Kim Dong-Joo
Encyclopedia
Kim Dong-Joo (born February 3, 1976 in Seoul
, South Korea
) is a South Korea
n third baseman
, who plays for the Doosan Bears
in the Korea Baseball Organization
. He bats and throws right-handed.
, South Korea, Kim's main position was shortstop
, batting leadoff
, but he was considered one of the best high school power pitcher
s as well. In 1992, Kim swept most of the major individual titles (Best Pitcher, Home Run, and RBI) in the Phoenix National Championship, the most prestigious annual high school baseball competition in South Korea, pitching to a 0.80 ERA and batting .600 with 10 RBIs.
Upon graduation from high school in 1994, Kim chose to enter college instead of the KBO
Draft, and started his collegiate career at Korea University
.
In his freshman year, Kim completely quit pitching to switch focus to hitting. In the 1994 college season, he batted .308 with 2 home runs and 11 RBIs, missing half of the season due to injuries.
During his sophomore year in 1995, Kim batted .373 with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs during the season, and earned MVP honors in the national championship. In that same year, Kim was selected for the South Korea national baseball team, and competed in the 1995 Summer Universiade
and Intercontinental Cup
, manning right field and shortstop
.
In 1996, Kim had a true breakout season as a junior. During the season, Kim batted .402 with 11 home runs and 22 RBIs. He also won the MVP award with the home run (4) and batting (.625) titles in the national championship. Prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta, United States, many had expected Kim to be chosen as a key member of the South Korean national team for the first Olympic medal in baseball. However, the manager
of Korea University's major rival Yonsei University
was named as the manager of the South Korean national team for the Olympics, and Kim was surprisingly omitted from the final 24-man roster. Due to the offensive void left by Kim, South Korea had one of the worst international results, ranked the lowest among the eight teams with a 1-6 record.
As a senior at Korea University in 1997, Kim competed for the South Korea national baseball team in the Asian Baseball Championship
. In the round-robin
tournament, Kim smacked two home runs off Koji Uehara
in the 3-2 loss to Japan
. In the final game, Kim hit two home runs off Koji Uehara
again to lead South Korea to a 9-8 victory over Japan and win the Asian Championship. In the tournament, Kim batted .538 with an astonishing 9 home run
s and 19 RBIs in only 26 at-bats. Kim finally won the MVP award in near-unanimous vote.
Draft, and was selected by the OB Bears in the first round. He made his pro league debut on April 11, 1998 against the Haitai Tigers and got his first hit in that game. In his rookie season, Kim batted a respectable .265 with 24 home runs, 121 hits and 89 RBIs, appearing in 125 games as a starting right fielder
. In November, Kim competed for the South Korea national baseball team in the 1998 Asian Games
in Bangkok
, Thailand
. South Korea won their first Asian Game gold medal, beating Japan
13-1 in the finals, and Kim received a military exemption along with Park Chan-Ho, Seo Jae-Weong and Kim Byung-Hyun by winning gold.
In 1999, Kim switched from right field to third base
to focus strictly on hitting. In the 1999 regular season, Kim posted a .321 batting average with 22 home runs, 128 hits and 84 RBIs. In November, Kim was selected for the South Korean national team again that won the gold medal at the 1999 Asian Baseball Championship
in Seoul
, South Korea, and helped the team to clinch an Olympic quota slot for 2000, hitting .273 with 2 RBIs.
In 2000, Kim posted a solid .339 batting average, compiling career-highs in home runs (31), hits (159) and RBIs (106). He was runner-up for a batting
title, finishing only .001 behind league-leader Park Jong-Ho
, 3rd in hit
s, 4th in RBI, and 8th in home run
s. He also won his first Golden Glove Award as a third baseman. In September, Kim competed for the South Korean national team in the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
, Australia
, where they won their first Olympic medal in baseball by defeating Japan
3-1 in the bronze medal game. In the tournament, he led attack alongside Lee Seung-Yeop and Lee Byung-Kyu
, going 7-for-24 with 5 RBIs.
In 2001, Kim failed to reach the 20 home run club for the first time since he joined the KBO league, but he managed to hit a grand slam
in game 5 of the 2001 Korean Series
that helped the Bears beat the Samsung Lions
to win their first Korean Series title since 1995.
In 2002, Kim ranked 5th in batting (.318) and 6th in home runs (26), accumulating 132 hits and 79 RBIs. In October, Kim competed in the 2002 Asian Games
in Busan
, South Korea
, and led his team to their second Asian Game gold medal, hitting .313 with one home run and three RBIs.
In 2003, Kim had his best career year in batting average. He batted .352 with 137 hits in 401 at-bats, compiling 23 home runs and 89 RBIs in 118 games. He won his first career batting title and finished 8th in home runs.
In 2004, Kim failed to post six consecutive seasons with a batting average above .300, finishing the year with a .286 average.
In 2005, Kim batted .300-plus again (.301), but posted only 10 home runs and 81 hits, missing over 30 games due to an injury early in the 2005 season.
Prior to the 2006 KBO season, Kim competed for the South Korea national baseball team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic
in March 2006. However, he injured his left shoulder while diving into first on an infield single in the top of the 6th inning in Team Korea's first WBC game against Chinese Taipei and thus missed the rest of the tournament. Due to the injury, Kim was sidlined for most of the 2006 KBO season. He eventually came back to play in August, but appeared in only 43 games, posting career lows in nearly every offensive category - a .250 batting average, a .386 slugging percentage, 4 home runs, 16 RBI, 19 runs and 35 hits.
In 2007, Kim bounced back from a disappointing previous year, batting .322 with 19 home runs and 78 RBI and stealing a career-high 11 bases in the regular season. He ranked 5th in batting, 6th in RBI and 7th in home runs, and won his second Golden Glove Award at third base.
Kim enjoyed another solid season in 2008, racking up 104 RBIs with a 309 batting average, 18 home runs and 112 hits. He was runner-up for the RBI title, 5th in slugging percentage, 4th in on-base percentage, and 9th in home run
s. Kim won his third Golden Glove Award at third base, edging out Choi Jeong
by 22 votes. In August, Kim competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
, China as a member of the South Korean national team that won their first Olympic gold medal. In the tournament, he batted .294 with 5 hits in 17 at-bats, scoring 4 runs as a starting third baseman.
In 2009, Kim posted his best batting average
(.353) that ranked 4th best in the KBO league. He was 1st in on-base plus slugging
(1.049), 2nd in on-base percentage (.455) and slugging percentage (.593), and eighth for the RBI title (86).
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
) is a South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
, who plays for the Doosan Bears
Doosan Bears
The Doosan Bears are a professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. They are a member of the Korean Baseball Organization....
in the Korea Baseball Organization
Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. KBO should not be confused with the Korea Professional Baseball League. KBO was founded in 1981 and has been governing two leagues, Korea Professional Baseball and Futures League since...
. He bats and throws right-handed.
Amateur career
While attending Baemyung High School in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea, Kim's main position was shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
, batting leadoff
Leadoff hitter
In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in an inning.- Strategy :...
, but he was considered one of the best high school power pitcher
Power pitcher
In baseball, a power pitcher is a pitcher who relies on the velocity of his pitches, sometimes at the expense of accuracy. Power pitchers usually record a high number of strikeouts and statistics such as strikeouts per 9 innings pitched are common measures of power...
s as well. In 1992, Kim swept most of the major individual titles (Best Pitcher, Home Run, and RBI) in the Phoenix National Championship, the most prestigious annual high school baseball competition in South Korea, pitching to a 0.80 ERA and batting .600 with 10 RBIs.
Upon graduation from high school in 1994, Kim chose to enter college instead of the KBO
Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. KBO should not be confused with the Korea Professional Baseball League. KBO was founded in 1981 and has been governing two leagues, Korea Professional Baseball and Futures League since...
Draft, and started his collegiate career at Korea University
Korea University
Korea University is a prestigious nonsectarian, private research university located primarily in Seoul, South Korea, and one of the SKY universities, a historical acronym used in South Korea to refer to Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. Founded by Lee Yong-ik in...
.
In his freshman year, Kim completely quit pitching to switch focus to hitting. In the 1994 college season, he batted .308 with 2 home runs and 11 RBIs, missing half of the season due to injuries.
During his sophomore year in 1995, Kim batted .373 with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs during the season, and earned MVP honors in the national championship. In that same year, Kim was selected for the South Korea national baseball team, and competed in the 1995 Summer Universiade
Baseball at the Universiade
Baseball is not currently played at the Summer Universiade. However, in 1993, the baseball tournament was held at the XVII Summer Universiade in Buffalo, USA, and it was staged two years after at the XVIII Summer Universiade in Fukuoka, Japan....
and Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (baseball)
The Intercontinental Cup is a baseball tournament between the members of the International Baseball Federation . It was first held in 1973 in Italy, and was held every other year following until 1999....
, manning right field and shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
.
In 1996, Kim had a true breakout season as a junior. During the season, Kim batted .402 with 11 home runs and 22 RBIs. He also won the MVP award with the home run (4) and batting (.625) titles in the national championship. Prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta, United States, many had expected Kim to be chosen as a key member of the South Korean national team for the first Olympic medal in baseball. However, the manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
of Korea University's major rival Yonsei University
Yonsei University
Yonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...
was named as the manager of the South Korean national team for the Olympics, and Kim was surprisingly omitted from the final 24-man roster. Due to the offensive void left by Kim, South Korea had one of the worst international results, ranked the lowest among the eight teams with a 1-6 record.
As a senior at Korea University in 1997, Kim competed for the South Korea national baseball team in the Asian Baseball Championship
Asian Baseball Championship
The Asian Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Asia, governed by the Baseball Federation of Asia . It is held every other year in odd-numbered years and since 1983 it also functions as the qualification games for the Baseball at the Summer...
. In the round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
tournament, Kim smacked two home runs off Koji Uehara
Koji Uehara
is a Major League Baseball Japanese right-handed relief pitcher. He is currently a relief pitcher for the Texas Rangers.Uehara throws a high-80s four-seam fastball and a solid forkball as his primary pitches...
in the 3-2 loss to Japan
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
. In the final game, Kim hit two home runs off Koji Uehara
Koji Uehara
is a Major League Baseball Japanese right-handed relief pitcher. He is currently a relief pitcher for the Texas Rangers.Uehara throws a high-80s four-seam fastball and a solid forkball as his primary pitches...
again to lead South Korea to a 9-8 victory over Japan and win the Asian Championship. In the tournament, Kim batted .538 with an astonishing 9 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 19 RBIs in only 26 at-bats. Kim finally won the MVP award in near-unanimous vote.
Notable international careers
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Universiade Baseball at the Universiade Baseball is not currently played at the Summer Universiade. However, in 1993, the baseball tournament was held at the XVII Summer Universiade in Buffalo, USA, and it was staged two years after at the XVIII Summer Universiade in Fukuoka, Japan.... |
 |
.333 BA (2-for-6) | |
| 1995 | Intercontinental Cup Intercontinental Cup (baseball) The Intercontinental Cup is a baseball tournament between the members of the International Baseball Federation . It was first held in 1973 in Italy, and was held every other year following until 1999.... |
4th | ||
| 1997 | Asian Baseball Championship Asian Baseball Championship The Asian Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Asia, governed by the Baseball Federation of Asia . It is held every other year in odd-numbered years and since 1983 it also functions as the qualification games for the Baseball at the Summer... |
 |
.538 BA (14-for-26), 9 HR, 19 RBI, MVP |
Professional career
Upon graduation from Korea University in 1998, Kim made himself eligible for the 1998 KBOKorea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. KBO should not be confused with the Korea Professional Baseball League. KBO was founded in 1981 and has been governing two leagues, Korea Professional Baseball and Futures League since...
Draft, and was selected by the OB Bears in the first round. He made his pro league debut on April 11, 1998 against the Haitai Tigers and got his first hit in that game. In his rookie season, Kim batted a respectable .265 with 24 home runs, 121 hits and 89 RBIs, appearing in 125 games as a starting right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
. In November, Kim competed for the South Korea national baseball team in the 1998 Asian Games
1998 Asian Games
The 13th Asian Games were held from December 6 to December 20, 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand. This was the first time that Thailand bid for the event after it shouldered the two postponed hosting rights in 1970 and 1978.-Emblem:...
in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. South Korea won their first Asian Game gold medal, beating Japan
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
13-1 in the finals, and Kim received a military exemption along with Park Chan-Ho, Seo Jae-Weong and Kim Byung-Hyun by winning gold.
In 1999, Kim switched from right field to third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
to focus strictly on hitting. In the 1999 regular season, Kim posted a .321 batting average with 22 home runs, 128 hits and 84 RBIs. In November, Kim was selected for the South Korean national team again that won the gold medal at the 1999 Asian Baseball Championship
Asian Baseball Championship
The Asian Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Asia, governed by the Baseball Federation of Asia . It is held every other year in odd-numbered years and since 1983 it also functions as the qualification games for the Baseball at the Summer...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea, and helped the team to clinch an Olympic quota slot for 2000, hitting .273 with 2 RBIs.
In 2000, Kim posted a solid .339 batting average, compiling career-highs in home runs (31), hits (159) and RBIs (106). He was runner-up for a batting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
title, finishing only .001 behind league-leader Park Jong-Ho
Park Jong-Ho
Park Jong-Ho is a South Korean second baseman who plays for the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization. He is a switch hitter, and throws right-handed...
, 3rd in hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
s, 4th in RBI, and 8th in home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s. He also won his first Golden Glove Award as a third baseman. In September, Kim competed for the South Korean national team in the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where they won their first Olympic medal in baseball by defeating Japan
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
3-1 in the bronze medal game. In the tournament, he led attack alongside Lee Seung-Yeop and Lee Byung-Kyu
Lee Byung-Kyu
Lee Byung-Kyu is a South Korean baseball player who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics and in the 2000 Summer Olympics.He was a member of the South Korean team which finished eighth in the 1996 tournament....
, going 7-for-24 with 5 RBIs.
In 2001, Kim failed to reach the 20 home run club for the first time since he joined the KBO league, but he managed to hit a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
in game 5 of the 2001 Korean Series
Korean Series
The Korean Series is the championship series of the Korea Baseball Organization. It has been held since the KBO's first season in and is the final series of in the post-season play-offs. From , the winner of the Korean Series goes on to play in the Asia Series....
that helped the Bears beat the Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions Baseball Club is a Korea Professional Baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in Daegu and are members of the Korean Baseball Organization. Their home stadium is Daegu Baseball Stadium...
to win their first Korean Series title since 1995.
In 2002, Kim ranked 5th in batting (.318) and 6th in home runs (26), accumulating 132 hits and 79 RBIs. In October, Kim competed in the 2002 Asian Games
2002 Asian Games
The 2002 Asian Games, also known as XIV Asiad is a multi-sport event held in Busan, South Korea from September 29 to October 14, 2002. Busan is the second city, after Seoul in 1986 to host the Games. A total of 419 events in 38 sports were contested by 7,711 athletes from 44 countries...
in Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and led his team to their second Asian Game gold medal, hitting .313 with one home run and three RBIs.
In 2003, Kim had his best career year in batting average. He batted .352 with 137 hits in 401 at-bats, compiling 23 home runs and 89 RBIs in 118 games. He won his first career batting title and finished 8th in home runs.
In 2004, Kim failed to post six consecutive seasons with a batting average above .300, finishing the year with a .286 average.
In 2005, Kim batted .300-plus again (.301), but posted only 10 home runs and 81 hits, missing over 30 games due to an injury early in the 2005 season.
Prior to the 2006 KBO season, Kim competed for the South Korea national baseball team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
in March 2006. However, he injured his left shoulder while diving into first on an infield single in the top of the 6th inning in Team Korea's first WBC game against Chinese Taipei and thus missed the rest of the tournament. Due to the injury, Kim was sidlined for most of the 2006 KBO season. He eventually came back to play in August, but appeared in only 43 games, posting career lows in nearly every offensive category - a .250 batting average, a .386 slugging percentage, 4 home runs, 16 RBI, 19 runs and 35 hits.
In 2007, Kim bounced back from a disappointing previous year, batting .322 with 19 home runs and 78 RBI and stealing a career-high 11 bases in the regular season. He ranked 5th in batting, 6th in RBI and 7th in home runs, and won his second Golden Glove Award at third base.
Kim enjoyed another solid season in 2008, racking up 104 RBIs with a 309 batting average, 18 home runs and 112 hits. He was runner-up for the RBI title, 5th in slugging percentage, 4th in on-base percentage, and 9th in home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s. Kim won his third Golden Glove Award at third base, edging out Choi Jeong
Choi Jeong
Choi Jeong is a third baseman who plays for the SK Wyverns in Korean professional baseball league.-Amateur career:...
by 22 votes. In August, Kim competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China as a member of the South Korean national team that won their first Olympic gold medal. In the tournament, he batted .294 with 5 hits in 17 at-bats, scoring 4 runs as a starting third baseman.
In 2009, Kim posted his best batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
(.353) that ranked 4th best in the KBO league. He was 1st in on-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League...
(1.049), 2nd in on-base percentage (.455) and slugging percentage (.593), and eighth for the RBI title (86).
Notable international careers
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Asian Games Baseball at the 1998 Asian Games Baseball was one of the many sports which was held at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand beginning on December 7, 1998.-Level A:-Level B:-Medal round:-References:*... |
|
.400 BA (8-for-20), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R | |
| 1999 | Asian Baseball Championship Asian Baseball Championship The Asian Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Asia, governed by the Baseball Federation of Asia . It is held every other year in odd-numbered years and since 1983 it also functions as the qualification games for the Baseball at the Summer... |
|
.273 BA (3-for-11), 2 RBI | |
| 2000 | Olympic Games Baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics Baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the third time an Olympic baseball tournament had been held as a full medal sport, and the ninth time it had been part of the Summer Olympic Games in any capacity. It was held in Sydney, Australia from 17 September through to the bronze and gold medal games... |
 |
.292 BA (7-for-24), 5 RBI, 2 R | |
| 2002 | Asian Games Baseball at the 2002 Asian Games Baseball was one of the many sports which was held at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea beginning on October 2, 2002. Five East and Southeast Asian nations participated in the tournament... |
|
.313 BA (5-for-16), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R | |
| 2003 | Asian Baseball Championship Asian Baseball Championship The Asian Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Asia, governed by the Baseball Federation of Asia . It is held every other year in odd-numbered years and since 1983 it also functions as the qualification games for the Baseball at the Summer... |
|
.091 BA (1-for-11) | |
| 2006 | World Baseball Classic 2006 World Baseball Classic ---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:... |
|
.333 BA (1-for-3) | |
| 2007 | Asian Baseball Championship 2007 Asian Baseball Championship The 24th Asian Baseball Championship was contested in Taichung, Taiwan in November and December 2007. The tournament is sanctioned by the Asian Baseball Federation. The winner of the tournament will gain automatic entry into the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing... |
|
.167 BA (1-for-6), 1 R, 2 BB | |
| 2008 | Final Olympic Qualification Tournament | |
.400 BA (2-for-5), 1 RBI, 3 R | |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | |
.294 BA (5-for-17), 4 R, 4 BB | |
External links
- Career statistics and player information from the KBO official site
- databaseOlympics