“A goal to challenge until I take off my uniform” Yang Hyeon-jong, who achieved 170 wins, is only looking at Song Jin-woo’s 210 wins

[OSEN=고척, 길준영 기자] KIA Tigers Yang Hyun-jong (36) showed his will to set a new record for the most wins in KBO League history.

Yang Hyun-jong started the game against Kiwoom Heroes in the ‘2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League’ held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 26th and recorded a victory with 4 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, and 2 runs in 7 innings. He achieved his second win of the season, reaching 170 career wins.

Yang Hyun-jong, who started the game cleanly with a three-way retirement in the bottom of the first inning, ended the inning with a three-way retirement in the second inning and got through the early part of the game in good spirits. In the 3rd inning, leadoff hitter Byeon Sang-kwon had a hit, and Kim Jae-hyeon’s sacrifice bunt put him in danger with one out and runners on second base, but he escaped the crisis on his own by striking out both Kim Hwi-jip and Ko Young-woo.

Yang Hyun-jong walked leadoff hitter Ronnie Dawson in the 4th inning, but Song Seong-moon, Choi Joo-hwan, and Lee Won-seok all hit out. In the 5th inning, Byeon Sang-kwon hit a single and Kim Jae-hyun hit a straight hit to third base. However, he threw a high 140 km/h fastball to Kim Hwi-jip and allowed a two-run home run. Ko Young-woo ended the inning by catching a fly ball to right field.

Yang Hyun-jong, who was hit by Dawson in the 6th inning, induced Song Seong-moon to hit a 4-6-3 double play and quickly erased the runner. Choi Joo-hwan caught a ground ball to second base. Yang Hyun-jong, who was on the mound in the 7th inning, finished the day’s appearance cleanly with a three-way throw. KIA won 13-2 and reached its 20th win of the season.

Yang Hyun-jong, who recorded 94 pitches, blocked Kiwoom’s batting line by using fastballs (46 pitches), sliders (27 pitches), changeups (20 pitches), and curves (1 pitch). The highest speed of his fastball reached 143km. He actively competed with batters, pitching 7 innings for the first time this season, with a strike rate of 69.1%.

Yang Hyun-jong said in a post-game interview, “I didn’t feel that it was that difficult today. The overall balance was not good. My physical condition has not improved yet. So, I got scolded by (Kim) Taegun a lot during the game. I had to throw the ball hard and get a feel for it so Taegun could take the lead, but it was difficult for him to throw with all his might. We also talked a lot about when Kim Hwi-jip hit a home run. I thought the next game was more important than winning today, so I thought that throwing with all my might would have an impact. “But starting from the 6th episode, it seems like the overall speed has increased a lot.”

Yang Hyeon-jong, who joined KIA as a 2nd first round (1st pick) pick in the 2007 rookie draft, has never left KIA except for 2021 when he advanced to the Major League (Texas). This year is the 17th season at KIA alone. Yang Hyeon-jong, who is active this season with 6 games (35⅔ innings), 2 wins, 1 loss, and an average ERA of 3.53, solidified his place in second place with the most wins in KBO League history by recording 170 wins, 114 losses, and an average ERA of 3.81 in 490 games (2,368 innings) with this victory. did.

Yang Hyun-jong, who received a warm congratulatory ceremony from the players, said, “I feel so good to receive such congratulations. I feel like our team has become one. To be honest, I had an ambiguous feeling as to whether I should be congratulated like this for winning 170 games. Still, I was very grateful that the players congratulated me. However, my goal is to win the title as the first in the KBO League, so I think there is still a long way to go,” he said, setting his sights on the most wins in history.

The legend that Yang Hyun-jong, who achieved 170 wins, looks at is Song Jin-woo, who holds the record for the most wins in the KBO League. Song Jin-woo recorded a total of 672 games (3,003 innings) in the KBO League, 210 wins, 153 losses, 17 holds, 103 saves, and an ERA of 3.51. He is ranked first in history in various indicators such as innings and strikeouts (2,048) as well as the most wins in his career.

Yang Hyeon-jong said, “It will be really difficult and difficult until the day I take off my uniform, but I will try to prepare well so that I can surpass senior Song Jin-woo’s record. “(Recording the most wins in my career) seems to be my biggest goal until I take off my uniform,” he said, strengthening his resolve. /[email protected]

[저작권자 @머니투데이, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]