Kim Kwang-hyun continues to shine in fifth straight win

Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Busch Stadium on July 22 in St Louis, Missouri. [AFP/YONHAP]

Kim Kwang-hyun extended his winning streak to five games on Thursday, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.

Kim gave up both runs in the win, ending his scoreless-inning streak at 24, the longest by a left-handed Cardinals starter since 1985.

The win, which fell on Kim's 33 birthday, continued a phenomenal July. Kim now has a 0.72 ERA for the month with two earned runs in 25 innings pitched with 17 strikeouts and six walks.

On Thursday Kim showed more control from the start, retiring the first six batters in order and taking down the entire lineup within the first three innings.

Both runs came in the fourth, when Kim's only walk put a runner on base, with a single and a double eventually getting two runners around to score.

Undeterred, Kim ended the fourth with a strikeout and then took down the next six batters in order to close out six innings with just two hits and one walk for two earned runs.

Thursday's came capped off an emotional week for Kim. On July 18 he pitched a dominant win against the San Francisco Giants with his wife and children in the crowd for the first time in his major league career.

On Thursday, Kim had to wave them off at the airport before the game as they head back to Korea and the southpaw once again faces a lonely life on the field. At Busch Stadium, however, Kim has very quickly become one of the most important members of a family of thousands, and he doesn't look like he's ready to stop anytime soon.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]