SSG Landers ace Kim Kwang-hyun (35) surpassed Jung Min-chul to rank third in the most wins category.
Kim Kwang-hyun started the first game of the double header against Lotte in the “2024 KBO League” held at Sajik Stadium on the 9th and became the winning pitcher by pitching six hits and four strikeouts in six innings.퀸알바
On the same day, the batters also scored 14 hits, winning 5-1 and giving the ace four wins of the season.
It took Kim Kwang-hyun 60 days to win four games. Kim Kwang-hyun, who had been cruising at the beginning of the season, was on a roll with his third win in his fourth appearance on April 10.
However, he accumulated four losses without a win due to lack of luck or poor performance in the eight games he played since then, drawing everyone’s concerns. Notably, Kim Kwang-hyun, who lost as many as seven runs in 2.2 innings in the game against LG on April 28, his previous appearance, has strengthened his pride.
This Lotte match was a great opportunity for Kim Kwang-hyun to announce his revival. Kim Kwang-hyun is particularly strong against Lotte, and especially with this victory, he has won eight consecutive games at Sajik Stadium since April 2016.
Kim Kwang-hyun, who added a multiplier, won his 162nd career victory, overtaking retired Jung Min-chul to rise to third place in the KBO League’s career victory category.
Kim Kwang-hyun, who made his debut with SK (currently SSG) in 2007, won only three games in his first year, but won 16 games the year after breaking the shell, rapidly growing into a representative pitcher of the league.
Kim Kwang-hyun, who served as the team’s ace, won 12 and 17 wins in 2009 and 2010, respectively, and slowed down briefly due to injury for the next two years before showing off his robustness by winning double-digit wins for seven consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2022 (2020 and 2021 ML advance).
Last year, he recorded an ERA of 3.53, but won only nine games due to lack of luck, and this season, he was feared to be aging, but won his 162nd victory based on his outstanding ability.
Song Jin-woo has 210 wins in total. Kim is chasing this record with his debut teammate Yang Hyeon-jong (172 wins). However, thorough self-management and a long run are essential to reach the milestone. In other words, Kim needs to maintain his current form until age 40, just like Song did, in order to make another history.
Reporter Kim Yoon-il (eunice@dailian.co.kr )