Unfortunate BK: Three Losers in a Row

A pitcher cannot snatch up a victory by himself. Batters` support determines his "destiny" most of the times.

Byunghyun Kim of Arizona Diamondbacks lost one more game despite his excellent pitching in a home game against Colorado Rockies yesterday. Diamondbacks hitters remained "silent" at bat.

It was his third start this season, and first pitching in a home game. Kim struck out six and gave up only five hits sporadically, and allowed one walk and one run in six innings. Due to the lack of support by batters, he had to swallow up one more loser.

Kim boasted of his perfect ball command, and handled Rockies at his will. It was his best this season. He struck out, for example, Rockies` sluggers three times.

But, he allowed a one-out solo to Colorado`s Wilson. Catching up with one point seemed a tough task for Diamondbacks batters in the doldrums. All they did was swinging at the ball to no avail.

Nevertheless, Kim would not let himself down. He threw best balls. In the fifth, he sealed off a one-out crisis with runners on the second and third base, which was most impressive. Nonetheless, Diamondbacks players failed to cash in on its ensuing chance in the 6th. Larry Walker caught off a homer right off the right fence. If it had gone over the fence, it would have led to Kim`s 2-1 win.

Despite the number of losers, Kim has demonstrated a remarkable success in his transition to a starting pitcher. In all three games, he pitched at least five innings, and gave up only 3.71 runs on average.

In the meanwhile, New York Yankees Hiddeki Matsui hit a three-run homer, and led his team to a 10-9 victory. Now, he holds a batting average of 0.306 with two homers and 14 RBI.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com