Ha-Seong Kim was the Atlanta Braves' unsung hero on Wednesday against the back-to-back defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ha-Seong Kim has not had the year he hoped for during his second season with the Atlanta Braves, batting .078 and recording a .252 OPS and .174 on-base percentage through only 32 games of action.
Moreover, Kim worked to recover from a torn tendon in his right middle finger that he suffered in the winter when he slipped and fell on ice back in his native South Korea shortly after re-signing with the Braves on a one-year, $20 million deal.
On Wednesday, his efforts paid off not just for him but Atlanta as a whole when he walked off the Los Angeles Dodgers with an electric single to left field to secure a 6-5 victory and the series win at Truist Park.
Following the matchup, the 30-year-old shortstop emphasized the relief he felt in the moment while expressing his confidence in the team's outlook going forward.
"It's been a rough season personally for me, but the team is doing great," Kim said via interpreter David Lee, according to MLB.com. "So, I was always trying to think about how I can help the team. I feel like I was preparing myself, and I feel like all that hard work and preparation paid off at this moment."
He added: "Everybody was really happy for me, they all high-fived and hugged me. I really enjoyed it."
That hit would be Kim's first since June 3 after which he went 0-for-27 at the plate until manager Walt Weiss pinch-hit him during Wednesday's game in the ninth inning for Victor Mederos.
Nonetheless, the rest of Atlanta's bats played an equally important role in defeating the buzzsaw Dodgers.
Matt Olson struck early in the first, taking L.A. starter Rōki Sasaki deep for a solo home run that gave the Braves a 1-0 lead. However, Hunter Feduccia quickly responded in the second with a one-run single to score Tommy Edman who put the Dodgers ahead 3-1 in the third as he launched a two-run blast to right field.
The Braves clawed back with three more runs in the fourth to reclaim the lead when Ozzie Albies came into score off a sacrifice fly by Austin Riley. Sean Murphy then recorded a double, prompting Sasaki's removal from the game for reliever Edgardo Henriquez.
Murphy and Mike Yastrzemski the scored off an RBI double by Drake Baldwin. Meanwhile, Murphy went yard in the sixth to put the Braves up 5-3.
The NL West juggernaut refused to go out quietly as Mookie Betts brought the contest within one in the seventh with an RBI single that brought home Shohei Ohtani.
Edman came through once again during that same inning to tie it at 5-5 with a six-pitch walk that allowed former Brave Freddie Freeman to reach home.
Still, Kim's positional advantage over left-handed closer Tanner Scott proved Weiss right as Atlanta improved to 78-55 overall while maintaining a 4.5-game lead in the NL East over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Kim should be primed for another opportunity to contribute tonight at 7:15 p.m. EDT when 10-year All-Star Chris Sale toes the rubber against Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
