Kim Walk-Off Lifts Braves Past Dodgers

Ha-Seong Kim singled home Lane Thomas with two outs in the ninth and the Atlanta Braves walked off the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 on Wednesday night at Truist Park. ESPN, the Associated Press, and StatMuse all logged the same play: pinch-hitter Kim, 3-0 then a long battle, lined a 97.2 mph four-seamer from Tanner Scott (1-5) to left. Thomas had doubled. Austin Riley had been walked intentionally to get to Kim. It was Kim's first hit since June 3.

He entered the night 5-for-76. He had not appeared since Aug. 15. The 30-year-old signed a one-year, $20 million deal last winter, then tore a ligament in his right middle finger slipping on ice in Korea in January. Debut: May 12. Another IL stint in July. MLB.com said the single snapped an 0-for-27. The Korea Times had him at .078 after the swing, still looking for his first extra-base hit of 2026. The box score does not care about the slash line when the season series is on the line.

What was the Braves vs Dodgers final score?

Atlanta 6, Los Angeles 5. Matt Olson hit his 37th homer. Sean Murphy hit his first. Tommy Edman's two-run shot in the third made it 3-1 Dodgers. Riley's sacrifice fly and Drake Baldwin's two-run double (Baldwin had three hits) flipped it 4-3 in the fourth. Murphy's homer made it 5-3 in the sixth. Los Angeles tied it in the seventh on a Mookie Betts single that scored Shohei Ohtani and a bases-loaded walk to Edman. Didier Fuentes then got Kyle Tucker to line out and Alek Thomas to ground into a double play.

Victor Mederos (3-1) threw a perfect ninth. AJ Smith-Shawver allowed three runs on five hits in five innings. Roki Sasaki allowed four runs on six hits and left with a blister with one out in the fourth (that IL move is its own story). The Braves loaded the bases in the eighth. Mauricio Dubon grounded into a double play. One inning later, Kim ended it.

Why was Ha-Seong Kim's walk-off so unlikely?

Because Dave Roberts chose him. With Brewer Hicklen already used, the Dodgers' options against Scott were Dominic Smith or Kim. Kim got ahead 3-0, took a strike, fouled off the next three, and hit the heater. "I am so happy to have helped the team win," he said through interpreter David Lee, per the Korea Times. "As I ran toward first base, I was hoping the ball would drop for a hit." Manager Walt Weiss told the AJC he was happy for a guy who "never pouted" while Dubon held shortstop.

Atlanta is 78-55. Los Angeles is 80-53. By taking the first two games, the Braves clinched the season series and any potential tiebreaker, MLB.com noted, and sit two games behind the Dodgers for the National League's second bye. Shohei Ohtani is still trending toward a one-inning mound return Sunday. Thursday is Chris Sale (12-9, 2.20 ERA) against Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-7, 2.61) as Los Angeles tries to avoid a sweep. Search it: Kim walk-off, Braves vs Dodgers, Ha-Seong Kim hit. The 0-for-27 is over.

Ha-Seong Kim walk-off FAQ

What was the Braves vs Dodgers final score? Atlanta won 6-5 on Kim's ninth-inning single.

Was it Ha-Seong Kim's first hit in months? Yes. His first since June 3, snapping an 0-for-27.

Did Atlanta clinch the season series? Yes. Two wins in the set lock up the tiebreaker against Los Angeles.