Kim Ha-seong draws walk, makes key defensive play in Braves season debut

Atlanta Braves shortstop Kim Ha-seong throws a runner out at first against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Truist Park, May 12, in this Imagn Images photo. Reuters-Yonhap

The Atlanta Braves' South Korean shortstop Kim Ha-seong has marked his long-awaited season debut with a walk and a key defensive play.

Kim went 0-for-3 with a walk from the No. 8 spot in the lineup, as the Braves defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-2 at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday (local time).

Kim, 30, signed a one-year, $20 million contract with the Braves in December after spending the latter portion of the 2025 season with them. But a finger injury suffered in a fall on ice in South Korea in January had kept him out of big league action until this week. He had played in nine rehab games in the minors before getting called up for the Cubs series earlier in the week.

Kim was robbed of a base hit by second baseman Nico Hoerner, who dove to his left to snatch a grounder toward the hole on the right side and threw out Kim.

Kim popped out in the fifth, got a walk in the sixth and grounded out in the eighth.

In the top of the fourth inning, with the bases loaded and the game tied at 1-1, Kim ranged to his left to field a grounder off the bat of Moises Ballesteros and got the force at second, keeping the damage to just one Cubs run.

The Braves rallied with a four-spot in the bottom fifth and improved to 29-13, the best record in Major League Baseball.

Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants, center, watches the ball after hitting a two-run double against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the clubs' Major League Baseball regular-season game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Tuesday (local time, in this Imagn Images photo. Reuters-Yonhap

Elsewhere in MLB, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants had two hits and two RBIs from the leadoff spot to lift his team past the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Kim Hye-seong, second baseman for the Dodgers, went hitless in a meeting between two former Korea Baseball Organization teammates.

Lee, who was held hitless in his first three at-bats, knocked in two runs with a seventh-inning double off Blake Treinen. It extended the Giants' lead to 6-2.

Lee then completed his second multihit game in three days with an infield single in the ninth.

Lee is batting just .213 in 11 games this month, after putting up a .312 average in April.

Kim, batting ninth, had a strikeout, two groundouts and a flyout to Lee in the right field.

Kim is now hitless in his past 12 at-bats, and his batting average over that span has dipped from .314 to .268.

The Giants have won three straight games but stayed in fourth place in the National League West at 18-24. The Dodgers, who have dropped four in a row, are in second place in the same division at 24-18.