The Los Angeles Dodgers stayed atop the National League West behind Shohei Ohtani’s two-way performance and a key hit from Kim Hye-seong.
Kim, batting ninth and playing second base, started for the Dodgers in their May 21 road game at Petco Park in San Diego and went 1-for-4.
His batting average now sits at .269 (28-for-104).
In the top of the second, with one out and a runner on first and the Dodgers up 2-0, Kim lined a single to right off Padres starter Randy Vasquez’s 93.9-mph (151.1 km/h) sinker. The hit didn’t score a run, but it snapped a hitless stretch from the previous day.
He later produced a popup to shortstop, grounded out to second and flew out to left. In his final plate appearance in the ninth, he battled deep into the count, seeing eight pitches.
The Dodgers blanked the Padres 4-0 for their second straight win, improving to 31-19 and maintaining first place in the NL West.
Shohei Ohtani was the story.
Ohtani started on the mound and batted leadoff as the designated hitter, tossing five scoreless innings with four strikeouts to earn his fourth win of the season. He lowered his ERA to 0.73.
He delivered at the plate as well, leading off the first with a 123-meter (about 404-foot) solo shot to center—the eventual game-winning run and his eighth homer of the season.
The Padres fell to 29-20 and stayed second in the division. Song Seong-mun, who entered as a defensive replacement in the previous game, did not play, so a matchup between the Korean players never materialized.
San Francisco outfielder Lee Jung-hoo missed his second straight game with a lower-back muscle strain as the Giants dropped a 3-6 decision to Arizona, their third straight loss.
Braves infielder Kim Ha-seong also sat out Atlanta’s game against Miami; Atlanta won 9-1.
Photo = AP / Yonhap News
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