St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim delivers during the first inning of Game 1 of a baseball doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs, Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)
Now that lefthander Kwang Hyun “KK” Kim has returned to the Cardinals’ rotation after one game as the closer, some of his superstitions have returned, too.
For instance, as a starter, he said he needed to warm up at a precise length of time, even to the second, before a game and admitted he was a little off because of the clock in Chicago. But, more interestingly, he said he had reverted back to his pregame diet of not eating pork or beef or even Korean barbecue the day before he starts.
“If I eat it, the next day when I start, my body feels kind of heavy. Dull,” said the 32-year-old Kim Friday night, one day ahead of his start here against Cincinnati.
Kim, who has been in only two official games for the Cardinals in his first season with them after playing 12 seasons in Korea, said he didn’t figure to be as nervous this time as he was in his first two games. But having nerves wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, he said.
“Not being nervous just doesn’t make sense,” he said. “But I’m getting used to it, so I won’t be as nervous as the two appearances before.”
In his first start against the White Sox, Kim walked three hitters, one intentionally, in 3 2/3 innings and lamented his inefficiency in throwing 57 pitches in that span. “Tomorrow, I will try to be more aggressive,” Kim said through interpreter Craig Choi.
“We still have a lot of doubleheaders (eight), so I know I have to be an innings-eater to help the team out.”
Kim always has considered himself that type of pitcher since his days as a starter in Korea, where he made 276 starts. Many of those came after he suffered a shoulder injury and determined that he would be more valuable to his team if he didn’t try to strike everybody out.
“I understood that I should throw as less pitches as (possible),” he said.
“After 2010, I was the No. 1 starter so I knew that when I started the game, I should be an innings-eater so the bullpen guys could take a rest.“We still have a lot of doubleheaders and it doesn’t matter if I’m the No. 1 starter or not, you still have to give the bullpen guys some rest.”Kim understands that wearing a mask in the dugout is a requirement here now but he said, “It’s kind of hard to breathe and it’s kind of uncomfortable,” he said, “but I’ll just have to get used to it. And when I go out to the mound to pitch, I have to take my rosin bag, so that’s kind of unusual.”But he hoped that sometime soon “every player, whether they’re in the game or not in the game, can watch the game from the dugout.”
Elledge celebrates first win
Righthander Seth Elledge, one of a dozen or so pitchers who have been summoned from the alternate training site in Springfield, Mo., gained his first big-league win on Thursday when he survived three walks and a hit to pitch a scoreless ninth and then the Cardinals rallied for three runs in the ninth to win 5-4.
Normally, such accomplishments are commemorated in the clubhouse by the players jamming the winning pitcher into a shopping cart and then wheeling him into the shower where all sorts of liquids are poured on him.
“Nothing happened like that (Thursday) night,” Elledge said. “I’ve heard stories about that kind of stuff. But that was a pretty tame and socially distanced celebration.”
Elledge, a Dallas native, celebrated by making his first call to his parents in Texas.
The hard-throwing Elledge, 24, struck out slugger Eugenio Suarez to strand the bases loaded in the ninth.
“I didn’t have my best command last night,” said Elledge, who put away Suarez with his slider. But he said, “The biggest thing is . . . that my pitches play at this level.
“I feel I’ve gotten a lot of swings and misses and a lot of bad swings.”Manager Mike Shildt was impressed that Elledge had navigated the inning without being at his best. “He pitched himself in (and) he pitched himself out of trouble,” Shildt said.“Sometimes, (it means) a lot how somebody competes without their best stuff. He has good stuff. He just wasn’t able to command it and locate it and repeat it last night. But, instead of getting sideways he was able to bear down and keep them at bay.”
Carlson out, Bader in
Dylan Carlson, who played every inning in his first nine big-league games but was hitting just .129 (four for 31), got his first start off with Harrison Bader starting in center field against Cincinnati righthander Anthony DeSclafani.
“Carlson played nine straight games. I felt like he was ready for a little bit of a breather,” said Shildt. “Harrison has some numbers (five for nine) against DeSclafani.”
The numbers that track Carlson’s at-bats indicate he had hit the ball with more authority than his average. “With any relative luck, he grades out to where he’d be an above-average hitter in the league,” Shildt said.
Martinez’s role still uncertain
Paul DeJong, Rangel Ravelo and Edmundo Sosa are position players getting in game shape at Springfield after their coronavirus-induced sabbaticals, with Lane Thomas and Austin Dean about cleared to do so. Pitchers Kodi Whitley and Junior Fernandez are doing the same. As for reliever Ryan Helsley and possible reliever Carlos Martinez, Shildt said he wasn’t ready yet to divulge the exact plan for each.
Shildt said he had several conversations with Martinez, who had opened the season as a starter before testing positive for the virus and may want to return to that role. The Cardinals’ need may be for Martinez to help more quickly as somebody who could pitch multiple innings of relief.
Cardinals, Royals to honor Negro Leagues
When the Cardinals and Royals play at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Sept. 22, both clubs will wear uniforms commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues. The Royals will be the Kansas City Monarchs and the Cardinals will be dressed as the 1930 Negro League National League champion St. Louis Stars.
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August 22, 2020 at 10:00AM
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Where's the beef? Not for Cardinals' Kim, before he starts - STLtoday.com
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Beef
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