Byung-Hyun Kim, baseball player, 1999-2007

Byung-Hyun Kim

Born: 1/19/1979 in Gwangju, Gwangju, South Korea

MLB Debut: 1999-05-29 | Final Game: 2007-09-28

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 176 lbs

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Biography

Byung-Hyun Kim, born in 1979, was a notable South Korean pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2007. Kim was recognized for his unique pitching style and versatility, serving as both a starter and a reliever throughout his career. He amassed a record of 54-60 with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.42, striking out 806 batters and securing 86 saves. His most prominent season came in 2002 when he earned an All-Star selection, underscoring his effectiveness on the mound during a time when offensive output was surging across the league. Kim’s career began in the late 1990s, a period marked by the increasing globalization of baseball as players from countries like South Korea and Japan began to make their mark in the major leagues. He played for several teams, including the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Florida Marlins, and became well-known for his poise under pressure, particularly in high-stakes situations. His contributions to the game helped pave the way for future generations of Korean players in MLB, and he remains a significant figure in the history of international baseball. After his retirement on September 28, 2007, Kim left behind a legacy as one of the early stars from South Korea in the major leagues.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
54 60 394 87 0 0 86 841.0 781 413 94 376 806 4.42 0

Career ERA 4.42 vs. league average 4.48 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1999 AZ NL 1 2 25 0 0 0 1 27.3 20 14 20 31 4.61 4.71 (+2%) -
2000 AZ NL 6 6 61 1 0 0 14 70.7 52 35 46 111 4.46 4.77 (+7%) -
2001 AZ NL 5 6 78 0 0 0 19 98.0 58 32 44 113 2.94 4.42 (+33%) -
2002 AZ NL 8 3 72 0 0 0 36 84.0 64 19 26 92 2.04 4.28 (+52%) -
2003 AZ NL 1 5 7 7 0 0 0 43.0 34 17 15 33 3.56 4.40 (+19%) -
2003 BOS AL 8 5 49 5 0 0 16 79.3 70 28 18 69 3.18 4.40 (+28%) 2300.5
2004 BOS AL 2 1 7 3 0 0 0 17.3 17 12 7 6 6.23 4.46 (-40%) -87.0
2005 COL NL 5 12 40 22 0 0 0 148.0 156 80 71 115 4.86 4.29 (-13%) -1491.7
2006 COL NL 8 12 27 27 0 0 0 155.0 179 96 61 129 5.57 4.53 (-23%) 797.5
2007 COL NL 1 2 3 1 0 0 0 6.0 6 7 4 2 10.50 — 0.0
2007 MIA NL 5 3 14 13 0 0 0 75.7 65 35 53 68 4.16 4.47 (+7%) -
2007 AZ NL 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 2.7 11 7 2 3 23.62 — -
2007 MIA NL 4 2 9 6 0 0 0 34.0 49 31 9 34 8.21 4.47 (-83%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
394 153 4 19 3 0 0 10 0 6 39 0.124 0.156 0.144 0.300 -470.2

Career AVG .124 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 53.4% below league average.

Career OBP .156 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 53.5% below league average.

Career SLG .144 vs. league average .426 across their career seasons — 66.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.300 vs. league average 0.762 across their career seasons — 60.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1999 AZ NL 25 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2000 AZ NL 61 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2001 AZ NL 78 6 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0.167 — — — — 0.0
2002 AZ NL 72 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
2003 AZ NL 7 13 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.154 — — — — 0.0
2003 BOS AL 49 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.286 — — — — 0.0
2004 BOS AL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2005 COL NL 40 38 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 2 6 0.079 — — — — 0.0
2006 COL NL 27 50 4 8 1 0 0 4 0 1 15 0.160 .269 (-41%) .336 (-48%) .431 (-58%) .768 (-54%) -470.2
2007 COL NL 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2007 MIA NL 14 17 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 6 0.059 — — — — 0.0
2007 AZ NL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2007 MIA NL 9 13 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.077 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2003 ALDS2 BOS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2002 NLDS2 ARI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2001 NLCS ARI 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
2001 NLDS2 ARI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2001 WS ARI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 8 0 3 11.3 9 8 8 11 6.35

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2003 ALDS2 BOS 0 0 1 0 0 0.7 0 1 1 1 13.50
2002 NLDS2 ARI 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 2 2 3 0 18.00
2001 NLCS ARI 0 0 3 0 2 5.0 0 0 1 3 0.00
2001 NLDS2 ARI 0 0 1 0 1 1.3 1 0 2 1 0.00
2001 WS ARI 0 1 2 0 0 3.3 6 5 1 6 13.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 394 87 49 124 12 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1999 ARI P 25 0 2 7 0 0
2000 ARI P 61 1 2 7 1 0
2001 ARI P 78 0 4 19 1 0
2002 ARI P 72 0 3 12 1 2
2003 ARI P 7 7 3 14 1 0
2003 BOS P 49 5 11 11 1 0
2004 BOS P 7 3 3 3 1 0
2005 COL P 40 22 9 22 2 2
2006 COL P 27 27 7 19 1 2
2007 COL P 3 1 1 0 0 0
2007 FLO P 14 13 3 8 2 0
2007 ARI P 2 2 0 0 1 0
2007 FLO P 9 6 1 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 394

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2002 Player of the Week Week of 2002-07-13

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2007 COL NL $2,500,000
2006 COL NL $1,250,000
2005 COL NL $6,575,000
2004 BOS AL $3,425,000
2003 ARI NL $3,250,000
2002 ARI NL $762,500
2001 ARI NL $762,500
2000 ARI NL $762,500
1999 ARI NL $762,500
Total Career Earnings $20,050,000