The year he turned 19, he struck out 12 in six innings against China at the Bangkok Asian Games, and the national team reached the final. In 1999 he signed with Arizona for $2.25 million, and on May 30 he earned a save in his major league debut against the New York Mets. In 2000 he appeared in 61 games and went 6-6 with 14 saves.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 22, he was part of Arizona’s World Series title. He gave up game-tying homers in Games 4 and 5 on consecutive nights, but his team won in seven games, and Korea Economic Daily wrote that he was the first Asian to appear in a World Series.
In 2002 he pitched in the All-Star Game and finished the regular season 8-3 with 36 saves. In 2003 he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. In 2004 he became eligible for a ring as Boston won the World Series, his second. In 2005 he was traded to the Colorado Rockies.
In 2006 he came back from the World Baseball Classic and hurt his hamstring. In 2007 he was traded to Florida. In 2010 he left San Francisco Giants camp. In 2011 his move to Japan’s Rakuten was announced.
In 2012 he joined the Nexen Heroes, and on June 20 he got his first KBO win. In 2014 he was traded to the KIA Tigers. In 2016 he was left off KIA’s reserve list.
In 2018 he signed with the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League. In 2019 he effectively signaled his intention to retire, and the same year he opened a handmade burger shop in his hometown of Gwangju. In December he became a full member of The Gentlemen’s League and received the Popularity Award at the MBC Entertainment Awards.
In 2020 he registered a food franchise business. In 2021 he received the Best Entertainer Award at the KBS Entertainment Awards. In 2022 he received the Excellence Award in the reality category at the KBS Entertainment Awards. In 2023 he appeared on Joseon Cheyukhoe.
In 2025 he appeared on KBS2’s Gongbu-wa Nolbu with his two sons. In 2026 he was hired as an SPOTV MLB commentator, and in September he was named to the Asian Games baseball broadcast team.
Byung-hyun Kim (born Feb 15, 1979) made his major league debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 30, 1999, the year he turned 20, and became known on Nov 5, 2001, the year he turned 22, when Arizona won the World Series. He got his first KBO win in 2012, the year he turned 33.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.