Yang Hyun-jong (36, KIA Tigers), the all-time inning player, once again left his name in KBO league history.
Yang Hyun-jong led KIA to a 5-2 come-from-behind victory with six hits (one homer) and three strikeouts and one run in five innings in a visit to the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League regular season against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 10th.고소득알바
Yang Hyun-jong also managed to turn around in the second half of the game by allowing one run to the 5th inning of the powerful LG lineup despite being thoroughly beaten by LG foreign pitcher Detrick N.S. The team has the minimum requirements to become a winning pitcher with 87 pitches (38 sliders, 35 fastballs, and 14 changeups) by skillfully utilizing the main weapon slider and the maximum speed of 148 kilometers per hour and the minimum speed of 138 kilometers per hour.
The game between Moon Bo-kyung in the fourth inning and Hong Chang-ki in the fifth inning was a highlight. Yang kept throwing fastballs at Moon in the second inning, and threw a third fastball of 141.1 kilometers per hour to the center, allowing a superior solo shot. It was an obvious but actual hit. However, as if to prove that his decision was not wrong, he met again in the fourth inning and struck out a rookie by throwing a one-sided pitching on his fastball. On the contrary, Hong, who is strong at fastball, threw only sliders in the fifth inning to draw a ground ball.
Yang hit leadoff hitter Austin Dean’s pitch with his right hand in the bottom of the fourth inning, achieving 100 innings for 11 consecutive seasons. This is the third time in KBO history after Song Jin-woo (1994-2006), who recorded 13 consecutive seasons during his time as Hanwha, and Jang Won-joon (2005-2017), who played for Lotte and Doosan for 11 consecutive seasons.
In addition, he made 500 appearances against Samsung in Daegu on July 4 and succeeded in starting 400 games for the first time in the KBO league. Starting with six starts in 2007, his debut season, he showed off his consistency by starting around 30 games every season from 2014 to last year.
After the game, Yang Hyun-jong said, “I knew about 100 innings, but I found out after taking the mound for 400 games. I am proud of what I have thrown steadily without getting sick and I think it is my strength. As I have maintained this until now in my career, I think I am naturally following my career records.”
“I say this all the time, but I am not conscious of my record. My team is focusing more on winning, and I think I have come this far after playing my role. Still, I want to achieve 170 innings. I will continue to challenge myself this season,” he said.
Yang is also known as one of the best innings pitched in the 42-year-old KBO league history and a byword for consistency. His 170 innings for the ninth consecutive year, which he has continued since 2014, opened a new horizon in the KBO league, and his accumulated performance has gone beyond the Tigers’ history to become a history in the KBO league. With 174 wins (second place in all time), 2,434 innings (second place) and 2019 strikeouts (second place), no other pitcher is comparable to him.
Yang Hyun-jong’s presence, who constantly plays a lot of innings in his 18th year since his debut, has been nothing more than a ray of light for KIA, which has been suffering from poor foreign one-two punch since Hector Noesi in 2017. This year, James Nail has been doing his part with eight wins, two losses and a 2.86 ERA in 18 games, but the number of innings per game is a little disappointing at 5.94 as he has been shaken since the fifth inning every time. Not to mention Will Crow, who was busy playing five innings with 5.04 innings, or Cam Aldred, a substitute foreign player with 4.93 innings.
While the lower starting lineup, consisting of foreigners and young pitchers, is unable to handle many innings, Yang is the only Korean pitcher who is listed in the top 10 in innings with 101 ⅔ innings this season. Yang is the only player who played more than 100 innings in the first place. Although he skipped the starting rotation once due to elbow numbness last month, he is ranked eighth in the KBO League innings. With no resources expected to return to the starting lineup until the end of the season, Yang’s physical management will play an important role in the race for the second half of the season.
Yang Hyeon-jong said, “After returning from injury, my physical condition is very good. I rested well enough during the All-Star break, so I will continue to throw starting rotation in the future. I think I have more work to do because I am managing my physical strength well and my team is maintaining its No. 1 ranking. I want to say thank you to the fans who are always supporting me regardless of home or away.”
“It was the first game in which Yang started 400 games for the first time in the KBO league on Tuesday. It is regrettable that Yang did not win despite his good pitching. Still, congratulations on your achievement of the milestone,” KIA manager Lee Bum-ho said.