Jeong-soo Kim (03)

Jeong-soo Kim (김정수)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 191 lb.

• School Yonsei University
• High School Gwangju Jinheung High School

• Born July 24, 1962 in Hwasun County South Korea

BR register page

Biographical Information

Jeong-soo Kim played in the Korea Baseball Organization for 18 years.

Kim was drafted by the Haitai Tigers in the first round of the 1986 KBO draft, and he was 9-6 with a 2.65 ERA in his first season. He grabbed 3 of Haitai's 4 wins in the 1986 Korean Series, and he became the first rookie to win the Korean Series MVP. Kim then went 6-7 with a 4.37 ERA in 1987, and he again came up big in the postseason. In Game 2 of the 1987 Korean Series, he beat Motoyasu Kaneshiro then topped Si-jin Kim in Game 4 as they completed the first Korean Series sweep. He was 3-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 1988. He beat the Binggrae Eagles' Sang-kun Lee in Game of the 1988 Korean Series but lost a rematch in Game 5; his team still completed the three-peat. He only pitched 9 games with a 2.67 ERA in 1989 due to injuries, but once again came up in a key role in a Korean Series, topping Sang-kun Lee in Game 4 of the 1989 Korean Series. The Tigers won their fourth straight. He was 6-5 with a 2.93 ERA in 1990. Kim had a 6-3 record with a 2.54 ERA in 1991 (his team won the 1991 Korean Series), then he went 14-8 with a 3.16 ERA in 1992. He was 10th in ERA (between Ho-yeon Jang and Jin-woo Song) and 6th in wins (tied with Jeong-soon Jang, Min-chul Chung and Sam-heum Jeong).

The Hwasun native had a 10-8 record with a 2.75 ERA in 1993, and took his sixth Series in the 1993 Korean Series. He slumped to 9-10 with a 3.38 ERA in 1994. Kim was 7-11 with a 3.89 ERA in 1995, and the Tigers named him their new closer in 1996. He notched 18 saves with a 2.01 ERA in 40 appearances, and he was 4th in saves (between Kyu-je Cho and Chung-sik Park). He saved Dae-jin Lee's opening win over the Hyundai Unicorns in the 1996 Korean Series but lost Game 2 to Woong-cheon Cho. The team won its seventh title of his career. Kim then pitched 41 games with a 4.02 ERA and 4 saves in 1997 (they won the 1997 Korean Series for his 8th pennant!), and he recorded a 3.43 ERA in 37 relief outings in 1998. He went 4-1 with a 4.58 ERA in 1999, and the Tigers traded him to the SK Wyverns for 5 million won.

Kim struggled in 2000, and he pitched 50 games with a 7.55 ERA and 3 holds. He was then released, and the Hanwha Eagles picked him up. Kim's ERA was 3.71 with 10 holds in 52 relief outings in 2001, and he was 3rd in holds (8 behind Myong-ju Cha). He then collected 12 holds with a 3.24 ERA in 47 games in 2002, and he ranked 3rd in holds (4 behind Cha). The Eagles traded him back to the SK Wyverns for cash, and he got 8 holds with a 4.15 ERA in 36 games in 2003. He appeared in the 2003 Korean Series, and he was the oldest pitcher to pitch in a Korean Series. The Wyverns lost to the Hyundai Unicorns, and Kim announced his retirement. After retiring, Kim was the minor league pitching coach for the Eagles from 2004 to 2005 and for the KIA Tigers in 2011 and from 2014 to 2019. He was also their big club pitching coach in 2010 and from 2013 to 2014

Overall, Kim was 92-77 with a 3.28 ERA, collected 34 saves and 33 holds in 600 appearances, struck out 1131 and pitched 1,394 in 18 seasons in the KBO. As of 2024, he was 36th in wins (between Jong-seok Yeom and Danny Rios), 29th in appearances (between Seung-rak Son and Oh-jun Kwon) and 26th in strikeouts (between Yong-soo Kim and Kye-hyun Cho). He was also one of two KBO players who won 8 championships (the other was Young-soo Bae), and he held the KBO record for most wins in Korean Series play with 7.

Sources

• Namu Wiki