Kingham of the Korean Hill
As the nation continues to battle COVID-19, all sporting eyes have turned to the Korean Baseball League (KBO) for live sports and entertainment during this uncertain time. However, as live sports struggle to return in America, former West Virginia Power right-hander Nick Kingham has kept himself busy, transitioning to life and pitching in Korea, albeit during a pandemic, for the first time in his professional career.
Nick Kingham embarked on his first full season in professional baseball in 2012, when he joined one of the heaviest prospect-laden teams in Power history. Though the Houston, Texas, native got shellacked on Opening Day (5 runs allowed in 1.2 innings), he ended up going 6–8 with 117 strikeouts, seventh-most in a single season, in 27 starts.
At that time, if someone told Kingham that, in eight years, he would travel 6,912 miles across the Pacific Ocean to join the SK Wyverns starting rotation, he would have said they were bonkers, especially since he was merely five seasons away from making his MLB debut.
Speaking of the famed call-up, Kingham delivered an unforgettable performance April 29, 2018, at PNC Park against the St. Louis Cardinals. The righty was perfect through 6.2 innings, marking the most hitters set down in a row in a major league debut since 1961 (per Elias Sports Bureau).
After 32 games (19 starts) with the Pirates in 2018 and 2019, Kingham was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays June 13, 2019, and went 3–1 with a 3.00 ERA in 11 relief appearances north of the border.
While in the majors, Kingham always had interest in playing overseas, but the stars never aligned until he became a free agent after the 2019 season and the opportunity was ripe for the picking.
“It was now or never,” Kingham said. “It’s a great baseball experience and an incredible league with big league-caliber hitters, so I thought I might as well try it out.”
Founded in 2000, the SK Wyverns brought baseball back to the city of Incheon after the Hyundai Unicorns moved to Suwon (after failing to relocate to Seoul). The Unicorns would later dissolve before the birth of the Kiwoom Heroes in 2008. The Wyverns have called their 26,000-seat capacity “Incheon SK Happy Dream Park” (or Munhak Baseball Stadium) home since 2001. Across their 20-year franchise history, they have sported a regular season winning percentage of .528, and brought home four Korean Series championships (2007, 2008, 2010 and 2018), three of which have come against the Doosan Bears.
With as much anticipation as the KBO presented for Nick, the dark cloud of COVID-19 loomed large as he and his wife, Logan, made the trek to South Korea. The odd aspect about their situation was, as they prepared to leave the United States, South Korea was under siege from the virus. However, once they were en route, things took a turn for the worse in America while seemingly improving at their final destination.
With a 13-hour time difference, communication with their families has been tough to manage, but Kingham’s wife has provided a helping hand in more ways than he can count, especially when he is at the ballpark for long hours on a daily basis. Whether it’s mental stability, cooking and cleaning, or just being a soundboard and partner in this experience, Logan has steadfastly been Nick’s much appreciated rock.
Once he arrived in Korea, Kingham’s first order of business was to familiarize himself with the city of Songdo and its rich culture. The smart city, or “ubiquitous city”, resides 19 miles southwest of Seoul in the Incheon providence with a population of over 100,000. Even though the city is not fully complete, they believe in being as energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly as possible. The business district includes schools, hospitals, apartments, office buildings and outdoor markets. During the city’s creation, they built Songdo Central Park and Canal Walk as a way to pay homage to architectural hallmarks from around the world.
As a foreign player who had little to no experience with the Korean language, Kingham made sure to utilize the league’s on-call translator available to any foreigner. As the KBO only allows a total of 30 foreign members in the league each year (maximum of three per team), they do their best to make foreigners feel like they are at home. His teammates still speak a lot more English than he does Korean, but he’s picked up a few phrases here and there over the past three months.
As the non-baseball aspects of his South Korean lifestyle continued to work themselves out, Kingham’s focus was steadfast on preparing for the season. Coincidentally, another former Power player, outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. (2011), was embarking on his fourth season with the KT Wiz in 2020, and got in contact with the pitcher to offer some advice. According to Kingham, Rojas Jr. focused on detailing nuances about the league and what to expect when adjusting from American baseball to Korean.
There was one piece of advice Rojas Jr. passed along to Kingham that stood above the rest.
“Be accepting of the things you can’t change,” Kingham recalled. “Moving from the states to an entirely different country is a challenge within itself, but, when focusing on baseball, there are technicalities that you will get the hang of as you continue to adapt.”
After two starts, Kingham realized the stylistic differences of the KBO boiled down to their emphasis on fundamentals. On both sides of the ball, teams are more technically sound, and every batter possesses a great eye and strategic swing, forcing Kingham to adjust to a more direct approach.
“You can’t say ‘hey, because this guy is a free swinger, I’m going to fool him with some curveballs in the dirt’,” Kingham explained. “The players in this league are very smart hitters, they have a plan in place and they are taught to put the bat on the ball, so they are not just going to give away at-bats.”
The KBO has always been known as an offense-heavy league with plenty of home runs (and sweet bat flips), while strikeouts have become less common. Over the past five seasons, strikeout rates for pitchers have ranged from 16.9% to 18.8%, which is around three to four percent lower than Major League Baseball, which has not been below 20% since 2013.
For most, 2020 has been a forgettable year, but Kingham has garnered a ton of perspective about baseball and a dose of thankfulness that he is able to play the game he loves even during a global pandemic. For now, however, he has one way in mind to make the most of his experience in Korea.
“I want to win the championship,” Kingham said matter-of-factly. “Well, that’s everyone’s goal,” Kingham added chuckling.
With a winner’s mentality and the spotlight continuing to shine bright on the KBO, keep an eye out for the man sporting a red number 15 edged in black on the back of his white SK Wyverns jersey top. His tenacity and willingness for adventure bodes well for a memorable and, most importantly, successful season on the hill for the former Pittsburgh prospect.
