Kim Won-hyong (; born July 5, 1972) is a South Korean former professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

and coach, who is currently the head coach of the

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. Founded on February 22, 1938, as the Nankai Club, being the first Kansai t ...

. He is the youngest pitcher in the KBO to ever throw a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

. Over his 20-year playing career, he pitched for the

Ssangbangwool Raiders The Ssangbangwool Raiders () were a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1990 and dissolved upon bankruptcy of the team's owner after the 1999 season. They were based in the North Jeolla Province and were members of the Korea Baseba ...

and the

SSG Landers SSG Landers () are a South Korean professional baseball team. The team was originally established as the SK Wyverns but was renamed as the SSG Landers in 2021 after Shinsegae acquired the team from SK Group. They are a member of the KBO League. B ...

. A starting pitcher for most of his career, he converted to a reliever in his last few seasons. He won three

Korean Series The Korean Series () is the final championship series of the KBO League. It has been held since the KBO League's first season in and is the final series of the post-season play-offs. From to 2013, the winner of the Korean Series went on to play ...

championships with the Wyverns.

Career

Kim attended Jeonju High School, where he was a teammate of

Park Kyung-oan Park Kyung-oan (born July 11, 1972) is a former South Korean baseball catcher and former Olympic bronze medalist. A four-time Golden Glove winner, Park is considered by many to be one of the best catchers in Korean baseball history. Playing f ...

, a future KBO MVP who also joined the

the same year Kim did. Kim joined the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

in 1991 at age 18, the youngest pitcher in the league. On April 30, 1993, at age 20, he threw a no-hitter, defeating the

OB Bears The Doosan Bears () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. Founded in 1982, they are a member of the KBO League. The Bears have won six Korean Series titles (1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, and 2019) and play their home games ...

3–0 at Jeonju Baseball Stadium. Kim is the youngest KBO pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter. In 1997 Kim finished in the top ten in the league with a 2.75

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

. Kim's best season was 1998, when he was mostly used as a relief pitcher for the Raiders and compiled a record of 12-7 with a 2.52 ERA and 13 saves. That year he finished fifth in the KBO in ERA. He also pitched for the

South Korea national baseball team The South Korean national baseball team (), also known as the Blue Wave (), is the national baseball team of South Korea. It has participated in every edition of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), reaching the finals in 2009, and won the WBSC Pre ...

in the

1998 Asian Games The 1998 Asian Games (), officially known as the 13th Asian Games () and the XIII Asiad,, or simply Bangkok 1998 (), were an Asian multi-sport event celebrated in Bangkok, Thailand from December 6 to 20, 1998, with 377 events in 36 sports and di ...

, helping the country win the Gold Medal. Kim played for the Raiders during their entire existence in the KBO League, from 1991 to 1999. When the Raiders were disbanded after the 1999 season, many players, including Kim, joined the newly created team the

SK Wyverns SSG Landers () are a South Korean professional baseball, professional baseball team. The team was originally established as the SK Wyverns but was renamed as the SSG Landers in 2021 after Shinsegae acquired the team from SK Group. They are a membe ...

. Kim played for the Wyverns for the rest of his career. 2000 was a tough year for Kim as he finished 2-13 with a 5.81 ERA, tying for the league lead in losses. (He may have been suffering from continued effects of being struck in the head by a batted ball in 1999, which knocked him out of commission for much of that season. In addition, that year the Wyverns were a pitiful 44-86-3 for a winning percentage of .338.) In 2005 Kim finished third in the KBO in victories with 14, and second in ERA. He was tied for fourth in victories in 2008 with 12 wins. Kim finished his career with 134 victories and 1,246 strikeouts, putting him high on the KBO career lists in both categories. His 121 losses are second all-time in the KBO. Kim was named head

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decision ...

of the

Doosan Bears The Doosan Bears () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. Founded in 1982, they are a member of the KBO League. The Bears have won six Korean Series titles (1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, and 2019) and play their home game ...

starting with the 2019 season."Doosan completes coaching staff lineup for 2019 season,"
''Korea JoongAng Daily'' (November 30, 2018).

References

External links

Career statistics and player information
from

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League () and KBO Futures League ( (F ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Won-hyong 1972 births Living people South Korean baseball players Ssangbangwool Raiders players SSG Landers players KBO League pitchers Asian Games medalists in baseball Baseball players at the 1998 Asian Games Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games Sportspeople from Jeonju Baseball players from North Jeolla Province Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea

Career

See also

References

External links