Los Angeles Dodgers' Kim Hye-seong was sharply substituted for platoon purposes, and the Dodgers lost because of Roki Sasaki's frustrating pitching.
Kim Hye-seong started at shortstop and batted ninth in the Dodgers' game against the Texas Rangers in the 2026 Major League Baseball season at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on the 13th (Korean time), going 0 for 2. Kim Hye-seong, who was in the starting lineup for the third consecutive game, was replaced by a pinch hitter and finished the game early when a left-handed pitcher came onto the mound during the game.
In the bottom of the third with no outs and a runner on first, Kim Hye-seong came to the plate for his first at-bat. He faced Cy Young winner ace Jacob deGrom. In his first plate appearance, with the count 2-2, he watched a fifth-pitch low inside slider and struck out. Kim Hye-seong tapped his helmet and called for an ABS challenge, but the ruling was not overturned. The pitch clearly caught the strike zone. Earlier in the top of the third, catcher Dalton Rusling had failed an ABS challenge, and with Kim Hye-seong's failed ABS challenge, the Dodgers had used up both opportunities.
In his second at-bat in the bottom of the fifth with one out and a runner on first, he fell behind with two strikes. With a 1-2 count, on the fourth pitch he swung at a 90.9 mph changeup but hit it directly at the pitcher. Pitcher deGrom fielded Kim Hye-seong's batted ball and retired him as a routine out. However, the play did advance the runner from first to second.
The fifth inning was Kim Hye-seong's last plate appearance. Left-hander Jacob Latz came on the mound in the bottom of the seventh. With one out and a runner on second after leadoff hitter Dalton Rusling's double, Miguel Rojas came in as a pinch hitter. In Dave Roberts' platoon maneuver, Kim Hye-seong again could not complete the game. Pinch hitter Rojas drew a walk, and Roberts' pinch-hitting strategy paid off.
The Dodgers started Roki Sasaki that day. But Sasaki allowed baserunners every inning from the first through the fourth, creating trouble, and left after four innings having allowed five hits (one home run), five walks, six strikeouts and two runs, and the team ultimately lost 2-5. Sasaki was charged with the loss.
The Dodgers struck first. Leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani lifted Texas starter deGrom's first pitch, a 97.9 mph four-seam fastball, over the right-field wall for a solo home run. With a leadoff home run for the second straight day, he extended his on-base in consecutive games streak to 46 games.
But Sasaki allowed Evan Carter to hit a go-ahead solo home run to right in the top of the third, tying the game 1-1. Although he recorded two outs afterward, he gave up a single to Joc Pederson, a wild pitch and a walk to Danny Jansen, creating a two-out, runners on first and second threat, and then allowed a run-scoring single to right by Josh Smith, putting the Rangers ahead 2-1.
In the top of the sixth, he walked Josh Young, allowed a bunt infield single to Ezequiel Duran, and committed an error on the throw to first, creating a no-out, runners on first and third situation, and after getting Brandon Nimmo to hit a grounder to first for an out, he allowed another run. The score fell to 1-3.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers got a leadoff double from Dalton Rusling and a walk to Miguel Rojas, who pinch-hit for Kim Hye-seong, to create a one-out, runners on first and second opportunity. Shohei Ohtani hit an infield fly to the shortstop for the second out with runners on first and second, but Kyle Tucker followed with a run-scoring single to right, cutting the deficit to 2-3.
But in the top of the eighth, after Josh Young's single to right and a walk to Ezequiel Duran, with no outs and runners on first and second, Brandon Nimmo delivered a run-scoring single to center. With the next batter, one out and runners on first and third, a wild pitch extended the lead to 2-5. The Dodgers could not erase the deficit.<
[OSEN]