Kwang-hyun Kim
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2015) |
Kim Kwang-hyun | |
---|---|
SK Wyverns – No. 29 | |
Starting pitcher | |
Born: | July 22, 1988|
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
KBO League debut | |
April 10, 2007, for the SK Wyverns | |
KBO League statistics (through 2015) | |
Win-Loss | 97-55 |
Earned run average | 3.30 |
Strikeouts | 1030 |
Teams | |
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Men's baseball | ||
Olympics | ||
2008 Beijing | Team | |
World Baseball Classic | ||
2009 Los Angeles | Team | |
Asian Games | ||
2014 Incheon | Team |
Kim Kwang-hyun (Hangul: 김광현, Hanja: 金廣鉉) (born July 22, 1988 in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea) is a South Korean left-handed starting pitcher who plays for the SK Wyverns in the KBO League.
Amateur career
Kim attended Ansan Technical High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. In 2004, he led his team to the first national championship ever, pitching four-consecutive complete game victories in the tournament with a 0.96 ERA, and was named MVP.
In 2005, Kim was selected for the South Korea national junior team that was runner-up at the 6th Asian Junior Baseball Championship in Seoul, South Korea. He earned two wins against Chinese Taipei, and pitched a five-inning no-hitter against Japan.
In 2006, Kim competed for the South Korea national junior team in the 22nd World Junior Baseball Championship in Havana, Cuba. He led his team to the gold medal, earning four of South Korea's six wins. Kim tossed a five-hit complete game shutout to lead South Korea to a 1-0 victory over Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals, and pitched two wins over Canada in the semifinals and USA in the final. He posted a solid 0.87 ERA and 22 strikeouts throughout the tournament, and was named the Most Valuable Player.
Notable international careers
Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | South Korea | Asian Junior Baseball Championship | 2-2, 1.04 ERA (4 G, 11.2 IP, 3 ER, 12 K) | |
2006 | Cuba | World Junior Baseball Championship | 4-0, 0.87 ERA (5 G, 20.2 IP, 2 ER, 22 K) Most Valuable Player |
Professional career
Signed by the SK Wyverns, Kim made his professional debut on April 10, 2007. He was in the Wyverns' starting pitching rotation for most of the 2007 KBO League season. Although his performance was inconsistent, he showed signs of promise as a rookie, including pitching a one-hit victory in 71⁄3 innings over the Doosan Bears, facing MVP Daniel Rios in the 2007 Korean Series.
On January, 2008, Kim was selected for the South Korea national baseball team and participated in the Beijing Olympic Qualification Final Tournament held from March 7 through March 14, 2008 in Taichung, Taiwan. There he helped his team win a spot in the Beijing Summer Olympics by starting two times and going 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA.
In the 2008 season, Kim had a career year. He went 16-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 162 innings pitched. Kim ended the season as the KBO League leader for both wins and strikeouts.
At the 2008 Olympic Games, Kim contributed to his team's victories as results of 1-0 with a 1.26 ERA and 12 strike outs in 3 games. In the semifinal game against Japan, he gave up one earned run and six hits in eight innings for Korea to get the victory. Kim did not allow a runner past first base after the 3rd inning, when Japan scored on a walk, a sacrifice and a single by Norichika Aoki.
In March 2009, Kim competed for the South Korea national baseball team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, where they finished runner-up. He started against Japan in South Korea's first game in Tokyo, Japan, but suffered one of his worst games, giving up eight runs in just 1.1 innings of a 14-2 loss to Japan. Kim couldn't get over the disastrous start in Tokyo, struggling in the exhibition games against MLB teams before the start of Round 2. Command of his pitches became a trouble spot, and Team Korea manager Kim In-Sik pitched him in relief until the end of the competition.
On August 2, 2009, Kim was hit with a batted ball hit by Kim Hyun-Soo when he had one of the worst pitching performances in his KBO League career, allowing 4 runs in just 2 innings against the Doosan Bears. He suffered a fracture on the back of his hand and he was out for the season as the result. However, he won the 2009 ERA title, pitching 138.1 innings which enabled him enough to qualify for the ERA title.
On November 4, 2014, Kim was posted to MLB. The San Diego Padres won the bidding with a bid of $2 million.[1] However, contract negotiations ended without an agreement and Kim returned to the SK Wyverns.[2]
Awards and honors
Achievements
- 2008 Wins Title
- 2008 Strikeouts Title
- 2009 ERA Title
- 2009 Winning Percentage Leader
Notable international careers
Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Chinese Taipei | Final Olympic Qualification Tournament | 2-0, 1.64 ERA (2 G, 11.0 IP, 2 ER) | |
2008 | China | Olympic Games | 1-0, 1.26 ERA (3 G, 14.1 IP, 2 ER) | |
2009 | United States | World Baseball Classic | 0-1, 21.60 ERA (4 G, 3.1 IP, 8 ER) | |
2014 | South Korea | 2014 Asian Games | 0-0, 3.52 ERA (2 G, 7.2 IP, 3 ER) | |
2015 | Japan | WBSC Premier12 |
Pitching style
With an overhand delivery kim pitches a fastball usually sits around 90 mph (tops out at 96 mph), and his changeup, slider and curveball are all major league average pitches. Like other young pitchers, Kim still has problem in his control and command.
References
- ^ "Report: Padres post $2 million bid for Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun". Sports Illustrated. November 11, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ^ "Kim Kwang-hyun fails to reach deal with San Diego Padres". Korean Herald. December 12, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from the KBO official website
- 1988 births
- Living people
- South Korean baseball players
- SK Wyverns players
- KBO League pitchers
- KBO League Most Valuable Player Award winners
- Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for South Korea
- Olympic baseball players of South Korea
- Olympic medalists in baseball
- Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Baseball players at the 2014 Asian Games
- Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea
- Asian Games medalists in baseball
- Asian Games competitors for South Korea
- 2009 World Baseball Classic players
- 2015 WBSC Premier 12 players