Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun takes no-decision after solid start vs. Brewers

▲ In this Getty Images photo, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the bottom of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game at American Family Field in Milwaukee on May 11, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ In this Associated Press photo, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the bottom of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game at American Family Field in Milwaukee on May 11, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ In this Getty Images photo, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals (R) smiles after reaching first base on an error in the top of the sixth inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee on May 11, 2021. (Yonhap)

MLB-S Korean pitcher

Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun takes no-decision after solid start vs. Brewers

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 12 (Yonhap) -- A dozen starts into his major league career, St. Louis Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun still hasn't lost.

The South Korean left-hander took a no-decision against the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee on Tuesday (local time), after holding them to a run on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Cardinals, down 1-0 when Kim was pulled in the sixth inning, scored the tying run in the eighth and went on to prevail 6-1 in 11 innings at American Family Field.

Kim, who struck out six and walked one, stayed at 1-0 for the season, while lowering his ERA from 3.06 to 2.74.

A former MVP in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Kim was a perfect 3-0 as a big league rookie last year in eight appearances, including one relief outing. He is 1-0 in five starts this year, and the Cardinals have won all five.

Kim was efficient through five innings, needing 70 pitches to keep the Brewers scoreless while generating a lot of soft contact. But the Brewers got their only run off Kim thanks to two doubles in the sixth inning, the latter a ground-rule hit by cleanup Travis Shaw.

Kim was gone after that Shaw double, after throwing a season-high 88 pitches. He has yet to pitch past six innings this year.

Four of the five hits that Kim allowed were two-baggers.

Kim gave up a leadoff double to former teammate Kolten Wong in the first inning but retired the next three batters, two via strikeouts.

A two-out walk to Jackie Bradley Jr. amounted to nothing in the second inning, and Kim had his first three-up, three-down inning in the third.

Kim allowed a one-out double to Shaw in the fourth inning but got two easy outs on two pitches to keep the Brewers off the board.

Pablo Reyes singled with one out in the fifth, but Kim struck out opposing starter Freddy Peralta for the second time. Then shortstop Paul DeJong robbed Wong of a hit with an outstanding diving grab behind the second base bag.

Trouble brewed for Kim in the sixth, though, as Lorenzo Cain led things off with a double. Kim struck out Tyrone Taylor swinging on an inside fastball but couldn't get past Shaw, whose second double of the game put the Brewers up 1-0.

Kim didn't get a chance to clean up his own mess and handed things over to Ryan Helsley instead.

The Cardinals mustered just one hit through seven innings by Peralta, and Kim appeared on his way to the first loss of his major league career.

But Dylan Carlson bailed him out with a game-tying sacrifice fly off reliever Devin Williams in the eighth and broke the game open with five runs in the top of the 11th -- courtesy of a two-run homer by Paul Goldschmidt and a three-run blast by Tyler O'Neill.

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