Efficient Kim Kwang-hyun puts on pitching clinic for Cardinals in 1st MLB victory

Kwang-Hyun Kim of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Busch Stadium in St Louis, Saturday. / AFP-Yonhap

It was the kind of pitching performance that South Korean baseball fans are already familiar with, and one that fans of his new Major League Baseball (MLB) team are hoping to see more often down the road.

Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals fired six shutout innings against the Cincinnati Reds to earn his first big league victory in St. Louis on Saturday (local time). He gave up just three hits and struck out three, while not giving out any free passes.

The Cardinals led 3-0 when the bullpen took over from Kim to start the seventh, and they held on to win by the same score.

Kim was an MVP-winning starter for 13 years in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) before signing a two-year, $8 million contract with the Cardinals last December. The 32-year-old left-hander left home on a high note, going 17-6 with a 2.51 ERA in 2019, ranking in the top three in both wins and ERA.

And in just his second MLB start on Saturday, Kim found the kind of groove that had made him such a high-end starter in his native country.

Kim faced 21 batters and threw a first-pitch strike on 12 of them. Consistently staying ahead on batters also helped Kim work more efficiently than the last outing against the Chicago Cubs on Monday.

Kim was pulled after throwing 57 pitches in 3 2/3 innings then. He also issued three walks. Before facing the Reds, Kim said he would try to be more efficient and pitch as deep into the game as possible.

He lived up to his words. He went to a three-ball count just three times all game, and there was hardly any moment when Kim appeared to be laboring. All told, Kim got through his six innings on 83 pitches, 55 of them for strikes.

Kim also received help from his defense on some hard-hit balls. In the fifth, with a runner at second base, third baseman Matt Carpenter snared a hard line drive off the bat of Curt Casali. Then in the sixth, right fielder Dylan Carlson got the final out with a diving grab on a sinking liner from No. 3 hitter Matt Davidson. The play stranded Kyle Farmer at first base, and if Carlson had missed the ball, a run would have scored with the meat of the order coming up.

Kim, who had mostly been a fastball-slider pitcher in the KBO, expanded his repertoire for the second straight start. He threw 38 fastballs, 26 sliders, 11 curveballs and eight changeups. All three of his strikeouts came on sliders.

His pitch count was up to 74 through five innings. Reliever John Gant was warming up in the bullpen, making his appearance to start the sixth inning a likely scenario. Instead, Kim gave the Cardinals another inning and pitched around an infield single by Kyle Farmer to get through the sixth on just nine pitches.

The top four hitters in the Reds' starting lineup, including former MVP Joey Votto at the leadoff spot, didn't manage a hit against Kim. (Yonhap)