Hyeseong Kim’s name is quickly rising in the majors — and now trending on YouTube. On May 31, the Los Angeles Dodgers rookie delivered a breakout performance against the New York Yankees, recording four hits, including a home run, and making two standout defensive plays — one at shortstop and another in center field. The game was such a show that Major League Baseball posted a full highlight video of Kim on its official YouTube channel, an uncommon honor for a rookie just one month into his MLB career.
Kim, 26, was signed by the Dodgers in January 2025 to a three-year, $12.5 million deal after starring with the Kiwoom Heroes in Korea. Although he started the season in Triple-A Oklahoma City, he was called up on May 3 and quickly proved he belonged. Through 24 games, Kim is hitting .404 with a .994 OPS, and has already earned playing time across second base, shortstop, and center field.
Against the Yankees, Kim homered deep to right field, made a diving play at shortstop that was confirmed via replay review, threw out Aaron Judge at second with a bullet from center, and capped the day with a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the plate. “Have a day, Hyeseong Kim,” the announcers echoed — and MLB clearly agreed.
The official highlight video titled “Dodgers rookie Hyeseong Kim had A DAY for the Dodgers!” was uploaded to MLB’s YouTube account (6.35M subscribers), drawing over 260,000 views in just 72 hours. For a player with barely a month of MLB experience, the feature represents a major vote of confidence — and a viral debut on baseball’s biggest media platform.
BY YOONJAE JUNG [jung.yoonjae@koreadaily.com]
