View source for Kim Dong-joo

{{short description|South Korean baseball player}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Kim Dong-Joo
|image=Kim Dong-Joo, Beijing 2008.jpg
|image_size=250
|caption=Kim batting for [[South Korea national baseball team|South Korea]] in the [[Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Summer Olympics]].
|team=
|number=
|position=[[Third baseman]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1976|2|3}}
|debutleague=[[Korean Baseball Organization|KBO]]
|debutyear=1998
|debutdate=April 11
|debutteam=[[OB Bears]]
|finalleague=KBO
|finalyear=2013
|finalteam=[[Doosan Bears]]
|statyear=
|statleague=KBO
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.309
|stat2label=[[Home runs]]
|stat2value=273
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|RBI]]
|stat3value=1097
| highlights =
* [[Korea Series]] champion (2001)
* 4x [[KBO League Golden Glove Award]] (2000, 2003, 2007, 2008)
|teams=
*[[Doosan Bears|OB/Doosan Bears]] (1997–2014)
|medaltemplates=
{{MedalCountry |  {{KOR}} }}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Baseball at the Summer Olympics|Baseball]]}}
{{MedalBronze | [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics|Team]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]]|[[Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics|Team]]}}
}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Kim (Korean name)|Kim]]||lang=Korean}}

'''Kim Dong-Joo''' ({{Korean|hangul=김동주|hanja=金東柱}}; born February 3, 1976, in [[Seoul]], South Korea) is a retired South Korean [[third baseman]], who played his entire career for the [[Doosan Bears]] in the [[KBO League]]. He batted and threw [[right-handed]].

== Amateur career ==

While attending Baemyung High School in [[Seoul]], South Korea, Kim's main position was [[shortstop]], batting [[leadoff hitter|leadoff]], but he was considered one of the best high school [[power pitcher]]s as well. In 1992, Kim swept most of the major individual titles (best pitcher, home run, and runs batted in) in the Phoenix National Championship, the most prestigious annual high school baseball competition in South Korea, pitching to a 0.80 ERA and batting .600 with 10 runs batted in.

Upon graduation from high school in 1994, Kim chose to enter college instead of the [[Korea Baseball Organization]] draft, and started his collegiate career at [[Korea University]].

In his freshman year, Kim quit pitching to switch focus to hitting. In the 1994 college season, he batted .308 with 2 home runs and 11 runs batted in, missing half of the season due to injuries.

During his sophomore year in 1995, Kim batted .373 with 4 home runs and 14 runs batted in during the season, and earned the Most Valuable Player award in the national championship. In that same year, Kim was selected for the [[South Korea national baseball team]], and competed in the [[Baseball at the Universiade|1995 Summer Universiade]] and [[Intercontinental Cup (baseball)|Intercontinental Cup]], manning [[right field]] and [[shortstop]].

In 1996, Kim had a true breakout season as a junior. During the season, Kim batted .402 with 11 home runs and 22 runs batted in. He also won the Most Valuable Player award with four home runs and a .625 batting average in the national championship. Prior to the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] in [[Atlanta]], United States, many had expected Kim to be chosen as a key member of the South Korean national team for the first Olympic medal in baseball. However, the [[manager (baseball)|manager]] of Korea University's major rival [[Yonsei University]] was named as the manager of the South Korean national team for the Olympics, and Kim was omitted from the final 24-man roster. In part due to the offensive void caused by Kim's absence, South Korea had one of the worst international results, ranked the lowest among the eight teams with a 1–6 record.

As a senior at [[Korea University]] in 1997, Kim competed for the [[South Korea national baseball team]] in the [[Asian Baseball Championship]]. In the [[Round-robin tournament|round-robin]] tournament, Kim smacked two home runs off [[Koji Uehara]] in the 3–2 loss to [[Japan national baseball team|Japan]]. In the final game, Kim hit two home runs off Koji Uehara again to lead South Korea to a 9–8 victory over Japan and win the Asian Championship. In the tournament, Kim batted .538 with an astonishing 9 [[home run]]s and 19 runs batted in<!--not a mistake--> in only 26 [[at-bat]]s. Kim finally won the Most Valuable Player award in near-unanimous vote.

===Notable international careers===
{| class="wikitable"
!style="background:#0A6EFF"|<span style="color:white;">Year</span>
!style="background:#0A6EFF"|<span style="color:white;">Venue</span>
!style="background:#0A6EFF"|<span style="color:white;">Competition</span>
!style="background:#0A6EFF"|<span style="color:white;">Team</span>
!style="background:#0A6EFF"|<span style="color:white;">Individual Note</span>
|-
|1995
|{{bb|JPN}}
|[[Baseball at the Universiade|Universiade]]
|style="text-align:center"|[[File:Silver medal icon.svg]]
|.333 BA (2-for-6)
|-
|1995
|{{bb|CUB}}
|[[Intercontinental Cup (baseball)|Intercontinental Cup]]
|style="text-align:center"|4th
|
|-
|1997
|{{bb|TPE}}
|[[Asian Baseball Championship]]
|style="text-align:center"|[[File:Gold medal icon.svg]]
|.538 BA (14-for-26), 9 HR, 19 RBI, '''MVP'''
|}

== Professional career ==

Upon graduation from Korea University in 1998, Kim made himself eligible for the 1998 Korea Baseball Organization draft, and was selected by the [[OB Bears]] in the first round. He made his debut on April 11, 1998, against the [[Haitai Tigers]] and got his first hit in that game. In his rookie season, Kim batted a respectable .265 with 24 home runs, 121 hits and 89 runs batted in, appearing in 125 games as a starting [[right fielder]]. In November, Kim competed for the [[South Korea national baseball team]] in the [[1998 Asian Games]] in [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]]. South Korea won their first Asian Games gold medal, beating [[Japan national baseball team|Japan]] 13-1 in the finals, and Kim received a military exemption along with [[Chan Ho Park|Park Chan-Ho]], [[Jae Seo|Seo Jae-Weong]] and [[Kim Byung-Hyun]] by winning gold.

In 1999, Kim switched from right field to [[third base]] to focus strictly on hitting. In the 1999 regular season, Kim posted a .321 batting average with 22 home runs, 128 hits and 84 runs batted in. In November, Kim was selected for the South Korean national team again that won the gold medal at the [[Asian Baseball Championship|1999 Asian Baseball Championship]] in [[Seoul]], South Korea, and helped the team to clinch an Olympic quota slot for 2000, hitting .273 with 2 runs batted in.

In 2000, Kim posted a solid .339 batting average, compiling career-highs in home runs (31), hits (159) and runs batted in. He was runner-up for a [[batting average (baseball)|batting]] title, finishing only .001 behind league-leader [[Park Jong-Ho]], 3rd in hits, 4th in runs batted in, and 8th in home runs. He also won his first [[KBO League Golden Glove Award]] as a third baseman.  In September, Kim competed for the [[South Korea national baseball team]] in the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]], where they won their first Olympic medal in baseball by defeating [[Japan national baseball team|Japan]] 3-1 in the bronze medal game. In the tournament, he led attack alongside [[Lee Seung-Yeop]] and [[Lee Byung-Kyu]], going 7-for-24 with 5 runs batted in.

In 2001, Kim failed to reach the 20 home run club for the first time as a professional, but he managed to hit a [[Grand slam (baseball)|grand slam]] in game 5 of the 2001 [[Korean Series]] that helped the Bears beat the [[Samsung Lions]] to win their first Korean Series title since 1995.

In 2002, Kim ranked 5th in batting (.318) and 6th in home runs (26), accumulating 132 hits and 79 runs batted in. In October, Kim competed in the [[2002 Asian Games]] in [[Busan]], South Korea, and led his team to their second Asian Game gold medal, hitting .313 with one home run and three runs batted in.

In 2003, Kim had his best year in batting average, hitting .332 in 118 games. He had 137 hits in 401 at-bats, compiling 23 home runs and 89 runs batted in. He won his first career batting title and finished 8th in home runs.

In 2004, Kim failed to post six consecutive seasons with a batting average above .300, finishing the year with a .286 average.

In 2005, Kim batted .300-plus again (.301), but posted only 10 home runs and 81 hits, missing over 30 games due to an injury early in the season.

Prior to the 2006 season, Kim competed for the [[South Korea national baseball team]] in the [[2006 World Baseball Classic|inaugural World Baseball Classic]] in March 2006. However, he injured his left shoulder while diving into first on an infield single in the top of the 6th inning in Team Korea's first WBC game against [[Chinese Taipei national baseball team|Chinese Taipei]] and thus missed the rest of the tournament. Due to the injury, Kim was sidelined for most of the 2006 season. He eventually came back to play in August, but appeared in only 43 games, posting career lows in nearly every offensive category - a .250 batting average, a .386 [[slugging percentage]], 4 home runs, 16 runs batted in, 19 runs and 35 hits.

In 2007, Kim bounced back from a disappointing previous year, batting .322 with 19 home runs and 78 runs batted in and stealing a career-high 11 bases in the regular season. He ranked 5th in batting, 6th in runs batted in and 7th in home runs, and won his second Golden Glove Award at third base.

Kim enjoyed another solid season in 2008, racking up 104 runs batted in with a .309 batting average, 18 home runs and 112 hits. He was runner-up in runs batted in, 5th in [[slugging percentage]], 4th in [[on-base percentage]], and 9th in [[home run]]s. Kim won his third Golden Glove Award at third base, edging out [[Choi Jeong]] by 22 votes. In August, Kim competed in the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in [[Beijing]], China as a member of the South Korean national team that won their first Olympic gold medal. In the tournament, he batted .294 with 5 hits in 17 at-bats, scoring 4 runs as a starting third baseman.

In 2009, Kim posted his best [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] (.353) that ranked 4th best in the league. He was 1st in [[on-base plus slugging]] (1.049), 2nd in [[on-base percentage]] (.455) and [[slugging percentage]] (.593), and eighth for the runs batted in title (86).

===Notable international careers===
{| class="wikitable"
!style="background:#0A6EFF"|<span style="color:white;">Year</span>
!style="background:#0A6EFF"|<span style="color:white;">Venue</span>
!style="background:#0A6EFF"|<span style="color:white;">Competition</span>
!style="background:#0A6EFF"|<span style="color:white;">Team</span>
!style="background:#0A6EFF"|<span style="color:white;">Individual Note</span>
|-
|1998
|{{bb|THA}}
|[[Baseball at the 1998 Asian Games|Asian Games]]
|style="text-align:center"| [[File:Gold medal icon.svg]]
|.400 BA (8-for-20), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R
|-
|1999
|{{bb|KOR}}
|[[Asian Baseball Championship]]
|style="text-align:center"| [[File:Gold medal icon.svg]]
|.273 BA (3-for-11), 2 RBI
|-
|2000
|{{bb|AUS}}
|[[baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|style="text-align:center"| [[File:Bronze medal icon.svg]]
|.292 BA (7-for-24), 5 RBI, 2 R
|-
|2002
|{{bb|KOR}}
|[[Baseball at the 2002 Asian Games|Asian Games]]
|style="text-align:center"| [[File:Gold medal icon.svg]]
|.313 BA (5-for-16), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
|-
|2003
|{{bb|JPN}}
|[[Asian Baseball Championship]]
|style="text-align:center"| [[File:Bronze medal icon.svg]]
|.091 BA (1-for-11)
|-
|2006
|{{bb|USA}}
|[[2006 World Baseball Classic|World Baseball Classic]]
|style="text-align:center"| [[File:Bronze medal icon.svg]]
|.333 BA (1-for-3)
|-
|2007
|{{bb|TPE}}
|[[2007 Asian Baseball Championship|Asian Baseball Championship]]
|style="text-align:center"| [[File:Silver medal icon.svg]]
|.167 BA (1-for-6), 1 R, 2 BB
|-
|2008
|{{bb|TPE}}
|[[Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Qualification#Final Qualifying Tournament|Final Olympic Qualification Tournament]]
|style="text-align:center"| [[File:Silver medal icon.svg]]
|.400 BA (2-for-5), 1 RBI, 3 R
|-
|2008
|{{bb|CHN}}
|[[baseball at the 2008 Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|style="text-align:center"| [[File:Gold medal icon.svg]]
|.294 BA (5-for-17), 4 R, 4 BB
|-
|}

== External links ==
{{Baseballstats|brm=kim---006don}}
* Career statistics and player information from [http://www.koreabaseball.com/record/player.asp?player_id=98218 the Korea Baseball Organization official site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930031245/http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=KIMDON03  databaseOlympics]

{{South Korea 2000 Olympic Games roster}}
{{2008 Olympic Champions Baseball}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Dong-Joo}}
[[Category:Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Baseball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for South Korea]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for South Korea]]
[[Category:Olympic baseball players for South Korea]]
[[Category:Doosan Bears players]]
[[Category:KBO League designated hitters]]
[[Category:KBO League third basemen]]
[[Category:Korea University alumni]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Seoul]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Busan]]
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in baseball]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists in baseball]]
[[Category:Asian Games baseball players for South Korea]]
[[Category:Baseball players at the 1998 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Baseball players at the 2002 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit (South Korea)]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea]]