Kim Hye-seong Proves His Worth as Starter, Dodgers’ Win Streak Ends in Fiery Bench-Clearing Brawl

[OSENWORLD] Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers made a statement with both his bat and his presence as he started in center field for the second straight game and notched another hit. The South Korean outfielder continued his strong push to secure a starting spot and, for the first time since joining Major League Baseball, found himself in the middle of a bench-clearing incident. 

On June 19 (local time, June 20 KST), Kim went 1-for-4 with an RBI in the Dodgers’ 5-2 home loss to the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium, snapping LA’s five-game winning streak.

Coming off a solid showing the previous day (a double and a run), Kim again got the nod in the lineup as struggling outfielder Michael Conforto was benched for a second straight game. Although his season batting average dipped slightly from .386 to .378 (28 hits in 74 at-bats), Kim extended his hitting streak and made the most of his opportunity.

In the bottom of the fifth, with two outs and a runner on first, Kim laced an 87.1 mph (140.2 km/h) slider into right field off Padres starter Ryan Bergert. The hit chased Bergert from the game despite an otherwise strong outing (71 pitches). The Dodgers couldn’t capitalize, however, as Shohei Ohtani grounded out to end the inning.

Kim had further chances late in the game, grounding out in a key seventh-inning at-bat and then again in the ninth—though his grounder in the final frame did bring home a run, marking his 12th RBI of the season.

Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a quality start with 6⅓ innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out five. However, the Dodgers’ bats were mostly silent, and Yamamoto was handed his sixth loss of the season (6-6 record, ERA now 2.76).

Benches Clear After Tatis Jr. Gets Hit

The game turned chaotic in the top of the ninth when Dodgers reliever Jack Little hit Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. with a 93 mph fastball on the arm. Padres manager Mike Shildt stormed out of the dugout, met by Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts, and both teams emptied onto the field. In a rare scene, both managers were ejected for their roles in escalating the tension.

Shohei Ohtani was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the ninth but diffused a potential second confrontation with a calm wave toward the dugout. Padres closer Robert Suárez, who hit Ohtani with a pitch, was promptly ejected.

This wasn’t an isolated incident—it was the boiling point of a simmering feud that began on June 17 when Dodgers rookie Andy Pages was plunked. Over the course of the four-game series, the teams traded a total of eight hit-by-pitches, with Ohtani, Tatis Jr., and Pages each getting hit twice.

The Padres, who snapped a three-game losing streak, improved to 40-34 and closed the gap with the division-leading Dodgers (46-30) to five games in the National League West. 

/k_inside@osen.co.kr