Yun-dong Kim

Yun-dong Kim (김윤동)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 213 lb.

• High School Kyeongbuk High School

• Born April 1, 1993 in Daegu South Korea

BR register page

Biographical Information

Yun-dong Kim has pitched in the Korea Baseball Organization and for the South Korean national team.

Kim was selected by the KIA Tigers in the 4th round of the 2012 KBO draft as an outfielder, and he was turned into a pitcher after turning pro. He only pitched one game with the big club in 2013, then he missed the next two seasons due to military service. Kim represented South Korea in the 2014 U-21 Baseball World Cup, striking out 21 in 15 2/3 IP to tie Naoyuki Uwasawa for the event lead. His win was over Mexico's Ivan Rivera. He then collected 2 saves with a 5.43 ERA in 31 games in 2016, and he improved to a 4.59 ERA with 11 saves in 65 games in 2017. He allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings in the 2017 Korean Series Game 4, and he pitched a shutout inning in Game 5. The Tigers beat the Doosan Bears in 5 games, and Kim won his first title.

The Daegu native then represented South Korea in the 2017 Asia Professional Baseball Championship. He succeeded Pil-joon Jang in the 9th inning against Japan, and he struck out Shuta Tonosaki. However, Kim then walked Ryoma Nishikawa and Tatsuhiro Tamura, and Masayuki Kuwahara loaded the bases with a single. Deok-ju Ham replaced Kim, but he walked Yota Kyoda and Kim got a blown save. He then succeeded Myeong-sin Kim in the 5th inning of the Gold Medal Game, but he gave up 2 runs in an inning. Japan beat Korea with a 7-0 score and got the Gold. Kim was still a reliable reliever in 2018, and he collected 18 holds with a 3.70 ERA in 64 games. However, the overuse ruined his shoulder, and he only pitched 11 games with a 6.55 ERA in 2019. He never pitched another game with the big club, and he announced his retirement in 2021.

Overall, Kim was 15-15 with a 4.64 ERA, collected 26 holds and 21 saves in 172 appearances, struck out 204 and pitched 227 innings in 5 seasons in the KBO.

Sources

• Namu Wiki
• 2014 U-21 Baseball World Cup
• 2017 Asia Professional Baseball Championship