Byung Hyun Kim`s Day of Victory

Persistence finally pays off in the major leagues.

Few have succeeded in the major leagues with sideway delivery pitches. This is a dominant thought in the leagues. Underhand throwing pitchers do not throw fastballs, and show a weakness against left-handed batters.

"I wanted to show an underhand could make it," Byung Hyun Kim said, having transformed himself from closer to starter. He did make it in an away against St. Louis Cardinals yesterday. Kim won his first career game as a starter, and lasted seven innings, allowing five hits with one strikeout and three walks.

The victory meant a lot. First, the Arizona Diamondbacks, last year`s National League West champions, hit rock bottom this season after its mound collapsed. Its two main starters, Randy Johnson and Curt Shilling, were put on the disabled list for a knee injury and appendectomy, respectively. Thus, the Diamondbacks had to take on the Cardinals with two of their main pillars gone.

Kim himself was not in top form. His right ankle was hit by a broken bat in the April 15 game against the Colorado Rockies, and he was not sure he could pitch yesterday. Kim later confessed, "I thought it was a little hard for me. But I wanted to help our team. We were facing a tough time. That`s why I took the mound." He also said that he had gone to an acupuncturist to relieve pain.

Kim survived a three-run fourth inning and lasted a career-best seven innings. At bat, he hit a RBI-earning double- his first in five years. His batting average, prior to the game, was two hits for 17, or 0.118.

With help from Kim on the mound, the Diamondbacks responded positively. Luis Gonzalez hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth for Arizona. And Matt Mantei, who took the mound after Kim in the 8th inning, got six straight outs for his first save.

Lack of support on the part of Arizona batters brought three losers to Kim previously. But, he was all smiles yesterday, saying, "It was tough." His teammate Mark Grace patted him on the back and said that he was up for the Cy Young Award. ESPN also headlined the title "Nice Boost."

In the meanwhile, Hee S. Choi of the Chicago Cubs hit an RBI-earning hit against the Pittsburgh Pirates, recording his 5th five-game consecutive hit and pulling up his batting average to 0.300.

In other action, Jung Keun Bong of the Atlanta Braves shut out two innings as a relief.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com