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Kimchi fuels success for Dinos ace Thompson in 1st KBO season

Published: 19 Jun. 2025, 14:31

Riley Thompson, pitcher for the NC Dinos, throws a ball during a game against Hanwha Eagles at Changwon NC Park on May 30. [YONHAP]

Having spent his entire collegiate and minor league career in the United States until 2024, Riley Thompson, the first-year pitcher for the NC Dinos in the KBO, feels "blessed" to be able to live in a foreign country and experience a new culture for the first time.

It also helps that Thompson is already in love with Korean food, particularly kimchi, the country's signature side dish typically made from fermented cabbage.

"I love kimchi. I have to have kimchi every day," Thompson told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday before the Dinos played the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "I love it. So that's No. 1. I'm sure every foreigner says Korean barbecue, but Korean barbecue is amazing for a reason. I love kimchi."

Thompson, 28, said he was grateful for a chance to pitch in the KBO after spending the first seven years of his professional career without reaching Major League Baseball (MLB). The right-hander pitched for the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, in 2023 and 2024.

"It was always on my mind that I wanted to come play baseball overseas, and when I got here, I was just blessed to be able to have the opportunity, very thankful for it," Thompson said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to do this, to be one of the few players to get to come over here. I really enjoy playing in the KBO, and I really enjoy Korea. It's just been a fun experience so far."

Thompson was drafted by the Cubs in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB draft. But after reaching Single-A in 2019, Thompson did not play in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out the minor league season. He then missed the entire 2021 season because of a shoulder issue.

Bouncing back after losing those crucial developmental years was "more of a mental rehab than it was a physical one," Thompson recalled, but he also said that experience made him tougher.

Riley Thompson, pitcher for the NC Dinos, is seen during a game with LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on June 17. [NEWS1]

"Looking back, it's funny because sometimes hard times end up making you stronger in the future," he said. "So I think it made me stronger mentally and got me to where I am today."

And where he is today is near the top of the leaderboard in major pitching categories in the KBO. Through Wednesday's action, Thompson was tied for first with nine wins, alone in third with 114 strikeouts and sixth with 89 1/3 innings pitched.

He has had five outings in which he threw at least six innings and did not give up a run — tied for the second-most such starts in the KBO.

Though numbers may suggest he isn't having much difficulty in this league, Thompson said hitters in the KBO "are really good."

"They just make you work really hard," he said. "They're not going to just give you an at-bat. They're going to make you work really hard to get them out. And I think it's been challenging."

On Tuesday, Thompson held the LG Twins to two runs on five hits in six innings to win his second straight decision. It was his fourth start against the Twins already this year.

With only nine other opposing clubs in the KBO, starting pitchers may face some teams four or five times a season if they stay in the rotation for a full year.

Riley Thompson, pitcher for the NC Dinos, throws a ball during a game against Hanwha Eagles at Changwon NC Park on May 30. [YONHAP]

Thompson said he enjoys the challenge and likened it to a chess match.

"They get to see me, which maybe gives them an advantage to certain things, and then maybe I get to see them, and that gives me an advantage," he said. "So I think that's what makes it fun. We have to adjust on the fly and sometimes even in the game, pitch to pitch. I think that's what's good about this league. We get to face multiple teams multiple times."

One thing that took some adjusting for Thompson is pitching in front of huge crowds across the league. The KBO is on pace to shatter its single-season record of 10.88 million set last year. Teams surpassed the 6 million mark Tuesday in a record 350 games, 68 games ahead of last year's pace.

Thompson said he never got to perform in front of so many fans while in Triple-A.

"Sometimes, I can't even hear my PitchCom, but it's really a good thing," he said with a smile. "It was surprising how noisy the games are but in a good way. The games are so exciting and so fun. It was a good culture shock. I heard about how loud and exciting the games were. I've seen it on the internet. But even now, when I watch a game on TV, it doesn't capture the energy like going to the game. There's nothing like being there and experiencing it."

Yonhap