Kim shines in rehab start vs. 51s

Nick Christensen

Monday, May 12, 2003 | 10:11 a.m.

Byung-Hyun Kim pitched the first six innings of a 7-0 shutout victory Sunday for the Tucson Sidewinders against the 51s in a Pacific Coast League game at Cashman Field.

Kim, a 24-year-old right-hander pitching on a rehab assignment from the Arizona Diamondbacks because of a bruised ankle, allowed five hits and had five strikeouts. He needed only 67 pitches to make it through the first six innings.

Erik Sabel, Eddie Oropesa, and Jose Valverde combined for the other three innings of the shutout.

51s starter Scott Winchester turned out an awful 3 1/3 innings, allowing 13 hits, seven runs, and striking out none. Things were so bad that Tucson's Luis Terrero, batting first for the Sidewinders, had three at-bats in the first three innings.

Kim, who had a hit in the first inning batting ninth, said he didn't let the 5-0 lead he had at that point get to his head.

"I was just thinking about my pitching, not about getting ahead," he said through an interpreter.

Kim had made six starts this season for the Diamondbacks. He said he plans to start Friday for Arizona when the Diamondbacks play host to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This is Kim's first season in a starting role, after serving as a reliever for two years in place of the injured Matt Mantei. But Kim says the role isn't new to him, and hasn't taken much adjustment.

"I was a starter in Korea," he said. "Since I was young, I wanted to be a starter. I try to throw more strikes and use more change-ups, and I try to throw harder."

Kim made small work of the 51s' lineup -- in his six innings, he faced only 23 batters. The only 51s batter who had any success against Kim at all was Bubba Crosby, who was 2-for-2 against him. Crosby was also hit by a Kim pitch in the third.

The other bright spot of the game for the 51s was the work of the bullpen. Masao Kida pitched 4 2/3 innings in relief of Winchester, allowing only one hit and one walk. David Lee pitched the ninth for the 51s, retiring all three batters he faced.

The 51s' bullpen reduced its earned run average to 2.01, best in the PCL.