Ki-bum Kim

Ki-bum Kim (김기범)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10", Weight 172 lb.

• School Konkuk University
• High School Choongam High School

• Born December 13, 1965 in Incheon South Korea

BR register page

Biographical Information

Ki-bum Kim pitched for 11 seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization.

Kim was 3-0 for the South Korean national team in the 1985 Intercontinental Cup to help his team win a Silver Medal behind Cuba; he had more wins than the entire Team USA staff which included Jack McDowell, Kevin Brown, Erik Hanson and Mike Fetters. The teenager was named one of two All-Star pitchers alongside Japan's Hiroshi Nagatomi. He helped South Korea tie for second in the 1985 Asian Championship.

Kim had a 1-0, 1.20 record in the 1986 Amateur World Series, in which South Korea won the Silver Medal. The left-hander also played in the 1987 Asian Championship, 1987 Intercontinental Cup and 1988 Olympics.

In the 1988 Baseball World Cup, the 22-year-old was 0-2 with a save and a 5.24 ERA with 10 walks and 21 hits (7 home runs) in 22 1/3 IP. He struck out 23, third in the event behind Takehiro Ishii and Lazaro Valle and one ahead of Andy Benes, Charles Nagy, Rheal Cormier and Yi-Hsin Chen.

Kim began his professional career in 1989 with the MBC Blue Dragons, going 7-8 with a 4.69 ERA. In 1990, he moved to the LG Twins and was 5-5 with a 2.81 ERA. He was 12-9 with 3 saves and a 2.95 ERA in '91, topping 100 strikeouts for the only time of his career.

Ki-bum went 8-6 with 3 saves and a 2.98 ERA for the 1992 Twins, then was 9-9 with a career-best 2.60 ERA in '93. He had a 3-3, 4.86 record in 1994 and 13-7, 2.86 in 1995 with 137 hits allowed in 160 2/3 IP, his best season in terms of wins.

The left-hander was 4-10 with a 4.28 ERA in 1996. Used as a LOOGY in 1997, he pitched 38 innings over 52 games, going 1-2 with a 5.92 ERA and issuing 25 walks. In 1998, he logged only 36 1/3 innings in 76 games, with a 0-2, 5.20 record and one save.

Kim worked only 21 1/3 innings in 49 contests for the '99 Twins to end his career.

Kim finished with a career KBO record of 62-61 and 8 saves. He had a 3.52 ERA in 391 games.

Sources

• KBO Player Page
• Defunct IBAF site