BYUNG-HYUN KIM

'Byung-Hyun John Kim' (born January 19, 1979 in Gwangju, South Korea) is a right-handed submarine/sidearm pitcher for the Florida Marlins. Previously, he played for the Arizona Diamondbacks (May 1999- May 2003, August 2007 for 12 days), Boston Red Sox (May 2003 - March 2005), Colorado Rockies (March 2005 - May 2007), and the Florida Marlins (May 2007 - August 3, 2007, August 25, 2007 - Present).
Usually described as a submarine pitcher, Kim is a side-arm and under-arm hard thrower who uses a great variety of deliveries. Kim possesses a four-seam fastball with tailing movement frequently hitting the low 90's, a Frisbee slider with sweeping motion across the plate, an up-shoot slider with a rising motion, and a circle-changeup which he usually uses to strike out left-handed hitters. Nevertheless, during the 3 seasons between 2004 and 2006, his main problem had been the loss of right pitching balance, which caused difficulty in ball control, reduced ball velocity, and an appearance of inability to handle pressure to those who did not understand the relationship between the balance and an overall performance for an underhand pitcher. During that time, he also struggled against left-handed batters. But his performance has improved each season since 2005.
Kim is a 1997 graduate of Gwangju First High School. Jae Seo and Hee Seop Choi were Kim's teammates in 1996 and they are very close friends. Named both the ''Most Valuable Player'' and ''Most Valuable Pitcher'' for the National High School championships in Korea, Kim was selected to the 1996 National Junior Team, then named to the National Team in both 1997 and 1998. In that year, he pitched against the US Olympic team, striking out 15 batters in 6 2/3 innings. Later, he helped Korea claim the gold medal in the Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand. Kim attended Sungkyunkwan University's Faculty of Law until 1999.

Contents

1999 season

2000 season

2001 season and the World Series

2002 season

2003-2004 seasons

2005 season

World Baseball Classic

2006 season

2007 season

Career Highlights

Trivia

See also

External links

1999 season

Kim was signed by Arizona on February 19, 1999, one month after his 20th birthday. Kim went 2-0 with 32 strikeouts in 21.1 innings in El Paso (AA) and then went to Tucson Sidewinders (AAA), where he posted 2-0 with 21 strikeouts in 17.1 innings. His ability to strike out batters caught the attention of Diamondbacks coaching staff. He was the youngest player in the MLB at the time he debuted on May 29 at Shea Stadium. He came in to pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning, and after retiring Edgardo Alfonzo and John Olerud, struck out Mike Piazza and got the save in the Diamondbacks' 8-7 victory over the New York Mets.

2000 season

In the 2000 season, Kim got the closer role when incumbent Matt Mantei opened the season on the disabled list. For the year, Kim struck out 111 hitters in just 70.2 innings pitched (14.14 per nine innings), including 11 out of 12 batters over five games, and twice struck out eight consecutive batters. But Kim would also struggle in part of the season. After his 14 saves and a 1.82 ERA over his first 28 appearances, he was demoted to Triple-A Tucson at the end of July. Mostly used as a starter in order to restore his confidence, Kim came back to Arizona a month later. With Mantei reinserted as the official closer, Kim pitched as a setup man and also started a game after recording 84 relief appearances.

2001 season and the World Series

Arizona turned to Kim again as a closer after Mantei was lost to injury for the rest of the 2001 season. Kim responded with 19 saves, a 2.94 ERA, and 113 strikeouts in 98 innings.
Without Kim’s performance as the closer in the Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals and in the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves, the Diamondbacks might not have had a chance to claim the World Series Championship. He made his first career postseason appearance in the Division Series Game 3 at the Busch Stadium to protect the Diamondbacks’ 5-3 lead against the Cardinals with the go-ahead run at the plate in the 8th inning. After a walk to Albert Pujols that loaded the bases, Kim ended the inning with a center-field flyout. In the 9th inning, Kim saved the game with the game-ending double play off Mark McGwire's bat.
In the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, Kim worked a scoreless inning in Game 2, in which the Diamondbacks lost. Kim then saved Games 4 and 5 for the Diamondbacks and sealed his team’s claim of the championship. Kim entered Game 4 with the bases loaded with no out in the 8th inning to save the Diamondbacks’ 7-3 lead. Kim shut out this inning with a double play and a lineout. He then retired the next 3 batters in the 9th inning and saved the game. Next night, Kim pitched another 2 shutout innings and saved the game that clinched the Diamondbacks’s ticket to the World Series. Since Goose Gossage, Kim became the only pitchers to earn 2-inning saves on back-to-back days in the postseason. In the 2004 postseason, Houston Astros closer Brad Lidge joined Gossage and Kim as the other closer to earn 2-inning saves on back-to-back days in the postseason.[1]
It would be 10 days from his last save in the NLCS Game 5 that Kim would suffer two heartbreaking setbacks facing the Yankees in the 2001 World Series. With the Diamondbacks up two games to one going into Game 4, Kim relieved Curt Schilling in the eighth inning with the Diamondbacks leading 3-1. Kim struck out Shane Spencer, Scott Brosius, Alfonso Soriano, and Bernie Williams and grounded out Derek Jeter. But Paul O'Neill hit a single off Kim and Tino Martinez's two-out, two-run home run tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. With another home run hit off Kim by Derek Jeter in the bottom of the tenth, the Yankees won the game and tied the Series. On this Halloween night, Kim threw more than 60 pitches and was charged with the loss. The night after, in Game 5, Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly sent Kim again to the mound to protect the Diamondbacks' 2-0 lead. Jorge Posada hit a double off Kim but Kim grounded out Shane Spencer and struck out Chuck Knoblauch. Then the Yankees again came from a two-run, two-out deficit in the ninth inning, to defeat the Diamondbacks in 12 innings. Kim was again victimized, this time by Scott Brosius, whose two-run home run tied the score. Later, Alfonso Soriano hit a single in the bottom of the 12th to win the game.
Despite Kim's misadventures, the Diamondbacks staged a historic comeback and clinched the World Series Championship in the bottom of the ninth inning with one out in Game 7 at Bank One Ballpark. This time, the Diamondbacks victimized Yankees closer Mariano Rivera in a classic National League offensive style. Against Rivera, Mark Grace hit a single, Damian Miller bunted the ball that Rivera caught and threw to the center field, Tony Womack hit an RBI double and blew Rivera's save, Craig Counsell got hit by Rivera's pitch and loaded the base, and Luis Gonzalez hit the World Series-ending RBI bloop single over Derek Jeter's head and brought in Jay Bell to the home plate from the third base.
Kim later revealed in an exclusive interview how he felt during the 2001 World Series. "We went through the whole season, 25 guys and then the coaching staff. That time it was like old people. They said, 'OK, we got last chance.' Some people said if we don't win, next year everybody's gone." Kim continued, "Then I gave up a home run. I didn't feel good. But we won." See "Quiet Calculation" by Thomas Harding, Rockies Magazine at page 40 (August 2006).

2002 season

In 2002, Kim showed no lingering effects from his unfortunate World Series debut. He set a single-season franchise record for saves (36), breaking the old mark set by Gregg Olson in 1998 (30). Kim finished the season with an 8-3 record, 92 strike outs, and a career-best 2.04 ERA in a team-high 72 appearances. On May 11, 2002, Kim struck out three batters on nine pitches — Scott Rolen, Mike Lieberthal and Pat Burrell — in the eighth inning of a 10-inning 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Kim became the 23rd National League pitcher and the 32nd pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning.
On June 12, 2002, Kim reappeared on the pitching mound of the Yankee Stadium when the Diamondbacks were leading 7-5 against the Yankees in the 8th inning. Kim pitched two shut-out scoreless innings while striking out Bernie Williams, Jason Giambi, Jorge Posada, and Marcus Thames and saved the game with Shane Spencer's game-ending double play for the Diamondbacks' 9-5 win against the Yankees. After the game, he threw the ball over the left outfield fence where Scott Brosius's home run landed in the 2001 World Series Game 5. During the post-game interview, Jorge Posada said of Kim, "I think we just got lucky last time."[2]
In the 2002 season, Kim also was selected for the All-Star Game.

2003-2004 seasons

Kim started in the Arizona Diamondbacks' starting rotation and compiled the record of 1-5 with 3.56 ERA due to poor run support before he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. While the Diamondbacks were suffering from quiet bats, the Red Sox were having too many infielders and inadequate pitching staff. In the meantime, Kim spent most of May on the disabled list after Colorado Rockies' Preston Wilson's broken bat hit his ankle. (This injury later caused Kim's loss of pitching balance.)
On May 27, Kim pitched seven strong innings with one run allowed against the San Francisco Giants with no decision. On May 29, Kim was traded to Boston for Shea Hillenbrand. This trade is regarded as one of the most successful trade transactions for the Red Sox' General Manager Theo Epstein because this trade trimmed the Red Sox' roster for infielders and allowed Bill Mueller, David Ortiz, and Kevin Millar play everyday while strengthening the Red Sox' pitching staff.
Kim remained as a starter through June. But the Red Sox needed him as their closing pitcher because the Red Sox's closer-by-committee approach implemented following the advice of Bill James was failing miserably. On June 27, Kim made his final start for the 2003 season in Boston's 25-8 win against the Florida Marlins at Fenway Park, in which the Red Sox scored 14 runs in the first inning. Marlins starting pitcher Carl Pavano gave up six runs without getting one out.
Kim became Red Sox closer in July and compiled 16 saves out of 19 save opportunities (his September ERA was 0.00) and made a crucial contribution for the Red Sox to experience the ALCS against the New York Yankees one year before the Red Sox' ultimate World Series victory in 2004. Despite holding one of the most stressful positions in the world of professional sports, Kim was regarded as one of the most laid-back and congenial players in the Red Sox clubhouse. [3] Kim was pulled in his only Division Series appearance in Game 1 against the Oakland Athletics (during the lineup announcement in Game 3 at Fenway Park he gave booing fans the middle finger) and was left off the ALCS with shoulder stiffness. Even though the Red Sox lost the ALCS to the Yankees, the Red Sox retained most of its core players for 2004, the year when the Red Sox finally beat the Yankees and won the World Series.
As a starter, Kim went 3-6 with a fine 3.38 ERA in 12 appearances. In the beginning of 2004 , Kim seemed capable to perform in that role, as he shut out the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with Tino Martinez at the heart of the Devil Rays' lineup for five innings and collected the win at Fenway Park on April 29. But his loss of right pitching balance made him ineffective and cost him a spot in the rotation after going 1-1 with a 6.17 ERA in three starts. Bronson Arroyo took Kim's starting rotation spot and Kim was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket in May and rejoined the Red Sox in September. He was used in the bullpen and won one game in 5.2 innings of work.
In a six-year career, Kim has compiled a 31-28 record with 455 strikeouts and a 3.37 ERA in 419.2 innings. He has collected 86 saves in 299 games (283 as a reliever).

2005 season

Before the 2005 season, the Red Sox sent Kim to the Colorado Rockies, with general manager Theo Epstein calling the two-year deal given to him in 2004 "a mistake." Kim was traded for left-handed pitcher Chris Narveson, who was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket, and catcher Charles Johnson, who was immediately designated for assignment and released. As part of the trade, Colorado sent Boston about $2.6 million to equalize the salaries. Johnson was owed $9 million and Kim $6 million, part of the $10 million, two-year deal he signed before the 2004 season.
After a difficult start in Colorado out of the bullpen, Kim was given a shot in the Rockies rotation in May. He went on to become arguably the teams' most consistent starter, going 5-9 with a 4.37 ERA when he toed the rubber at the beginning of games. He filed for free agency on November 1, 2005, and, while many experts consider pitching in Colorado's thin air "career suicide," Kim re-signed with the Rockies. He earned $1.25 million in 2006 with a club option worth $2.5 million in 2007 (with a $250k buyout).

World Baseball Classic

Kim represented Korea in the World Baseball Classic, a tournament held during spring training before the 2006 season. In the semifinal game against Japan, Kim came in to Byung-doo Jun (who relieved starter Jae Seo) in the top of the 7th inning with a runner on base and then proceeded to give up a two run home run to Kosuke Fukudome. Shades of his 2001 World Series performance, this home run led to Korea's elimination from the WBC in the finals. However, Kim is credited with solid shutout middle relief performances during the tournament in Korea's wins against Taiwan and the United States and Korea's semifinal game against Japan.
The national rivalry between Korea and Japan heated up even before the tournament started when Ichiro Suzuki made this inflammatory comment: "I want to beat the teams in the Asia Round so they think they can't win against Japan for another 30 years. Fans, please expect a lot from us." When asked by Korean TV reporters about Ichiro's comment, Kim said, "I think (Ichiro) said that because he reads a lot of Japanese cartoon (manga) books." Kim's comment became very popular in Korea. In the Asia Round, Korea defeated Japan 3-2 at the Tokyo Dome.[4].
In Korea's semifinal game against the United States on March 13 at the Angel Stadium, Kim made a relief appearance in the fourth inning with one out and two runners on bases. Kim struck out Matt Holliday, allowed an infield hit to Chase Utley, and struck out Vernon Wells to get out of the base-loaded jam and end the inning with no damage. In the next inning, Kim walked Derek Jeter and allowed a single to Ken Griffey Jr but struck out Alex Rodriguez. Kim was then relieved by Dae Sung Koo, who finished the inning with a double play and no runs.[5]
In Korea's semifinal game against Japan on March 15 at the Angel Stadium, Kim relieved left-handed reliever Byung-doo Jun (who relieved Chan Ho Park) in the sixth inning with two outs, pitched 1 2/3 shutout innings with a walk and two strikeouts and became the winning pitcher of the game.[6] This game was a huge victory not only for Korea but also for the United States because, if Japan defeated Korea in this game, the United States was to be eliminated in the semifinals. Korea's victory over Japan gave the United States another shot to advance to the finals by defeating Mexico next night.[7] But Mexico defeated the United States 2-1.[8]

2006 season

Kim began the 2006 campaign with the Colorado Rockies on the disabled list. Upon his successful rehabilitation he made his season debut on April 30, 2006 against the Florida Marlins in Miami's Dolphin Stadium. Kim pitched impressively, giving up only one run on five hits while striking out a career high nine batters. Kim established himself in the Rockies starting rotation for the season.
He started 2 historic games in the Major League history soon thereafter. On May 22, 2006, Kim and his former high school teammate and then-Los Angeles Dodgers' starting pitcher Jae Seo started against each other. This game was the first game in which two Korean pitchers started against each other in the Major League history. Both pitchers had quality starts, but Seo outdueled Kim. [9]
On Sunday, May 28th, he immortalized himself in baseball history. He not only became the 421st pitcher to give up a home run to Barry Bonds, he gave up Bonds's career home run #715, moving him ahead of Babe Ruth for sole possession of second place on the all-time career home runs list. Undeterred by the ceremony and pandemonium right after Bonds's home run, Kim pitched 5 1/3 innings and collected a win after giving up 3 runs.[10] He handled the post-game interview in a calm, good-natured manner without being stoic.[11]
On July 28, 2006, he had 5 consecutive strike-outs against the San Diego Padres. In 4 different starts, he recorded 9 strikeouts each against the Florida Marlins (see above), Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Washington Nationals. He also set a record by pitching 13 consecutive shut-out scoreless innings against the Oakland Athletics (6 innings on June 19) and Texas Rangers (7 innings on June 25) at the Coors Field and winning both games, thus becoming the only pitcher in the Major League to pitch 2 scoreless consecutive starts at the Coors Field.
On September 15, Kim started against the 2006 National League Cy Young winner Brandon Webb at the Diamondbacks' Chase Field. Before this game, Diamondbacks veteran left fielder Luis Gonzalez was notified by the Diamondbacks' front office that 2006 would be his last season in Phoenix as the club declined to pick up his $10 million option for 2007. When Gonzalez was greeted with a standing ovation before his first at-bat, Kim bent down to tie and retie his shoes several times, fans gave Gonzalez an extended standing ovation and home-plate umpire Bruce Froemming patted Gonzalez on the back. Kim took so long to pitch to Gonzalez that Froemming eventually walked to the mound and asked Kim to hurry up. Cameras were flashing around throughout this standing ovation. Gonzalez later said of Kim's delay, "I don't know if he did it on purpose or whatever but, I mean, it worked out good. It was nice. I guess he was the right guy for the right moment." Kim pitched seven strong innings with three earned runs while striking out five batters including Gonzalez, but Webb completed the game with only one run allowed. Webb won the game and Kim took the loss.[12][13]

2007 season

Kim began the 2007 season with the Colorado Rockies as a reliever, having lost his starting spot in the rotation to Josh Fogg. The Rockies' decision to move Kim to the bullpen was controversial. Kim openly accused the Rockies coaching staff of unfairly moving him to the bullpen and said he would welcome a trade. Kim called this spring "little bit weird" and said that his coaches asked him to try inside two-seam fastballs and changeups. Kim said further that his coaches told him that getting hits and home runs as a result would be okay. Kim struggled much of the spring training with the record of 0-1 and 9.00 ERA as of March 24. Kim said that he would not have tried these two types of pitches if his coaches told him that he is in a competition to secure a starting rotation spot. Rockies manager Clint Hurdle responded to the media by saying that several other players were asked to make adjustments while competing and called for Kim to accept his new position for the betterment of the team. But none of the Rockies' coaches or front office officials rebutted specifics of Kim's accusation of unfair treatment.[14]
In his first outing on April 3 against the Diamondbacks, Kim got a relief win, even though he gave up a run. On April 15, he filled in as a spot-starter against the Diamondbacks but lasted only 3 innings with a loss due to a thumb injury. Kim was placed on the disabled list and later started in the Triple-A for rehab assignments. In the meantime, Kim changed his agent by hiring Scott Boras to help speed up the trade. On May 13, 2007, he was traded to the Florida Marlins for Jorge Julio. [15]
As a member of the Marlins, he has shown promise of rejuvenating his career after winning 2 of his first 3 starts. In his last two starts before the All-Star Game, Kim made solid quality starts against a couple of National League ace starting pitchers (Atlanta Braves' Tim Hudson in Miami and San Diego Padres' Jake Peavy in San Diego). Kim left the mound in the 7th inning tied at 1-1 against Hudson but defeated Peavy and won the game. In his starting matchup against Peavy, Kim flirted with another nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning when he struck out San Diego's heart of the lineup Adrian Gonzalez, Mike Cameron, and Khalil Greene in the bottom of the 4th inning. One ball to Mike Cameron was the only difference. [16][17]
On July 21, Kim almost had a starting matchup against Bronson Arroyo, who started for the Cincinatti Reds against the Florida Marlins next day. Against Cincinatti Reds' powerful lineup that included lefty sluggers Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, Kim pitched seven strong innings with one earned run and six strikeouts and won the game.[18] Arroyo pitched decently but did not win against Marlins Dutch rookie starter Henricus van den Hurk.[19][20]
On August 1, Kim won the starting pitching duel against Josh Fogg in the Marlins' home game against the Rockies at the Dolphin Stadium. Kim pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up 2 earned runs, walked 6 batters, struck out career-high 10 batters, and collected his 50th career win. Kim's pitch count was 126, the highest pitch count for a Marlins starter since Josh Beckett threw 126 pitches against the Houston Astros on May 20, 2004. After the game, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said to reporters, "I think you need to talk to Fredi [Gonzalez, the Marlins' manager] about Kim."[21]
Just 2 days later, after Kim was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks after being designated for assignment by the Marlins, Gonzalez said about Kim, "He did a nice job for us, other than a couple of starts where the bases on balls were a little high. But he did a nice job. You hate to say he was a guy who sucked up some innings, because he really didn't go deep into ballgames. He wasn't an 8th or 9th inning guy, but you could throw him 120-130 pitches and not worry about him. He came in today saying, 'I'll go into the bullpen if you need me.' I think he enjoyed his stay here. And he did well."[22]
Kim's return to Arizona lasted two starts, in which he combined to last 2 2/3 innings and allow nine runs (seven earned). Following his start on August 14 against Florida, the Diamondbacks designated him and Joe Kennedy for assignment.[23] Shortly after Kim was designated for assignment, Diamondbacks closer Jose Valverde broke Kim's franchise single-season save record.
On August 25, 2007, the Florida Marlins re-signed Kim as a free agent. [24] Kim's teammates welcomed him back with his uniform laid out across a couch and his cap on a pillow to poke fun at his habitual clubhouse naps. [25] Marlins manager Gonzalez used him as a reliever until he pitched his first starting game for the Marlins since he has rejoined the game, in which he received a winning decision.

Career Highlights

★ 1-time World Baseball Classic(in USA) 4th(2006 South Korea)

★ 2-time World Series Champion (2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, 2004 Boston Red Sox)

★ 1-time All-Star (NL - 2002)

Trivia

1. Kim owns a Japanese restaurant named Umi Sushi in San Diego. [26][27]
2. Upon his arrival in Seoul as the new U.S. Ambassador to Korea in August 2004, Ambassador Christopher R. Hill, currently Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and the chief U.S. negotiator for North Korea's nuclear program, spoke with his Korean diplomatic counterparts about Kim and the Red Sox, along with the U.S.-Korea relationship and other diplomatic and geopolitical issues surrounding the Korean peninsula. [28] Ambassador Hill is a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan and watched his Red Sox Nation win the World Series while stationed in Seoul.

See also

★ Pitchers who have struck out three batters on nine pitches

★ Florida Marlins all-time roster

External links

★ Baseball Reference (statistics and analysis) [29]

★ ESPN (profile and daily update) [30]

★ Rotoworld (fantasy stats and news snippets) [31]

★ Frank's Field of Dreams - Byung-Hyun Kim