One year ago yesterday, Nick Kingham pitched 2.1 innings of relief for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a loss to the Oakland Athletics. Today, he is preparing for the beginning of his first season in the Korea Baseball Organization.
The league, which was scheduled to open its regular season on March 28, will resume at 1 AM ET (2 PM Korean standard time) on Tuesday. No fans will be in attendance.
Kingham, once a top prospect in the Pirates' system, was drafted by Pittsburgh in Round 4 (117th overall) of the 2010 MLB Draft. Across two Major League seasons, Kingham pitched to a 6.08 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 131.2 innings.
Kingham made his Major League debut on April 29, 2018 vs the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. He struck out seven Redbirds and pitched 6.2 innings of perfection before his bid was broken up by a Paul DeJong single. Kingham would finish the inning, and the Pirates won the game by a 5-0 score.
Throughout the rest of 2018, Kingham struggled to find any type of rhythm. He finished his rookie season with a 5.21 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 76 innings.
Kingham made the Pirates' 2019 Opening Day roster. After an average start to his season, the 6-5 right-hander fell apart. Over his final five outings with the Pirates, Kingham allowed 27 earned runs in just 18 innings.
In the one-time rising star's final game with Pittsburgh, Kingham allowed six earned runs in 2.1 innings of work in a loss at Miller Park to the Milwaukee Brewers on June 7. Kingham was designated for assignment the next day. He finished his 2019 Pirates' campaign with an embarrassing 9.87 ERA and 2.05 WHIP.
On June 13, Kingham was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays. In 21 innings of work with Toronto, Kingham pitched to an impressive 3.00 ERA with 14 strikeouts.
Unfortunately, he was placed on the disabled list with a left oblique strain on August 3. Kingham never saw the mound for Toronto again, as he was released on August 26. Kingham finished his 2019 season with a combined 7.28 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 55.2 innings of work.
Nearly three months later, on November 28, Kingham signed a contract with the KBO's SK Wyverns. In 2019, the Wyverns were defeated 3-0 in a best-of-five playoff series by the Kiwoom Heroes.
Per league rules, each team is allowed to carry three foreign players. Many other former MLB players and pitchers are ready to return to action as well. They include (but are not limited to):
-Aaron Altherr (NC Dinos; most recently played for the Mets in 2019)
-Odrisamer Despaigne (KT Wiz; most recently pitched for the White Sox in 2019)
-Drew Gagnon (Kia Tigers; most recently pitched for the Mets in 2019)
-Ben Lively (Samsung Lions; most recently pitched for the Royals in 2019)
-Dixon Machado (Lotte Giants; most recently played for the Tigers in 2018)
-Taylor Motter (Kiwoom Heroes; most recently played for the Twins in 2018)
-Tyler Saladino (Samsung Lions; most recently played for the Brewers in 2019)
-Adrian Sampson (Lotte Giants; most recently pitched for the Rangers in 2019)
-Warwick Saupold (Hanwha Eagles; most recently pitched for the Tigers in 2018)
-Dan Straily (Lotte Giants; most recently pitched for the Orioles in 2019)
-Preston Tucker (Kia Tigers; most recently played with the Reds in 2018)
-Mike Wright (NC Dinos; most recently pitched for the Mariners in 2019)
The league is seen as one of the best around the world, both producing and bringing in eventual/former Major League talent.
Former Pirates third baseman Jung-Ho Kang played in the league with the Hyundai Unicorns and Nexen Heroes from 2006-2014. Current Washington Nationals first baseman Eric Thames played for the NC Dinos from 2014-2016 in an attempt to revive his career before eventually signing with the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the 2017 season.
The league currently operates with 10 teams. All 10 will be in action on Tuesday. The Samsung Lions will host the NC Dinos at 2 PM KT (1 AM ET), a game that can be seen live on ESPN.
The KBO will be the second league to restart its season, trailing only the Chinese Professional Baseball League of Taiwan, which resumed play on April 12.
While no fans will be in attendance to begin the season, it will certainly be a possibility as the season progresses. The CPBL, less than a month into its season, is already permitting maximum crowds of 250 spectators into their games. The KBO could follow this pattern.
It is worth watching the KBO contests not only for the Major League Baseball and global talent, but for the potential blueprint as well. As ESPN picks up the contests for American citizens to watch, we could be looking at what the return to Major League Baseball and all professional sports looks like in this country.
It has been said that the United States' approach to dealing with the coronavirus outbreak was similar to South Korea. However, with such a large population density, the United States simply could not contain it in the manner that South Korea did, which will result in a slower return to normalcy.
Many plans for the MLB's return are on the table. The most recently reported has all 30 teams returning to their home city, with no fans in attendance for the beginning of the season. The teams would be split into three divisions (10 teams each) based on geographical proximity in an attempt to limit prolonged travel.
It is not American sports. But it is sports. And for now, I will gladly take that. We are not back yet, but we are getting there. Sit tight.
For now, tune into ESPN tonight and enjoy the baseball that is occurring. Have your caffeine ready. I will have my scorecard and Dr. Pepper right at my side. See you at 1 AM for first pitch.
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