Tucson – Byung-Hyun Kim strolled over to the Hi Corbett practice fields Tuesday morning looking sleepy but happy. With his hat cocked sideways, he clowned with teammate Sunny Kim and broke into a wide grin.
The two Korean pitchers have become Frick and Frack, Batman and Robin, Laurel and Hardy. Where one goes, the other is sure to follow. Thursday, they are scheduled to leave spring training for Los Angeles, then on to Japan to represent Korea in the opening round of the World Baseball Classic.
The Koreans’ bond has helped them bridge the cultural void they face playing in a foreign country. The Rockies hope that friendship translates into success on the mound. B.K. is penciled in as the fourth starter, and Sunny is battling for the fifth spot in the rotation.
“There have been comments made around here about how much more personal B.K.’s been this spring,” Rockies reliever Mike DeJean said. “I think Sunny being here brings a little bit more comfort to him. It’s made a difference. B.K.’s a really talented pitcher, and I think he can help us a lot.”
B.K. has a great grin, but his Rockies teammates didn’t see it very often last year. He often seemed isolated and withdrawn. Acquired from Boston just days before the season opener, he insists he was never unhappy in Colorado. But he struggled early as a reliever, going 0-3 with a 7.66 ERA, and was nearly demoted to the minors. Given a reprieve as a starter, he posted a more respectable mark (5-9, 4.37). Last month, the team re-signed him to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.
Rockies management wants to see his performance, and demeanor, continue to brighten.
“I want him to feel more in tune with the team,” pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. “He has to be part of the link in the chain. He comes from a baseball environment where that was never, ever asked of him. I think that’s B.K.’s biggest adjustment.”
Things got easier when the Rockies claimed Sunny Kim off waivers from Washington on Aug. 7, making the Kims just the second pair of Korean teammates in major-league history.
“It’s a good thing, not just for B.K., but for me, too,” said Sunny Kim, whose English is more advanced than his buddy’s. “I have never pitched as good or was happier than when I pitched for Colorado last year.”
Inserted into the rotation in August, Sunny went 4-1 as a starter and threw his first career shutout Sept. 24, beating the Giants 6-0 on a three-hitter.
“When I came here, everybody was friendly, I could feel that,” Sunny said. “But everything is so different in America. I can talk to B.K. in our language, not just about baseball. We hang out together. We’re more comfortable. I can feel it.”
Although the duo played on the same junior national team in South Korea, they didn’t know each other well before last season. Now they live in the same apartment complex in Denver and often go to the movies, play video games or go out to eat together. Sunny long ago weaned himself off Korean food. He now prefers pizza and Mexican food. B.K.’s palate is still becoming Americanized.
Asked whether his return to Colorado had anything to do with his friendship with Sunny, Kim said, “Maybe a little bit.”
But more than that, he said, was his desire to excel as a starter and help the Rockies become a winner. He’s considered a work aholic because he’s constantly throwing or working out long after everyone else has left for the golf course.
As much as Apodaca admires his work ethic, he’s hoping B.K. finds more balance in his life.
“B.K.’s totally immersed in baseball,” Apodaca said. “I don’t know if you can say it’s to a fault, but he’s so committed to baseball and it’s so all-consuming, it just seems sometimes that he doesn’t have time to enjoy. So much a part of baseball is the enjoyment of the game.”
The Rockies are hoping Sunny illuminates his buddy about that concept.
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
