Kim Kwang-hyun shows crisis management ability against Mets

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun took over the mound from his teammate starter Adam Wainwright in the top of the fifth inning when his team was leading 6-5 in a Major League exhibition game against the New York Mets, which took place at Jupiter Roger Dean Stadium in Florida, the U.S. on Thursday local time.

The South Korean pitcher had two strikeouts in the next two innings and gave only three hits, before finishing the game without permitting any run. Kim threw 25 pitches, 18 of which were strikes. The top speed of his pitches was 150 kilometers per hour. Kim allowed runners on the first and third bases with one out in the top of the sixth inning in the game, but demonstrated his ability to manage crises by handling two subsequent batters with a fly ball caught by the centerfielder, and a grounder toward the pitcher.

Kim gave no run in five innings during three exhibition games he played, increasing his chance to join his team’s starting pitcher roster. It is also promising that he is earning good recognition from his teammates. MLB.com, the official website of the Major League Baseball, singled out players who are drawing attention during this spring training camp by team, and Kim Kwang-hyun is one of the players from Cardinals. Cardinals relief pitcher John Brebbia said that he was already thrilled to see Kim throwing just a few pitches even though he doesn't know much about Kim, adding that with power and good ball control, Kim will bring explosion like a dynamite to the team.

Coincidentally, Brebbia, who was the fourth pitcher to take the mound for the team on the day, gave two runs, and Cardinals and Mets eventually tied the game 7-7. Cardinals played a split-squad exhibition game by dividing the team into two groups and let them play games separately.


Kyu-In Hwang kini@donga.com