Ha-Seong Kim, the most unlikely of heroes, delivers another win over the Dodgers

If we’ve learned one thing this week, it’s that matchups between the Braves and Dodgers aren’t built for the faint of heart.

Following a nail-biter on Tuesday, one that was primarily a pitcher’s duel for most of the evening, Wednesday’s affair had a little bit of everything.

Matt Olson started the scoring with a screaming line drive down the right field line that narrowly stayed fair by striking the foul pole, his 37th home run of the season. But the Dodgers tied it the following inning and then took a two-run lead in the third when Tommy Edman left the yard against AJ Smith-Shawver.

For Smith-Shawver, it was his third start in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery last May, and the stakes were a little higher in front of a packed Truist Park crowd that felt a lot like a playoff atmosphere. It would have been easy for him to let things spiral the way they have in his previous two outings, but he finished strong with two scoreless innings, marking his longest outing of the season.

Before he exited, the Braves retook the lead in the fourth with a crooked number, and Sean Murphy then doubled that lead in the sixth with his first home run of the year — one of his three hits on the evening as he started back-to-back games for the first time all season. If that’s a sign of things to come, this Braves offense might finally climb out of the rut it’s been in for most of August.

The game still had a lot more twists and turns remaining. Dylan Lee came on in the seventh and failed to record a single out, allowing one run to cross and leaving the bases loaded for Didier Fuentes, who proceeded to walk the first batter he faced. It was another moment where things felt like they were about to get out of hand, but the 21-year-old did what he’s done all season, getting a fly out and a double play to end the inning without any more damage.

Doing it once wasn’t enough for Fuentes. He found himself in another jam in the eighth — this time of his own doing, loading the bases with two outs and Max Muncy stepping up to the plate. The two went back and forth for eight pitches, with Fuentes exclusively sticking with his fastball until the ninth offering, when he tossed a filthy splitter that left Muncy flailing his bat at a pitch in the opposite batter’s box.

The Braves would waste a golden opportunity in the bottom half of the inning, stranding runners at second and third with no outs. But the Dodgers went quietly in order in the ninth, setting the stage for most unlikely hero imaginable.

Tanner Scott looked as if he were going to breeze through with no problems. He forced Michael Harris II to ground out to first and then struck out Ozzie Albies for the first two outs, but a Lane Thomas double made things interesting.

Because the Braves had pinch-run for Sean Murphy earlier in the game, it forced Walt Weiss to pinch hit for pitcher Victor Mederos. With no better options, he turned to Ha-Seong Kim — and the $20 million man with a .066 batting average delivered one of the best moments of the season.

Ha-Seong Kim walks it off for the @Braves! pic.twitter.com/IWTZ9L6XEM

— MLB (@MLB) August 27, 2026

I’m not sure some of Hollywood’s best writers could come up with a script like that. There are very few scenarios where Ha-Seong Kim even finds his way into that game, let alone into the box with a chance to walk it off against the two-time defending champions.

It was something out of a movie, and thankfully, the script writers favored the Braves on this particular night.

With the win, Atlanta has now won three in a row and four of its last six — all against teams currently sitting in first place. It’s a testament to how quickly things can change in this game. A week ago, it felt like the Braves might be headed for a historic collapse. Now they feel like the class of the National League. Finishing off a sweep of the Dodgers on Thursday night would only add to that confidence heading into the final month.

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(Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire