Kim struck out the side in the ninth inning of an exhibition victory over the Royals on Wednesday, his first chance in a save situation as the Cardinals' closer, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. "Good tempo, multiple pitches for strikes, lefties, righties," manager Mike Shildt said. "That's the reason he's in that spot. He's a veteran guy with good presence. Went out with a lot of different pitches with good movement."
The southpaw was dominant during his brief time on the mound, needing only 16 pitches -- 10 of which he threw for strikes -- to wipe out the trio of Franchy Cordero, Nick Heath and Bobby Witt. The most impressive aspect of Kim's outing may have been the repertoire he flashed, as he ran the gamut from a 70-mph curveball to a 94-mph fastball, including putting away Witt with an 84-mph slider for the game-ending strikeout.