Orioles' Kim Hyun-soo gets 2 hits in MLB debut

The hits were so valuable that he literally will have to keep the ball in his safe throughout his life. Kim Hyun-soo (28) at the Baltimore Orioles did not miss his hard-earned opportunity. He took part in the fifth game since the season’s opening and secured multi hits. Kim is the first Korean baseball player who has hit in his first time at bat, and garnered multi hits in his debut game in the Major League.

Kim played as ninth batter and left fielder at a home game against Tampa Bay on Sunday, and secured two infield hits. They were not powerful hits but took lucky paths. Kim hit a half-missed grounder to in-between the pitcher and third baseman in the bottom of the second inning, before hitting another infield hit that passed between the first and the second bases in the bottom of the seventh inning. Brad Miller, the opponent team’s shortstop who ran shift operation (shifting of a defense position), caught the ball, but the hit was so deep that the shortstop was hardly able to throw the ball to the first base.

Kim also had a run thanks to a homer by his colleague Manuel Machado to secure his first Major League score in the second inning. Kim had two hits and one run from three times at bat on the day, before being replaced with a substitute runner in the seventh inning. Baltimore won the game 5-3, and continued its five-game winning streak since the season’s opening.

“It was a nerve-wracking day. I concentrated on hitting the pitches, since I took the batter’s box after quite a while,” Kim said after the game. “I will keep (the ball that I had my first hit) in my safe.” He went on to say, “I vowed to myself that I will try my best to ensure fans will no longer boo me, and they gave many rounds of applause, which helped ease my burden.”

Oh Seung-hwan of the St. Louis Cardinals garnered his first Major League win on the day. As the relief pitcher in the bottom of the seventh inning with his team trailing 5-6 in an away game against Atlanta, Oh finished the inning by posting two strikeouts, no hit and no lost point. St. Louis came from behind in the top of the eighth inning, which made Oh the winning pitcher. It is the first time in 2,018 days that a Korean pitcher has secured a win as a relief pitcher in the Major League, since Park Chan-ho (Pittsburgh at the time) did on Oct. 2, 2010.

강홍구기자 windup@donga.com