| Lim Chang-yong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1976-06-04)June 4, 1976 (age 48) Gwangju, South Korea | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| KBO: June 18, 1995, for the Haitai Tigers | |
| NPB: March 28, 2008, for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows | |
| MLB: September 7, 2013, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last appearance | |
| KBO: October 16, 2018, for the Kia Tigers | |
| NPB: June 22, 2012, for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows | |
| MLB: September 27, 2013, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| KBO statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 130–86 |
| Earned run average | 3.45 |
| Strikeouts | 1,474 |
| Saves | 258 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 11–13 |
| Earned run average | 2.09 |
| Strikeouts | 231 |
| Saves | 128 |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 0–0 |
| Earned run average | 5.40 |
| Strikeouts | 5 |
| Saves | 0 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Lim Chang-yong | |
| Hangul | 임창용 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 林昌勇 |
| Revised Romanization | Im Changyong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Im Ch'angyong |
Lim Chang-yong (Korean: 임창용;Korean pronunciation:[im.tɕʰaŋ.joŋ]; born June 4, 1976) is a former South Korean professionalbaseballright-handedpitcher. He pitched inMajor League Baseball,Nippon Professional Baseball, andKBO League baseball. In the KBO, Lim ranks among the top ten pitchers in terms of career wins, strikeouts, and saves.
Lim is a 5 ft 11 in, 175 lb right-handed sidearm pitcher. He could throw a 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph)four-seam fastball, though the pitch usually sat at 93–95 mph (150–153 km/h).[1] His signature pitch was histwo-seam fastball which, due to its unique tailing movement earned the nickname "Serpent fastball" (뱀직구). His other pitches included a high 70sslider with a sharp horizontal break, a mid 80sforkball, and a rarely used 60 mph (97 km/h) slow-curveball. He was one of the few pitchers who could pitch in multiple pitching forms. Lim pitched primarily sidearm and underhand, but could pitch from the three-quarters motion at will.
Lim made his pro debut in 1995 with theHaitai Tigers inKorea Baseball Organization, and was regularly picked for theSouth Korean baseball team as arelief pitcher since the1998 Asian Games, and won the bronze medal at the2000 Summer Olympics and twoAsian Game gold medals in1998 and2002.
Though predominantly known as acloser, Lim was converted to astarting pitcher in 2001, and spent three years as theSamsung Lions' starter before returning to the bullpen in 2004. There was interest from Major League squads,[citation needed] but Lim decided to stay in South Korea.
In late 2007, Lim was signed by Japan'sTokyo Yakult Swallows in the hopes of bolstering their weak bullpen. In the2008 NPB season, he recorded 33 saves (5th in the NPB league) with a 3.00 ERA in 51 innings pitched.
In the2009 NPB season, he recorded a 0.00 ERA for a few months, earning his nickname "Mr.Zero", and was also featured in the 2009 NPB All-star Game as acloser for theCentral League team. He was sent down to the reserve squad after his ERA rose to 1.84 in a short stint, but he was brought back to strengthen Yakult's weak bullpen, which was responsible for its recent losses.
Lim had his secondTommy John surgery in July 2012.
After the 2012 season, Lim agreed to a contract with theChicago Cubs ofMajor League Baseball.[2] The Cubs promoted Lim to the major leagues on September 4, 2013.[3] After the season, Lim was non-tendered by Chicago, becoming a free agent.[4] The Cubs re-signed him to a minor league contract. He was released on March 24, 2014.
After being released by the Cubs, Lim signed up with Samsung Lions of KBO League (South Korea). In 2014 season, he recorded 31 saves with 5.84 ERA. However, in 2015 season he showed better performance of 33 saves, 2.83 ERA.
Lim was released after 2015 season for illegal gambling.[citation needed]
Lim played with the Tigers for the second time in 2016–2018. On March 11, 2019, he announced his retirement.[5]
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