Kim Ra-kyung
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| Kim Ra-kyung | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Heights – No. 29 | |||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: November 4, 2000 | |||
| |||
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Kim Ra-kyung (Hangul: 김라경; born November 4, 2000), also known as Rakyung Kim, is a South Korean professional baseball pitcher for the New York Heights of the Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL). A longtime member of the South Korea women's national baseball team, Kim became the first woman to play in South Korea's competitive university baseball league and led the 2018 Women's Baseball World Cup in strikeouts.[1]
Early career
Kim began playing baseball as a child after watching her older brother, former Hanwha Eagles pitcher Kim Byeong-geun. She joined a Little League team and continued playing despite the absence of a formal girls' baseball pathway in South Korea.[1]
In 2015, Kim became the youngest player selected to the South Korean women's national team. She represented South Korea at the 2016 Women's Baseball World Cup and emerged as one of the team's leading pitchers at the 2018 tournament.[2] At the 2018 World Cup, she recorded 19 strikeouts in 14 innings with a 1.00 earned run average.[3]
University and Japanese baseball
Kim attended Seoul National University, where she joined the university's men's baseball team. In 2020, she became the first woman to play in South Korea's competitive university baseball league.[1] She appeared both as a pitcher and hitter in the Korea University Sports Federation's U-League.[4]
Kim later moved to Japan to play for the corporate baseball team Asahi Trust. Her time there was interrupted by an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.[5]
In 2025, Kim joined the Saitama Seibu Lions Ladies, becoming the first South Korean player to play for the Japanese club.[6]
Women's Professional Baseball League
The New York Heights selected Kim with the 11th overall pick in the inaugural 2025 Women's Pro Baseball League draft.[6]
Kim was named New York's starting pitcher for the first game in WPBL history on August 1, 2026, against the Los Angeles Queens. Facing Mo'ne Davis to begin the game, Kim threw the first pitch in league history for a swinging strike. She pitched four innings, striking out four while allowing four runs on two hits.[7]
In popular culture
Kim was featured in the 2026 documentary series Call Us Crazy: Women's Baseball, which followed Kim and other South Korean players as they pursued opportunities in the newly formed WPBL.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jung, Young-jae; Yun, So-hyang (March 20, 2022). "Kim Ra-kyung is striking out baseball's gender stereotypes". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Pitching phenom puts aside baseball to focus on studies". Korea JoongAng Daily. September 26, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
- ↑ "VIII Women's Baseball World Cup Daily Report No. 8" (PDF). World Baseball Softball Confederation. August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
- ↑ "김라경". Korea University Sports Federation (in 한국어). Retrieved August 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Twenty-year-old ace Kim Ra-kyung signs with new agent after Tommy John surgery". Korea JoongAng Daily. February 5, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Rakyung Kim". Women's Professional Baseball League. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
- ↑ Lee, Seonghun (August 2, 2026). "First Female Pro Baseball Starting Pitcher in 72 Years Realizes Long-Awaited Dream". SBS News. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Call Us Crazy: Women's Baseball". Netflix. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
External links
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- CS1 한국어-language sources (ko)
- Use mdy dates from August 2026
- Articles containing suspected AI-generated texts from August 2026
- 2000 births
- 21st-century South Korean sportswomen
- South Korean women baseball players
- Baseball pitchers
- Seoul National University alumni
- South Korean expatriate baseball players in Japan
- South Korean expatriate baseball people in the United States
- New York Heights players
- Women players in men's baseball
