(Premier12) S. Korean ace admits to being distracted by MLB talks

By Yoo Jee-ho

TOKYO, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun arrived in Tokyo for an Olympic baseball qualifying tournament last weekend amid buzz about his potential move to Major League Baseball (MLB).

And the 31-year-old admitted he was distracted by those talks.

Ahead of South Korea's Super Round game against Mexico on Friday at Tokyo Dome during the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12, Kim said he was "exhausted," both mentally and physically.

"I don't really have much to say," Kim told reporters at Tokyo Dome. "When (a possible move to MLB) became an issue, I felt like I ended up being a troublemaker. I was rushing things on the mound."

Kim, a longtime ace for the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), was referring to his shaky start against Chinese Taipei in the Super Round on Tuesday. Kim was roughed up for eight hits and three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings, as South Korea was shut out 7-0.

That outing came three days after the publication of an interview Kim did with an online baseball columnist. In the story, Kim declared his desire to pitch in the majors and sent the ball into the Wyverns' court to make a decision one way or the other.

Kim is not yet a free agent and the Wyverns must agree to make Kim available for interested MLB clubs by posting him.

In the same interview, Kim took some jabs at the front office for reneging on an earlier pledge to let him explore the major league market.

The Wyverns have said they'll make their decision on whether to post Kim after the Premier12, which wraps up Sunday.

Kim is hoping to take his second crack at MLB. Kim was posted in 2014 and the San Diego Padres, with a posting fee of US$2 million, earned the exclusive negotiating rights with the pitcher for 30 days. But the two sides failed to come to an agreement within that period, and Kim stayed put with the Wyverns.

And in 2019, Kim enjoyed one of his best seasons. He tied his career high with 17 wins and ranked third in the KBO with a 2.51 ERA, his lowest in nine years. Perhaps more importantly, Kim, who missed the entire 2017 season following Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow, tossed 190 1/3 innings, the second-highest total of his career.

Kim said all those innings might have taken their toll on him when he faced Chinese Taipei. He made one start in the KBO postseason for five innings in October and threw two shutout innings in a tuneup game against Puerto Rico on Nov. 1. Then on Nov. 7, Kim pitched six scoreless innings of one-hit ball against Canada in a Group C game at the Premier12.

Kim said he found it difficult to turn the switch back on after the KBO postseason ended in an early elimination for the Wyverns, the 2018 Korean Series champions.

"Just a month ago, I was pitching in tight situations, and I was getting caught up in the emotions of every game," Kim said. "Then to get back up and do it all over again, it's been hard on my body, if I may make that excuse."

But Kim said he has one more good game left in him this year. South Korea will have a date with its longtime rival Japan in the Premier12 final on Sunday at Tokyo Dome, and though another left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong is expected to get the starting nod, Kim and others will be available in the bullpen.

"I'll have to stay prepared for the final," Kim said. "Whether I start or not, I'll leave everything out there on the mound."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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