Byeong-hyeon`s `Strikeout Show of Force`

Boston Red Sox Kim Byeong-hyeon (24) silenced the intemperate Boston press with brilliant pitching in his recent two consecutive games.

The home game against the Toronto Blue Jays held at Fenway Park on the 28th. Kim continued his hot strikeout parade following his fantastic pitching in the previous game when he went on the mound on the 9th and fanned all 3 hitters back to the dugout.

Kim Byeong-hyeon was called to the mound by the manager in the 8th inning after 2 outs with one runner on base, while Boston was leading 5-3. He struck out Woodward who was swinging to put out the fire. He allowed a hit after one out in the 9th inning, but struck out Johnson and Catalanotto, both of them swinging. This was his 11th save of the season, pitching 1 1/3 innings, one hit allowed without a run and 3 strikeouts.

Kim`s brilliant pitching, with 6 strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings, seemed to be a “silent show of force” toward the Boston press.

The Boston press recently shelled the young pitcher by printing he is “unstable”, “should be substituted with set-up man Scott Williams”, and was “without a lethal weapon” when Kim recorded 2 blown saves, allowing 5 runs in 4 games.

It wasn`t only Kim who was on the chopping board. One radio broadcast raged at Boston ace Pedro Martinez by saying that he feigned illness when he skipped pitching as a starter once due to a neck ache. Martinez dropped a bombshell saying that he would leave Boston when the contract expires next year in a fit of anger, tuning over the city.

Kim proved himself to be the best closer on the team with his strikeout parade in the recent games in the midst of such muddle.

Boston won the game 6-3 and narrowed the difference in the number of games won with the New York Yankees to 4. The two teams will play ball, a rival series of 3 games, in Boston.

In the meantime, Atlanta Braves pitcher Bong Jung-geun (23) will return to the Big League on the 29th with John Smoltz listing in the DL with an elbow injury.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com