{"id":676974,"date":"2026-04-16T14:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T14:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/676974\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T14:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T14:42:15","slug":"dodger-hyeseong-kim-discusses-big-homer-in-win-over-mets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/676974\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodger Hyeseong Kim Discusses Big Homer in Win over Mets"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 Hyeseong Kim<\/a> spoke to the media after the Dodgers\u2019 8-2 win over the Mets<\/a>, and his answers sounded a lot like the way he played. He was happy, clearly, but he also kept coming back to the work still in front of him. Kim hit his first home run of the season, made another strong play at shortstop, and kept showing why the Dodgers have been giving him more chances. Afterward, he talked about the at-bat, the swing changes he is still trying to make, and how much he wants to stay on this stage.<\/p>\n

The Home Run<\/p>\n

Asked about the two-run homer in the second inning, Kim said the count put him in a position where he could keep things simple. \u201cI was in a favorable count, so I just went up there thinking I could not miss a pitch in the strike zone,\u201d Kim said through a translator. That approach paid off in a big way. Dalton Rushing<\/a> had already doubled to get the inning going, and Kim gave the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead with one swing.<\/p>\n

Kim also said the changes he has been making with his swing are still a work in progress, even if Wednesday\u2019s result felt like a good sign. \u201cI think there has been some change,\u201d he said through a translator. \u201cThat said, I don\u2019t think there has been a huge change yet. I\u2019m still working on it, and I want to keep making adjustments going forward.\u201d It was a very honest answer, and it fit the way he has carried himself since coming up. He is seeing progress, but he is still pushing for more.<\/p>\n

New Opportunity<\/p>\n

That came through again when Kim was asked about how he feels now that he is playing in the majors and making the most of his opportunity. \u201cIt feels great,\u201d he said through a translator. \u201cPlaying on a major league stage is such a great thing, so every moment I get to play here makes me very happy. I want to keep playing here, and because I have to show that through my actions and my ability, I\u2019m trying hard to do that well.\u201d That is about as direct as it gets. He is enjoying the moment, and he knows exactly what he has to do to make it last.<\/p>\n

Kim also made sure to give credit to Shohei Ohtani<\/a>, who struck out 10 Mets over six strong innings. \u201cHe is such an outstanding player,\u201d Kim said through a translator. \u201cHe showed great pitching today, just like Shohei does.\u201d It was a short answer, but it said plenty. Ohtani set the tone for the game, and Kim was one of the hitters who gave him early support.<\/p>\n

Defensive Brilliance<\/p>\n

On the defensive side, Kim said he is starting to feel better at shortstop the more he plays there. \u201cAs I keep playing in games and playing shortstop more often, I just have a stronger desire to do even better,\u201d he said through a translator. \u201cAs I keep practicing and communicating with the defensive coaches, I think I\u2019ve improved a lot, and I want to keep doing well going forward.\u201d That stood out because it matches what people around the team have been saying. The Dodgers have trusted him with more time there, and Kim seems to be settling in more with each game.<\/p>\n

He was also asked about the praise he has received from the coaching staff for the way he takes instruction and works with them. Kim\u2019s answer was humble and pretty revealing. \u201cI have a lot of areas where I need to improve, so the coaches are teaching me a lot,\u201d he said through a translator. \u201cWhen they show me the areas where I\u2019m lacking, I just try to follow well. We have such a great coaching staff here, so I think all I need to do is follow them well.\u201d That kind of answer tells you a lot about why the Dodgers seem comfortable investing in him. He sounds coachable, steady, and open to the process.<\/p>\n

Circling the Bases at Dodger Stadium<\/p>\n

And when Kim was asked what it felt like to circle the bases after his home run, he gave an answer that probably says as much about him as anything else from the interview. \u201cIt felt really good rounding the bases,\u201d he said through a translator. \u201cIt was a home run at Dodger Stadium, so it felt really good. But I also struck out three times today, so that was disappointing.\u201d That is a hitter who can enjoy the big moment while still keeping the full game in view.<\/p>\n

Kim gave the Dodgers a real jolt on Wednesday night. He hit his first homer, drove in two runs, and kept showing growth at shortstop. But the most interesting part of his postgame comments may have been how grounded he stayed through all of it. He was happy. He was proud. And he still sounded like a player who believes the work is just getting started.<\/p>\n

More Dodgers Coverage:<\/p>\n

Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel<\/a>? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES \u2014 Hyeseong Kim spoke to the media after the Dodgers\u2019 8-2 win over the Mets, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":676975,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2406],"tags":[5,39,1165,4332,4333,774,57,3224,4331,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-676974","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-dodgers","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-dodgers","10":"tag-la","11":"tag-la-dodgers","12":"tag-ladodgers","13":"tag-los-angeles","14":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","15":"tag-losangeles","16":"tag-losangelesdodgers","17":"tag-mlb"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116414915783092841","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=676974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676974\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/676975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=676974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=676974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=676974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}