LA Dodgers defeated the Houston Astros to end a four-game losing streak and win two straight. Coincidentally, Ryan Weiss, a former Hanwha Eagles player, became the victim.
The Dodgers beat Houston 8-3 on the 5th (Korean time) in an away game at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, in the 2026 Major League Baseball season. Kim Hye-seong, who started at shortstop and batted eighth, went 1-for-5 with one run scored. His season batting average dipped slightly to .308.
The Dodgers' starting lineup that day was Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter), Freddie Freeman (first base), Will Smith (catcher), Teoscar Hernández (left field), Kyle Tucker (right field), Max Muncy (third base), Andy Pages (center field), Kim Hye-seong (shortstop) and Alex Freeland (second base), in that order. Yamamoto Yoshinobu started on the mound.
Houston assembled a lineup with Steven Okert as the starter, followed by Carlos Correa (shortstop), Yordan Álvarez (designated hitter), Isaac Paredes (third base), Christian Walker (first base), José Altuve (second base), Brice Matthews (center field), Cam Smith (right field), Zack Collins (left field) and Yainer Díaz (catcher).
The Dodgers scored first in the top of the first inning. After two outs, Smith and T. Hernández recorded consecutive hits to create a 1-2 scoring chance, and Tucker's run-scoring hit gave them a 1-0 lead. With the bases loaded following Muncy's walk, the pitcher was changed to Weiss and Pages struck out swinging.
In the bottom of the first, Houston tied the game 1-1 when Álvarez's infield single and Paredes's walk created a 2-out, 1-2 situation and Altuve delivered a run-scoring hit, and then Paredes scored on a wild pitch by Yamamoto to give Houston a 2-1 lead.
But the Dodgers scored two more in the top of the second to retake the lead. With one out and no runners, Freeland's opposite-field solo home run tied the game, and after Ohtani drew a walk and Freeman struck out, Ohtani scored on Smith's double to put the Dodgers ahead 3-2.
The Dodgers added four runs against Weiss in the top of the third to pull away from Houston. After giving up a right-field solo to leadoff batter Kyle Tucker, Weiss retired Max Muncy on a fly out to right but then gave up consecutive hits to Pages and Kim Hye-seong and walked Freeland, loading the bases with one out. Ohtani hit a grounder that resulted in Freeland being thrown out at second, but Pages scored on the play, and Freeman's center-field hit produced an error by the right fielder, allowing both Ohtani and Kim Hye-seong to score.
In the top of the fifth, after Kim Hye-seong flew out to left, Freeland's single to center and Ohtani's walk set up Freeman's run-scoring hit for another run. Houston answered with a solo homer by Collins in the bottom of the fifth but there were no more runs and the Dodgers finished with a big win.
Starter Yamamoto Yoshinobu earned the win with a quality start of six innings, five hits (one home run), one walk, eight strikeouts and three runs allowed. Shohei Ohtani was 0-for-3, extending his hitless streak to five games, but he contributed with two walks and two runs to help the team win.
Houston's Weiss returned from paternity and bereavement leave for the comeback start but struggled, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits (two home runs) with four walks and 35 strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Weiss, who has allowed runs in every recent outing, saw his earned run average balloon to 7.88.
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