Byung-Hyun Kim...graduated from Kwang-ju First High School in 1997 and attended Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea...was named both Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Pitcher for the Korean National High School Championships...was selected as a delegate to the Korean Junior National Team in 1996, then was named to the National Team in both 1997 and 1998...in '97, he beat Cuba in the Four Nations Invitational Games in Osaka, Japan...in '98, he got his first taste of competition on U.S. soil performing against the U.S. Olympic team in Tucson in the summer of 1998, fanning 15 in 6.2 innings...he then accompanied the national team to Italy for the World Championships, where they beat the U.S. in the finals with Kim earning the save with 3.0 innings of hitless relief to preserve a 3-1 win...that same year, he was a member of the gold medal-winning club in the Asian Games, which also included teams from Chinese Taipei and Japan...fanned 12 against China, including 8 in a row at one point...his work in the Asian Games earned him the opportunity to sign a baseball contract, receiving a deferment from any military commitment to the Korean government.
2007
Went 10-8 with 6.08 ERA in 28 games (22 starts) among Marlins, Rockies and Diamondbacks ... was 9-5 with 5.42 ERA in 23 games (19
starts) during two stints with Marlins ... Acquired by Florida on May 13 from Rockies in exchange for pitcher Jorge Julio, and was reinstated from DL and returned from
rehab May 17 ... pitched in 14 games (13 starts) during first stint with Marlins, going 5-3 with 4.16 ERA ... earned win in first game with
Florida, holding Tampa Bay to two earned runs in 5.1 innings on May 18 in Tampa ... Was claimed off waivers by Diamondbacks on August 3, and pitched in two games with Arizona before he was released ... was
signed to free agent contract by Marlins August 25, and went 4-2 with 8.21 ERA in nine games (six starts) during second stint with
club ... earned wins in three straight decisions from August 28 to September 7 ... beat Phillies in back-to-back starts, September 1 at
Dolphin Stadium and September 7 in Philadelphia ... Recorded career-high 10 strikeouts twice, August 1 vs. Colorado and September 12 vs. Washington ... for season, was 8-7 with 5.93
ERA in 22 starts, compared to 2-1 with 8.00 ERA in six relief outings ... Began season with Rockies and went 1-2 with 10.50 ERA in three games (one start) ... placed on 15-day DL with bruised right thumb on April 16 ... was 1-1 with 2.96 ERA in five starts during rehab with Colorado Springs (AAA).
2006
After the beginning of his season was delayed by a right hamstring injury, Kim joined the rotation in late April and was the Rockies' 5th starter for the remainder of the year...it was the first time in his career to be used exclusively as a starter...went 8-12 with a 5.57 ERA (155.0 ip, 96 er) in 27 games/starts for Colorado...established career highs in starts, innings, and strikeouts (129)...the 12 losses matched most in his career...ranked among team leaders in strikeouts (2nd) and innings (5th)...began the season on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, injury suffered while running bases during Spring Training appearance on March 28 vs. San Francisco in Tucson...was trying to score from first base on a Cory Sullivan double, but pulled up with the injury while rounding third base...was placed on the disabled list April 2, retro to March 29...was out of Rockies camp from Feb. 23-March 19 to pitch for Korea in the World Baseball Classic...made four appearances in the WBC...gave up two-run homer to Japan's Kosuke Fukudome in semifinals March 18 at San Diego's PETCO Park...team was 12-15 in his 27 starts...had 12 quality starts...Rox scored one or zero runs in six of his 12 defeats, including a pair of shutouts...threw 6.0 or more innings in 16 of 27 starts, including 7.0+ frames on eight occasions...tossed career-high 8.0 innings in win on Aug. 2 vs. Milwaukee...in 2 seasons with Colorado, has a 4.54 ERA (168.2 ip, 85 er) in 35 games/27 starts in Denver and a 6.10 mark (134.1 ip, 91 er) in 32 games/22 starts on the road...had two of the club's four wins against the Dodgers in '06...had career-high nine strikeouts on four occasions, matching most by a Rockie all season...went 3-4, 5.40 (51.2 ip, 31 er) over his first 9 starts through June 14...in five games from June 19-July 17, went 2-2, 3.68 (29.1 ip, 12 er) to drop to 4.78...beginning July 23, went 3-6, 6.45 (74.0 ip, 53 er) over final 13 starts to finish at 5.57...earned win in season debut April 30 at Florida, allowing one run in 6.2 innings...had nine strikeouts in each of his first two starts, a span of six team games for Colorado...prior to that six-game span, just one Rockies pitcher had posted a nine-strikeout performance in the club's last 192 contests: Jamey Wright, May 3, 2005 at San Diego (9 K's)...bested Derek Lowe May 16 vs. Los Angeles, allowing one run in 7.0 innings to win...only run allowed came in first inning, after he walked the first three batters of the game and allowed an RBI single to J.D. Drew...retired 13 of final 15 batters faced in that win...lost May 22 at Los Angeles...posted quality start in that game, but was outdueled by opposing starter Jae Seo in what was the first matchup of Korean-born starters in major league history...earned win May 28 at San Francisco, allowing three runs in 5.1 innings...gave up Barry Bonds' 715th career home run in that game, as Bonds passed Babe Ruth...Kim hit a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning of the win, extending Rockies' eventual six-run inning...finished June with a pair of scoreless outings, tossing 6.0 shutout frames June 19 vs. Oakland and 7.0 shutout innings June 25 vs. Texas...the latter of those starts was the longest scoreless outing of his career...the only other major leaguer to hold opponents scoreless in two straight starts in Denver was David Nied, who did it in September of 1993 at Mile High Stadium...Kim is the only pitcher to accomplish the feat at Coors Field...allowed just one unearned run on July 28 vs. San Diego, a 3-1 Rockies win in 2nd game of a four-game set...struck out five consecutive batters faced in fifth and sixth innings that night, matching a franchise record most recently accomplished by Brian Fuentes on Sept. 21, 2002 vs. Arizona...also won next start Aug. 2 vs. Milwaukee, allowing one run in career-high 8.0 innings...would lose six of his last seven decisions overall...final win came Sept. 3 at Los Angeles, allowing two runs in 6.2 innings as Rockies' bats erupted in a 12-5 victory...lost Sept. 15 at Arizona despite quality start as opposing starter Brandon Webb tossed complete game in a 5-1 defeat.
2005
Acquired in a trade with Boston just before the start of the season, Kim proved to be a versatile pitcher as he began the year in the bullpen before finishing in the Colorado rotation...he became the first Korean native to play for the Rockies...overall, he went 5-12 with a 4.86 ERA (148.0 ip, 80 er) in 40 games/22 starts...he was 5-9 with a 4.37 ERA (125.2 ip, 61 er) in 22 starts and 0-3, 7.66 (22.1 ip, 19 er) in 18 relief appearances...had a 4.50 ERA (84.0 ip, 42 er) in 21 games/13 starts at Coors Field, the 4th-lowest home ERA in club history (minimum 81.0 innings)...allowed more home runs on the road (9) than at home (8), despite throwing 20.0 more innings at Coors Field...the 22 starts were a career high, as he had just 16 career starts entering the '05 campaign...also reached career highs in strikeouts, innings and losses...ranked 2nd on Colorado staff with 115 strikeouts...threw team-high 11 wild pitches, 3rd-most in the league...ranked 4th in the NL with 14 hit batsmen, 2nd-most among Rockies...opponents batted .275 (156-for-567), but just .257 (44-for-171) with runners in scoring position...allowed 9 of 10 inherited runners to score and was 0-for-2 in save opportunities...recorded one hold in relief...allowed runs in 8 of 18 relief outings and never tossed more than 2.0 innings out of the bullpen...permitted just 2 home runs as a reliever...tossed 6.0 or more innings in 12 of 22 starts with 10 quality starts...tossed season-high 7.0 innings on 4 occasions and posted career-high 8 K's twice...averaged just 3.94 runs of support per 9 innings in his starts, 2nd-lowest among Rockies pitchers with at least 10 starts behind only Shawn Chacon (3.39)...first 11 appearances were all in relief through early May, with opponents batting just .178 (8-for-45) in those games...was slated to start second game of a doubleheader on April 28 vs. Florida before it was postponed due to snow...made first start on May 11 vs. Atlanta, taking no decision in Rockies' 6-5 win despite allowing just one run in 5.0 innings...it was his first start since May 10, 2004 while with Boston...next start came on May 28 at Chicago (NL), filling in for yet another pitcher with an ankle ailment...Shawn Chacon missed the start with a sprained right ankle...Kim allowed 5 runs in 5.0 innings in a 5-1 Rockies defeat against the Cubs...beginning June 7, with the exception of one relief outing prior to the All-Star break, Kim entered the Rockies rotation for the remainder of the year...took loss in a 2-1 game on June 7 vs. Chicago-AL and opposing starter Jose Contreras...allowed just 3 hits and 2 runs in 6.0 innings with 7 K's...Kim lost his first 4 decisions as a starter, as the Rockies scored a total of 5 runs in those contests...won start on June 12 vs. Detroit, snapping a career-long stretch of 5 consecutive losing decisions...posted career-high 8 strikeouts for the first time...on June 24 vs. Kansas City, recorded 500th career strikeout in that start, fanning Emil Brown in the 5th inning to become just the 2nd Korean-born pitcher to reach the 500-strikeout plateau (also Chan Ho Park)...beginning with that start, Kim would go 4-6 with a 4.04 ERA (100.1 ip, 45 er) over his final 17 starts of the season...took no decision on July 4 vs. Los Angeles despite 6.0 shutout innings, one of 2 scoreless starts all season (also Aug. 24 at Los Angeles), as he did not record win in either game...pitched at least 6.0 innings in 6 straight starts from July 4-Aug. 8...earned 3rd win in second game of an Aug. 8 doubleheader vs. Florida, his first since June 24 vs. Kansas City...teammate Sunny Kim started first game of that twinbill...went 0-2, 5.66 (20.2 ip, 13 er) in his final 4 starts as Rockies scored just 3 runs in his 2 losses...missed start on Sept. 20 due to soreness in his right hip...received his 2004 World Series ring early in the year, as he was a member of the Red Sox for part of the '04 campaign.
2004
Split an injury-plagued season between Boston and Triple-A Pawtucket,
making only 7 appearances (3 starts) for the Red Sox...finished 2-1 with a 6.23 ERA for
Boston and 2-6 with a 5.34 ERA in 22 games (19 starts) for the PawSox...began the year
on the 15-day D.L. with a right shoulder strain...was activated April 29 after missing 19
games and made 3 starts, going 1-1 with a 6.17 ERA (8 ER/11.2 IP)...was optioned to
Pawtucket May 11 and was recalled September 21 and appeared in 4 games the rest of
the way.
WITH THE RED SOX: After making a rehab start with Single-A Sarasota and a pair with
Pawtucket, Kim won his 2004 debut April 29 vs. Tampa Bay, working 5.0 innings of onehit
shutout ball...walked one and fanned 2...his next 2 starts came against the
Indians...May 5 at Jacobs Field, did not figure in the decision, allowing 5 runs (4 earned)
on 6 hits in 3.1 innings...walked one and struck out 2...5 days later at Fenway, took the
loss, tagged for 6 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks in 3.1 innings...did not record a
strikeout...made 4 relief appearances in September/October, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits
and a walk in 1.0 inning September 23 vs. Baltimore and 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk
September 29 at Tampa Bay before throwing shutout ball his last 2 times out...in game 2
of an October 2 doubleheader at Baltimore, fanned one in 2.1 perfect innings to earn the
win in relief, his first major league win since his April 29 debut...the following day, on the
final day of the regular season, pitched a 1-2-3 inning against the Orioles...was not on
the Red Sox' post-season roster.
AT PAWTUCKET: Optioned on May 11, Kim made 2 starts for the PawSox before missing
his May 22 start vs. Charlotte with a sore back...traveled to his native South Korea for 18
days where he received treatment for a muscle imbalance that was causing the back
woes...placed on the PawSox D.L. June 9, he was activated June 24 and spent the next 2
months in Pawtucket's rotation, initially working approximately 2.0 innings every 3rd day
before stretching out to 4.0 or 5.0 innings after the All-Star break...earned his first
victory with the PawSox in his 15th start August 7 at Ottawa, allowing a run on 5 hits in
5.0 innings...next won in his final 2004 start, August 27 at Scranton, working 5.0 innings
of one-hit shutout ball...walked one and punched out 6...made 3 relief appearances during
the final week of the season, closing out the Triple-A campaign with 2 scoreless outings
of one inning each...was 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA (3 ER/2.1 IP) out of the pen for the
PawSox and 2-5 with a 5.09 ERA (33 ER/58.1 IP) in 19 starts.
2003
Acquired from Arizona in a May 29 deal for Shea Hillenbrand, Kim went 9-10
with 16 saves and a 3.31 ERA in 56 games (12 starts) for the Red Sox and
Diamondbacks...he posted career highs with 9 wins and 122.1 innings pitched...as a Red
Sox, went 8-5 with 16 saves and a 3.18 ERA in 49 appearances, all but 5 in relief...his 16
saves in 19 chances tied for 10th in the A.L. despite the fact he served as the Sox' closer
for only the season's final 3 months...combined to make 12 starts between Arizona and
Boston after entering 2003 with just one major league start...made his final start in
Boston's 25-8 win vs. Florida June 27 before making his final 41 appearances in relief.
FOR STARTERS: Began the season in Arizona, where he went 1-5 with a 3.56 ERA in 7
starts...was a victim of poor run support, as the Diamondbacks managed a total of 18
runs in his 7 starts, an average of 2.57 runs per start...his losses included a 2-1 setback
at Colorado in his April 4 season debut and a 1-0 defeat April 24 at Montreal...missed
nearly a month with a bruised right ankle, on the 15-day D.L. from April 30-May 26...returned
to allow just one run in 7.0 innings in a no-decision May 27 at San Francisco...was
dealt to Boston 2 days later.
CASE CLOSED: Solidified the Red Sox bullpen by becoming the club's closer July 1, going
6-4 with 16 saves and a 2.28 ERA (12 ER/47.1 IP) in 42 relief appearances...walked 10
and fanned 50 from the pen...did not allow an earned run in 34 of the 42 outings, including
no earned runs in his first 11 appearances as the closer...allowed just 2 homers over his
final 47.1 innings beginning July 1, just one in a save situation, which he converted
nonetheless...only one of his 3 blown saves resulted in a Red Sox loss (8-7, August 20
vs. Oakland).
FINISHING KICK: Did not allow an earned run over his final 13 appearances of the
season...went 3-1 with 5 saves and a 0.00 ERA in 12 September outings (13.0 IP)...his
only setback came September 10 at Baltimore, when he was touched for 4 unearned runs
in Boston's 13-10 loss...pitched in 3 straight games September 21-23, going 1-0 with
2 saves...displayed excellent control down the stretch, striking out 18 batters and
walking just one over his last 16 outings (17.0 innings) beginning August 23.
2002
Unlike the 2001 season, when he became the closer after an injury to reliever Matt Mantei, B.K. was Bob Brenly's
go-to guy in the pen from the outset when a game was on the line in 2002...proving that there were no lingering effects
from the unfortunate circumstances in the 2001 World Series, he set a single season team record for saves with 36 in 42
chances, shattering the record of 30 set by Gregg Olson in 1998...Kim finished the year with an 8-3 record and
career-best 2.04 ERA in a team-high 72 appearances...his work earned him a spot on his first National League All-Star
team in just his third full year in the majors, first full season as a closer...he made good on his first 10 save
situations, inheriting 9 runners and not allowing any to score...he did not allow a run in his first 7 appearances of
the year, spanning 6.2 innings, and was touched for only 1 run in his first 19.0 innings for a 0.47 ERA through May
8...he also recorded at least 1 strikeout in each of his first 20 appearances, totaling 42 K's in 26.0 innings for a
14.5 strikeout to 9-inning ratio...included in that stretch was a record-setting performance in Philadelphia on May 11,
becoming the 33rd big leaguer at the time to strikeout the side on 9 pitches, fanning Scott Rolen, Mike Lieberthal and
Pat Burrell...the strikeout was a much bigger part of his arsenal in the first half of the season, fanning 60 over 44.1
frames for a 12.2 ratio, but just 32 in his last 39.2 innings, a 7.3 mark... though his strikeout numbers tailed off in
the second half, he still finished with 92 in 84.0 innings for a 9.9 per 9-inning ratio...after allowing 5 earned runs
in a 10.1-inning stretch from May 11-26, B.K. went on another roll tossing 15.0 consecutive shutout innings over 12
outings from May 29-June 21, allowing only 6 hits while fanning 15 and making good on all 7 save situations in that
span...Kim's only hiccup of the 2002 regular season occurred right after that stretch, allowing 7 earned runs over a
pair of appearances in Houston on June 25-27...he entered the game on the 25th with the score tied and a man aboard in
the eighth inning, but was tagged for a pair of 2-run homers...just 36 hours later in Minute Maid Park, he was called
upon with Arizona clinging to a 4-3 lead in the ninth and after retiring the first man, 3 of the next 4 reached before
Gregg Zaun ended the affair with a pinch-hit grand slam, just BK's third blown save in 22 opportunities...the
Korean-born hurler treated the tough couple of games as a mere inconvenience as he then recorded saves in 7 consecutive
situations, spanning his next 8 appearances...included in that stretch were saves in his first 4 appearances after the
All-Star break as Arizona embarked on an 11-game journey through each of the 4 cities in the N.L. West...the first 3
rescues came on consecutive days after the break in Los Angeles, July 11-13, working an inning in each contest allowing
only 1 hit, earning National League Player-of-the-Week honors for the abbreviated post All-Star break week...he followed
on July 16 by recording the final 2 outs in Arizona's 5-3 win in San Francisco...as the Diamondbacks began putting some
space between themselves and the rest of the division, Kim kept contributing, providing 4 wins and 8 saves (in 10
chances) from August 3-September 19...included was his team record-tying 30th save on August 20 at home against
Cincinnati, then his record-breaking rescue just 2 days later also against the Reds...one of his more exciting saves,
his 32nd of the year took place in Bank One Ballpark on August 23 against the Cubs, as he fanned Sammy Sosa with 2 men
aboard to protect a 3-2 win over Kerry Wood...Kim closed 2002 allowing only 3 earned runs in his last 25.2 innings for a
1.05 ERA spanning 22 outings, including no earned runs in his last 8 outings, totaling 8.2 frames...he appeared in the
last 3 games of the season, retiring all 8 Rockies he faced and earning a pair of saves...he was scored upon in only 11
of his 72 outings on the year, totaling 19 earned runs in 84.0 innings...eliminate the 7 runs over a 2-game span during
the visit to Houston in late-June and B.K. gave up just 12 earnies in 83.0 frames for a sparkling 1.30 ERA...with the D'Backs never holding a late lead in any of the 3 games against St. Louis, Kim's only work in the NLDS came in the series finale at Busch Stadium, entering in the eighth inning with Arizona trailing,
4-3 and allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks.
How obtained:
Signed as a free agent, February 19, 1999.
2001
B.K. opened the year in a set-up role but was thrown into closer
mode just 3 weeks into the season when Matt Mantei went down with an
elbow injury that eventually required "Tommy John" surgery...Kim
responded by setting a career-high with 19 saves in 23 opportunities
while going through stretches in the year where he was virtually
unhittable...he finished the campaign with 113 strikeouts in 98.0
innings for a ratio of 10.4 K's per 9 innings...he led all National
League relievers by limiting opposing hitters to a collective .173
average, keeping righthanded hitters to a .151 mark (27-for-179)and
lefties to a .199 average (31-for-156)b&he also shattered Arizona's
single-season appearance record, working 78 times to break Greg
Swindell's mark of 64...after allow- ing a run on 2 walks in 1.1
innings on May 2 in Montreal, B.K. took the hill the next night and
posted a 2-1 win in relief with a shutout inning, starting a 9-game
stretch in which he worked 13.0 shutout innings allowing only 3 hits
while fanning 18...his most impressive performance was on May 18 in
Wrigley Field when he struck out 7 in a 3-inning stint...Kim
recorded a 1.89 ERA in May, which was good but wound up his third
best monthly ERA of the year...he opened July with 3.0 shutout
innings at home against the Rockies, jumpstarting another extend- ed
stretch in which his numbers were better than those in May...B.K.
worked 13.2 consecutive shutout innings from July 1-27, featuring a
streak of 36 batters faced without allowing a hit until Ben Davis
doubled on July 25... the hitless streak featured 30 at bats and 6
walks with 22 strikeouts...the 13.2-inning shutout streak was
brought to an end in his final appearance of the month on July 29,
giving up a 2-run opposite field home run to the Giants' Marvin
Benard to incur a 4-3 loss...overall in 11 July appearances, Kim had
a 1.23 ERA allowing 2 earned runs and fanning 24 in 14.2 innings
while holding the opposition to a .087 average (4-for-46)...from
June 9-July 29, he retired the first man he faced in 21 consecutive
appearances, a streak that was broken up by a Geoff Blum single on
August 1...the month of August featured Kim's best monthly ERA of
the year, posting a 1.08 mark in 14 appearances allowing only 2
earned runs in 16.2 innings...his first trouble of the year
coincided with the calen- der switch to September beginning on the
first night of the month as B.K. entered a bases loaded situation
and gave up a grand slam to Ray Lankford that staked San Diego to a
7-5 decision...those were the only inherited runners that he allowed
to score after May 22, totaling 18 runners...it was also the first
of 3 games in September where the long ball wound up saddling Kim
with a loss...he allowed a leadoff homer to Ryan Klesko in the 13th
inning on September 2 at Qualcomm for a 1-0 Padre win, then in
Colorado on September 18, Todd Helton and Jeff Cirillo went back-to-
back to turn a 9-8 Arizona lead into a 10-9 defeat...of the 8 earned
runs he was charged with in September, 6 were the direct result of 5
homers...despite the long ball troubles, B.K. proved he was ready to
pitch in a pennant race, facing the Dodgers 4 times in a 9-day
stretch in late-September and allowing only 2 hits in 7.0 shutout
innings...Kim recorded 108 strikeouts in his first 62 appearances of
the year, spanning 80.1 innings, but fanned only 5 batters in his
last 16.2 frames...he also delivered his first major league hit
during the 2001 regular season, an eighth inning, 2-run single off
of the Cubs' Jeff Fassero on August 17 in B.O.B., upping Arizona's
lead to 7-2.
2001 Postseason Highlights: It's true that B.K. had a tough
World Series, twice coming within an out of recording saves on
consecutive nights in Yankee Stadium only to fall victim to a pair
of 2-run homers that eventually led to D'Backs losses...but, had it
not been for Kim's work in the Division Series against St. Louis or
the NLCS against the Braves, the Diamondbacks might not have been
able to enjoy a trip to the Fall Classic and eventual crowning as
World Champs...his first career taste of post-season play occurred
in game #3 of the Division Series in Busch Stadium against the
Cardinals, as he entered a 5-3 game with the go-ahead run at the
plate in the eighth inning... after a walk to N.L. Rookie-of-the-
Year Albert Pujols that loaded the bases, Kim escaped any damage
with a fly ball to center...he then recorded the rescue by coaxing
pinch-hitter Mark McGwire to hit into a game-ending double play and
stake the Diamondbacks to a 2-1 advantage in the series...Kim's next
work was in the NLCS vs. Atlanta, working a scoreless inning in
Arizona's game #2 loss at home to the Braves, followed by saves in
games 4 & 5, capped by the rescue in the National League title
clincher...he entered game #4 with the bases loaded and none out in
the eighth inning and the D'Backs holding a 7-3 lead...B.K. got a
double play ball and lineout to escape any major damage, then worked
a 1-2-3 ninth inning to post the save...he followed the next night
in what turned out to be the final game of the NLCS in relief of
Randy Johnson and Arizona holding a 3-2 lead, retiring 6 of the 7
men he faced, including Julio Franco on a fly ball to center to
propel the D'Backs into the World Series...it would be 10 days
before his next action, as Kim worked game #4 of the Fall Classic on
Halloween night in Yankee Stadium...entering in the eighth inning
with Arizona in possession of a 3-1 lead, he struck out the side
then coaxed a groundout by Derek Jeter to open the ninth before
allowing a single to Paul O'Neill...Kim fanned Bernie Williams for
the second out in the ninth, but Tino Martinez connected for a game-
tying home run that sent the contest into extra innings...Jeter
untied the game in the 10th with a 2-out fly ball that cleared the
314-foot barrier in right field to complete the Yankee comeback just
after the clock struck midnight for the first-ever game to be played
in the month of November...figuring that lightning couldn't strike
twice in 24 hours, manager Bob Brenly summoned Kim from the pen in
the ninth inning of game #5 with the D'Backs holding a 2-0 lead,
largely due to Miguel Batista's 7.2 innings of shutout ball...B.K.
gave up a leadoff opposite field double to Jorge Posada, then
retired the next 2 hitters before Scott Brosius became the villain
with a game-tying shot to left...the Yankees dodged a bases loaded
situation in the 11th then won the contest in the 12th to send the
series back to Arizona...all told, Kim allowed only 1 hit over 6.1
innings of shutout ball leading up to the World Series, but was
responsible for 5 earned runs in 3.1 frames over his 2 outings in
Yankee Stadium...by facing the Yankees, B.K. became the first native
of Korea to ever appear in World Series competition.
2000
The 2000 campaign was a tale of 2 seasons for the
Korean-born hurler in his first full major league year of
service...produced "All-Star" caliber numbers over better than 3
months to open the year going 2-3 with 14 saves in 16
opportunities and a 1.82 ERA spanning 33
appearances...wasn't nearly as successful in his final 28
outings (1 start), going 4-3 with no saves in 4 opportunities with
a 7.84 ERA, allowing 27 earned runs in 31.0 innings.
Finished the year with 111 strikeouts in 70.2 innings, a 14.1
strikeout per 9-inning ratio.
Tied a franchise record for most strikeouts in a game by a relief
pitcher, fanning 5 in San Diego in 3.0 innings on April 11...tied it
again on June 11, getting 5 of the 6 hitters he faced in 2.0
frames against Anaheim.
Set a club record by fanning 8 consecutive batters over 4 games
from May 4-9, and 11 of 12 batters over a 5-game stretch...tied
his own club mark with another 8 K's in a row from June 21-26,
spanning 3 outings, recording saves in each of the last 2
games in that streak.
Earned his first victory of the season on May 10 vs. the Dodgers,
striking out the side in the ninth inning in relief of Randy
Johnson.
Recorded saves in 6 consecutive opportunities from April
19-May 31 before allowing a pair of runs and absorbing a 7-6
loss in Texas on June 4.
Was optioned to Tucson on July 30 after giving up 9 earned
runs in 7.1 innings in late-July...made 2 starts for Sidewinders
in attempt to both regain earlier form, pitching 8.1 innings and
giving up just one hit while fanning 13...was recalled by
Diamondbacks on August 10.
Allowed just 1 hit in his first 5 appearances (7.2 innings) after
returning from Tucson, striking out 10.
Made first major league start on September 26 in Colorado
allowing 4 earned runs in 2.1 innings of a no decision,
surrendering a pair of 2-run homers...threw 67 pitches in initial
starting effort after 84 big league relief appearances.
Iced a spot on the opening day roster in spring training by
fanning 27 batters in only 12.2 innings pitched, with his
strikeout total ranking third among National League spring
leaders (behind starting pitchers Jose Lima-30 and Kevin
Brown-28).
1999
Byung-Hyun signed with Arizona in spring training, opening the
year with El Paso...he made it look easy, going 2-0 with 32 K's
in 21.1 innings, then went to Tucson (AAA), posting a 2-0 mark
with 21 K's in 17.1 frames and was summoned to the
majors...20 years old at the time of his recall, he was the
youngest player in the majors, 6 months younger than Odalis
Perez (6/7/78), and 10 months younger than Adrian Beltre
(4/7/78)...B.K. made his big league debut in Shea Stadium on
May 29, retiring the Mets in order in the ninth, ending the game
with a strikeout of Mike Piazza to save the 8-7 Arizona win...Kim
earned his first major league win on October 2 over San Diego,
working 0.1 of an inning...he was disabled from August
2-September 7 with a neck strain.
