Do you know Kim Hye-seong, the Dodgers' fearsome No. 8 hitter?
Kim Hye-seong started at shortstop batting eighth in the second game of the three-game weekend series against the Chicago Cubs in the 2026 Major League Baseball season on the 26th (Korea time) at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, and had a strong showing with two hits in five at-bats, one RBI and one run scored.
Kim Hye-seong came to bat for the first time in the bottom of the second with two outs and no runners in a 0-1 deficit. Down 0B-2S in an unfavorable count, he attacked Cubs starter Colin Rea's third pitch, a 79.5-mile-per-hour (128 km) curve that dropped on a low plane, and connected for a clean single to center. It was his third consecutive game with a hit. The following hitter, Alex Freeland, hit a fly out to center field and failed to bring him home.
Kim Hye-seong's hitting display continued. In the bottom of the fourth with one out and no runners and trailing 2-3, he turned a 0B-2S count into a full count and then lined Colin Rea's seventh pitch, a 92.8-mile-per-hour (149 km) four-seam fastball that came over the middle, into a single to center. It was his third straight game with multiple hits.
When the next batter Alex Freeland hit a double that struck the upper part of the left-field wall, Kim Hye-seong passed second and third and reached home to become the scorer of the tying run.
Kim Hye-seong's hit and run acted as the catalyst for a big inning. Shohei Ohtani continued the momentum by drawing a walk, Fred Freeman hit a go-ahead RBI single, and with the bases loaded after Max Muncy's walk, Teoscar Hernández (two RBIs), Dalton Rushing and Andy Pages delivered three consecutive RBI hits to push the lead to 8-3.
With the batting order cycled and the Dodgers leading 8-3 in the bottom of the fourth, Kim Hye-seong came up with two outs and runners on first and second. Facing Javier Assad, he connected on a full-count inside 92.8-mile-per-hour (149 km) sinker for a solid hit, but bad luck sent the grounder right to the second baseman. A second baseman groundout ended the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth with the Dodgers leading 10-4 and no outs with runners on second and third, Kim Hye-seong faced Assad again. This time, down 1B-2S in an unfavorable count, he took a fifth-pitch 85.7-mile-per-hour (138 km) low changeup and drove a run-scoring grounder toward first base.
In the bottom of the eighth with the Dodgers leading 12-4 and no runners with two outs, Kim Hye-seong ended his at-bat with a strikeout. Facing Vince Velasquez, who played for the Lotte Giants last year, he struck out swinging on a third pitch.
With two more hits, Kim Hye-seong's season batting average rose from .351 to .357.
The Dodgers, second in the National League's West Division, beat the Cubs 12-4 to avenge the previous day's loss. They improved to 18-9 on the season. Starter Roki Sasaki recorded his first win of the season (2-2) despite struggling with five innings, seven hits allowed (three home runs), one walk, five strikeouts and four earned runs, thanks to offensive support. The lineup showed firepower with 14 hits and 12 runs. Every starting player recorded a hit.
Meanwhile, the Cubs saw their 10-game winning streak end and fell to 17-10, second in the Central Division. Starter Colin Rea was pulled early after 3 1/3 innings, allowing six hits (one home run), four walks, four strikeouts and six runs, taking his first loss of the season (3-1). Vince Velasquez, a former Lotte player, returned to the major leagues for the first time in three years since 2023 and worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and recording one strikeout.
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