Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun earns first win of season vs. Reds with career high 8 Ks

▲ In this AP photo, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 23, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ In this AP photo, St. Louis Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun smiles after hitting a single, his career first hit in Major League Baseball during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 23, 2021. (Yonhap)

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Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun earns first win of season vs. Reds with career high 8 Ks

SEOUL, April 24 (Yonhap) -- The St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean starter Kim Kwang-hyun has struck out a career-best eight to pick up his first victory of the 2021 season.

Kim gave up one earned run in 5 2/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on Friday (local time), helping the Cardinals to a 5-4 win.

Kim scattered five hits, including one home run, without walking any batters. He set a new career high with eight strikeouts, up from six set against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 15 last year.

He lowered his ERA from 9.00 to 4.15 in the process. He threw 53 of his 85 pitches for strikes.

It was his second start of the 2021 Major League Baseball after his belated first one on April 18, when he went through only three innings and give up three earned runs.

The southpaw started the 2021 season on the injured list due to back tightness in spring training.

In the top of the first inning, Kim allowed a leadoff single to Jesse Winker but got the next batter on a ground out, and struck out Eugenio Suarez and Joey Votto.

In the second, he gave up a double to Nick Senzel after catching Alex Blandino on a left field fly. But he got out the next two batters to finish the inning without a run.

After his team took a 1-0 lead on catcher Yadier Molina's solo homer in the bottom of the second, Kim pulled off a hitless third inning, striking out two.

Leading off the bottom of the third, Kim had his first MLB hit off Reds' starter Sonny Gray. He singled on a soft ground ball to the pitcher and managed to get to first base. But he was thrown out at second on Tommy Edman's ground ball.

Then the Cardinals went big. They scored four runs on four consecutive hits, including doubles by Paul Goldschmidt and Molina, extending the lead to 5-0.

Kim remained firm in the fourth and fifth, allowing only two singles.

After giving up a solo homer to leadoff Nick Castellanos in the sixth inning and retiring two batters, he was replaced by Ryan Helsley with the score at 5-1.

In the ninth, the Reds scored three on a triple by Jonathan India and four walks, but Cardinals' closer Alex Reyes saved the game with the final score of 5-4.

Kim is in the final year of his two-year, US$8 million contract with the Cardinals, signed following 13 years with the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Last year, Kim opened his rookie campaign as the closer but soon moved into the rotation. He finished with a 3-0 record and a 1.62 ERA in eight games, including seven starts.

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