Dodgers’ Kim Hye-seong belts 1st spring homer; Giants’ Lee Jung-hoo gets 2 hits

Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Kim Hye-seong busted out of a long slump with his first spring training home run — against a team featuring his former teammate in South Korea.

Kim launched a solo home run off Mason Black of the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the fifth inning at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday (local time).

The blast tied the score at 2-2, and the Dodgers went on to beat their National League West rivals 6-5.

Kim, who signed with the Dodgers in January, entered this game with only one hit in 14 at-bats this spring training. And in addition to the home run, Kim drew a walk and scored three times from the No. 8 spot.

Giants center fielder Lee Jung-hoo, an ex-teammate of Kim with the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), batted 2-for-3 with an RBI, raising his spring training batting average to .333 (4-for-12).

Kim has been working on a swing change since the onset of spring training, and the Dodgers have indicated he could begin the season in the minors as he continues to make adjustments. The home run, which left Kim’s bat at 95.6 mph and cleared the wall in left field, couldn’t have come a moment sooner for the South Korean rookie.

“This is my first interview because I hit a home run,” Kim said through an interpreter. “I want to do that as much as possible.”

Lee, who, unlike Kim, won’t have to worry about making the Opening Day roster, pieced together two hits after going hitless in his two previous games. The double Lee hit in the first inning was his first two-bagger of spring training.