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[mdtoday = Reporter Kim Gyo-sik] Kim Ha-seong, 27, has been key to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ five-game winning streak, delivering meaningful contributions on both offense and defense as he fights to secure a spot on the Major League roster.
On the 28th (local time) at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 4-1 to move to 35-20 and firm up their hold on first place in the National League West.
Kim struggled through May, batting just .220 (13-for-59) over 20 games and drawing talk that he could be optioned to Triple-A.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had criticized Kim’s approach, saying he tended to chase pitches out of the strike zone.
The club did call up Alex Freeland from Triple-A that day and looked poised to shuffle the roster, but when Enrique Hernández exited with an oblique injury, Kim remained with the big-league club.
He took full advantage. Inserted into left field in the third inning after Teoscar Hernández left with a hamstring issue, Kim delivered a two-out single to center in the fourth that extended the Dodgers’ lead and later scored on an Alex Cole RBI.
Despite it being his first time manning left field in the majors, Kim played the wall well, including a diving grab on a foul ball by Willie Castro in the seventh.
The victory was also shaped by Shohei Ohtani’s two-way impact. Ohtani started and turned in a quality start, going six innings with seven strikeouts, four walks and one run allowed to earn his fifth win of the season (5-2).
He provided the key offensive blow as well, launching a first-inning solo homer that proved to be the game’s decisive hit.
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