Hyeseong Kim had been on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster since the start of the Wild Card Series, but the rookie didn’t make his postseason debut until Game 4 of the National League Division Series.
Kim entered as a pinch-runner for Tommy Edman in the 11th inning, representing the winning run at first base with one out. Max Muncy’s base hit then put runners at the corners with two outs. After Kiké Hernández kept the inning alive with a walk, Andy Pages broke his bat on a tapper back to the mound.
But what should have been a routine play for Orion Kerkering was anything but that. He booted it, then hurried an ill-advised throw to home plate that sailed wide of J.T. Realmuto, ending the Philadelphia Phillies’ season.
Kim was 30 feet away from home plate at the time Kerkering recovered to field the ball. Pages was still 55 feet from first base.
Both the moment and Kim’s speed seemingly impacted the 24-year-old reliever, and validated a projection Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made when discussing the decision to only carry 11 full-time pitchers on their NLDS roster, 12 if including Ohtani.
“We’re going with the 12 because the off days in between the games. We have to carry three catchers because of where Will’s at. Obviously with Tommy’s uncertainty, Max coming back recently, having the extra infielder Hyeseong is huge,” Roberts said the day of Game 1.
“And as far as how I’m going to use him, to run off the bench, to potentially take an at-bat off the bench, but there’s a lot of lefties in that lineup. But Hyeseong, it’s good to have him on the roster. And I feel he’s going to help us out at some point.”
Hyeseong Kim missed home plate on winning run
Initially lost in the jubilation as players came spilling out of the dugout was Kim actually failed to touch home plate when he crossed.
Kim’s final step was just short of the plate and he then moved to avoid a collision with Realmuto on his extended attempt at catching Kerkering’s errant throw.
“I ran for my life. I just ran as hard as I could,” Kim said through interpreter Dean Kim, while standing inside the home batting cage at Dodger Stadium, drenched in beer and champagne.
Perhaps aware of what transpired, or simply force of habit, Kim quickly made his way back to step on home plate as the on-field celebration began in earnest.
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