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Korean broadcast has electrifying call for Dodgers' Hyeseong Kim's first MLB home run

Emma Lingan
Emma Lingan

Dodgers Way

Athletics v Los Angeles Dodgers / Harry How/GettyImages

No matter what language they're told in, sometimes the best baseball storylines just write themselves.

Such was the case with infielder Hyeseong Kim, who grew up admiring the Los Angeles Dodgers from afar in his native South Korea. He spent eight seasons playing in the KBO before signing with the Dodgers this offseason. On Wednesday in, a storybook moment, he hit his first Major League home run at Dodger Stadium.

“I always dreamed to play in this stadium," Kim said through interpreter Joe Lee (via Sonja Chen of MLB.com). "I’m really happy. I’m really thrilled right now.”

Korean broadcast has electrifying call for Dodgers' Hyeseong Kim's first MLB home run

Wednesday was a big night for Kim, who went 2-for-2 with the game-tying solo shot in the fifth inning of the Dodgers' 9-3 win over the Athletics. But as important as he is to the Dodgers' success, his importance to the Korean baseball community is even greater.

The Dodgers shared the Korean broadcast feed of Kim's home run call, and you don't even need to be fluent in the language to experience the pure joy and excitement of the call. But English translation, "Comets are raining down at Dodger Stadium!" is enough to give you chills.

Kim's first name translates from Hanja Korean to “comet.”

After struggling to find his swing at his first big league spring training, Kim began his first season with the Dodgers organization with the club's Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City. Fittingly, the team had just been renamed prior to the season – to the Oklahoma City Comets.

The new name is in honor of Mickey Mantle, the "Commerce Comet" nicknamed for his hometown and his otherworldly talent. But the fact that Kim began his stateside career with the team immediately after the rebrand is downright poetic.

The Dodgers recalled Kim from Oklahoma City when Tommy Edman went on the 10-day injured list with right ankle inflammation. What was originally believed to be a temporary stint in the big leagues for Kim extended into a longer one after Teoscar Hernández also went on the IL with a left groin strain, and Kim is making the most of it.

In 11 games with the Dodgers, Kim is hitting .360 (9-for-25) with an .840 OPS. He's flashed his three-time KBO Gold Glove-winning skill at second base, and he's been a threat on the base paths as well. After Wednesday's heroics, "The Comet" looks like he's here to stay.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.