the batting form I want to achieve now."

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