ATLANTA -- Ha-Seong Kim buried thoughts of his $20 million salary being a sunk cost and provided the Braves a big win with what will likely be their most improbable ending of the season.
“It's just great to see guys rewarded for hard work and perseverance,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “It's great when the game rewards guys like that.”
Kim could have pouted when he was forced to spend three weeks on a Minor League rehab assignment after hitting .068 through his first 27 games of the season. The veteran shortstop could have also lost focus while totaling just three at-bats through the first 20 games Atlanta played since he was activated on Aug. 4.
Instead, he kept himself ready for the moment he unexpectedly received in Wednesday night’s thrilling 6-5 win over the Dodgers at Truist Park. His two-out pinch-hit single off Tanner Scott added to the thrill of the Braves’ latest walk-off win.
“Just seeing him walk up to the plate and have an incredible at-bat there against a closer who's had a really successful year, and coming through like that was -- it was awesome,” Braves All-Star Drake Baldwin said. “It was pretty special after that in the clubhouse, just celebrating that victory.”
Kim got ahead of Scott with a 3-0 count, looked at a called strike, fouled off the next three pitches and then laced a 97.2 mph four-seamer to left field. The game-ending single was his first hit since June 3. He snapped a 0-for-27 streak that dated back to his second at-bat on that date.
“It's been a rough season personally for me, but the team is doing great,” Kim said through interpreter David Lee. “So, I was always trying to think about how I can help the team. I feel like I was preparing myself, and I feel like all that hard work and preparation paid off at this moment.”
By winning the first two games of this three-game set, the Braves have clinched the season series against the Dodgers, meaning they would win any potential tiebreakers between the two teams. This is important because Atlanta (78-55) is now just two games behind Los Angeles (80-53) in the battle for the second of the National League’s two available byes.
How did the Braves get to the point where they decided to give Kim his fourth at-bat of the month and first since Aug. 15 with two outs in the ninth and Lane Thomas on second base?
Well, the eighth inning began with catcher Sean Murphy tallying his third hit of the night, a single that rolled slowly along the third-base line before striking the bag. Weiss promptly replaced Murphy with pinch-runner Brewer Hicklen, who was left stranded at third after Baldwin’s double gave Atlanta two runners in scoring position with none out.
The Braves lost their designated hitter when Baldwin had to replace Murphy as the catcher in the ninth. This meant the ninth spot, which Murphy had occupied, was filled by the pitcher.
Once Thomas doubled off Scott with two outs in the ninth, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made the easy decision to intentionally walk Austin Riley. Riley has hit .185 (12-for-65) with a 41.5 percent strikeout rate with two outs and runners in scoring position this year.
But with Hicklen already used as a pinch-hitter, Roberts knew the Braves’ only options to bat against Scott were left-handed hitter Dominic Smith or Kim.
“Dom's been a really good pinch-hitter for us,” Weiss said. “It's just that Scott is just vicious on lefties. Obviously, this year has been a difficult year for Kim, but he's always hit lefties in his career. He's been taking a million swings every day trying to get through this.”
Kim signed his one-year, $20 million deal this winter and then tore a ligament in his right middle finger when he slipped on ice in South Korea a couple of weeks later. He missed the first six weeks of the season, struggled mightily for two months, then spent July trying to find his swing at the Triple-A level.
The fact that he has barely played over the past few weeks has led many to question why the Braves opted to keep what seemed to be sunk cost, instead of carrying a bench player who could offer more via speed or defense.
But if the Braves end up getting a first-round bye with the help of this win, thoughts of his contract will have been buried in a moment Kim won’t forget.
“Everybody was really happy for me,” Kim said. “They all high-fived and hugged me. I really enjoyed it.”