“The clubhouse will really miss Kun’s poise and consistency,” said GM Mike Bauer. “We wish him all the best in retirement and will be praying for him and his family. He’s part of our family too and I’m sure several other BBA teams would say the same.”
Kun indeed had a long and storied career. It started when Las Vegas scouted Kun in China and added him to the international complex back in 2029. At age 18 in 2031, he began a gradual ascent through the Hustlers’ minor league system. Starting in 2035, he notched 6 seasons as a starter with Las Vegas, winning 80 games over 1138 innings with a 4.10 ERA. In 2040 he was traded right before the deadline to the California Crusaders. The Hustlers went on to win the Landis trophy that year. Because of his regular season service, Kun also received a 2040 championship ring.
In 2041 he was traded from California to Nashville, where spent 3 seasons before being traded again to Twin Cities. He spent several years working as a starter for the River Monsters before transitioning to the bullpen in 2049. Midway through 2050 he was released by Twin Cities but then signed a minor league contract with Portland. He spent all of 2051 on Portland farm teams, and once again became a free agent.
In 2052 he signed a major league deal with the team that would become his final home, Edmonton. He worked exclusively out of the bullpen, providing mentorship to younger players and plenty of autograph opportunities for fans.
Kun never made an All-Star team. His hardware consists of just the lone Hustlers’ championship ring and two Zimmer awards for his defensive prowess. Kun will likely be remembered as a team-first pitcher who appeared in 659 games and nearly pitched 3,000 innings in the BBA. He rarely bottomed out, and for his career tallied a 4.29 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and went 172-152 and a 103 ERA+.
Kun’s future post-transplant remains uncertain, but given his pedigree and longevity with the BBA, a future career as an assistant coach or staff member in the league is not out of question.
