After two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB), Korean left-handed star pitcher Kwang-hyun Kim agreed to a four-year contract with the SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) league.
The deal, including a signing bonus, is worth 15.1 billion Korean won (US$ 12.23 million) and makes him the highest-paid KBO player.
Kim was the ace on the staff of the Korean National Team that won the inaugural WBSC Premier12. He started three games, including the final against the United States. He pitched five scoreless innings and earned the win.
He also started two games for the silver medal National Team at the Premier12 2019, earning a win against Canada and suffering a loss against Chinese Taipei.
He contributed to the Bejing 2008 Olympic gold medal, appearing in three games and posting a 1.26 earned run average (ERA). He was also on the team that earned silver at the World Baseball Classic 2009.
Kim appeared for the first time on the world stage in 2006. He dominated for World Champion Korea, going 4-9 and earning MVP honours at the U-18 Baseball World Cup in Cuba.
Born in 1988, Kim spent his entire professional career with the SK Wyverns before going to the US. He made his debut on 10 April 2007 and was instrumental in four Korean Series titles: 2007, 2008, 2010, 2018). He was named the MVP of the 2008 season.
