Dodgers advance as Kim Hye-seong makes playoff debut and Kim Ha-seong exits

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 at Truist Park on Wednesday, October 7, to win their National League Division Series 3-1. The result sent Dodgers infielder Kim Hye-seong to the National League Championship Series and ended the postseason for Braves shortstop Kim Ha-seong. Kim Hye-seong made his first playoff appearance of the year as a ninth-inning defensive replacement; Kim Ha-seong did not play in the deciding game.

Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday that Los Angeles will face the Milwaukee Brewers, who beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Wednesday to take their division series in four games. An earlier Field Level Media account of the Dodgers' win said Los Angeles was awaiting the winner of that matchup. The two reports describe different points in Wednesday's playoff schedule.

How the Dodgers won Game 4 in Atlanta

Andy Pages delivered the decisive hit in the seventh inning, a two-run single that broke a tie in a close game. Field Level Media reported that Teoscar Hernández singled with one out against Atlanta starter Tyler Mahle before reliever Didier Fuentes issued two walks with two outs. Pages then singled off Robert Suarez. It was the Dodgers' first hit with runners in scoring position in the series after an 0-for-14 start in those situations.

Pages had two of Los Angeles' five hits and drove in two of its three runs credited to batters. Max Muncy added a solo home run in the ninth, his third of the postseason. The Braves had taken the lead in the first inning when Michael Harris II scored on a wild pitch. Los Angeles tied the game in the second after a throwing error and a dropped popup allowed Shohei Ohtani to score.

Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow allowed one run and one hit over 4 2/3 innings, though he walked five batters. Alex Vesia, Henriquez, Tanner Scott and Edwin Díaz combined to keep Atlanta scoreless over the final 4 1/3 innings. Field Level Media said the Dodgers' pitchers allowed eight runs on 18 hits across the four-game series, while the Braves finished 1-for-23 with runners in scoring position.

Braves manager Walt Weiss attributed part of Atlanta's offensive difficulty to the Dodgers' pitching. He also described the games as tight and said his team had tested Los Angeles. Harris collected two of the Braves' three hits in Game 4, but Atlanta could not turn Albies' sixth-inning double into a run. Díaz recorded his second save of the series.

Kim Hye-seong's first appearance in this postseason

Kim Hye-seong entered at second base to begin the bottom of the ninth, Yonhap reported. His appearance came after a regular season in which he played 43 major league games, batted .259, hit one home run, drove in 11 runs and stole five bases. He spent much of the year in the minors before the Dodgers recalled him on September 28 and placed him on their postseason roster.

Yonhap described Kim as a versatile defender who has played second base, shortstop, center field and left field during his major league career. The agency also reported that he had been caught stealing only twice in 20 attempts. His Game 4 contribution was a late defensive assignment: the account does not report a plate appearance for him in the win.

Kim became the first South Korean position player to win a World Series title last year, according to Yonhap. The Dodgers are now pursuing another championship, but their division-series victory secures only a place in the next round. His role there remains to be determined.

Kim Ha-seong's injury-hit season ends with Atlanta

For Kim Ha-seong, the Braves' defeat closed an injury-disrupted season. Yonhap reported that he was left out of the lineup for Game 4 after going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts across appearances in the Wild Card Series and division series. He remained on Atlanta's postseason roster, but did not get another chance to bat before the club was eliminated.

Kim had signed a one-year free-agent deal with Atlanta in December after a brief, injury-affected stint with the club in 2025. In January, he slipped on ice while in South Korea and tore a tendon in his right middle finger. Yonhap reported that the injury kept him out until May and that inflammation in the surgically repaired finger cost him more time in July.

He finished the regular season with a .116 batting average in 51 games, no home runs, 38 strikeouts and 16 walks, according to Yonhap. The agency reported that he had hoped a strong 2026 campaign would improve his prospects on the free-agent market. The available reports establish his season and postseason numbers, but no subsequent contract outcome.