“No, Yang Hyun-jong is almost in his late 30s, but I don’t know why he’s trying to look young.”
Yang Hyun-jong, the “great pitcher” of the KIA Tigers, started Game 2 of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO Korean Series (KS, best-of-seven series) against the Samsung Lions at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 23rd, and led his team to an 8-3 victory with eight hits, two outs, five strikeouts and two runs (one earned) in five ⅓ innings.
Yang added another milestone when he became the winning pitcher in Game 2 of the 2024 Korean Series. The current chairman of the KBO’s Power Enhancement Committee, Cho Kye-hyun, broke the record for the oldest starting pitcher for the Doosan Bears in 2000 in Game 4 of the Korean Series against the Hyundai Unicorns.
Chairman Cho Kye-hyun became a winning pitcher on Nov. 3, 2000, at the age of 36 years, six months and two days. As Yang Hyeon-jong won the starting title at the age of 36 years, seven months and 22 days, the history of the KBO Korean Series has changed.
For the first time in 10 consecutive seasons in the history of the KBO league, Yang played 170 innings and started 400 games in his career. He is writing the history of Korean baseball every time he takes the mound, becoming the youngest player ever to win 170 games in total. He also deeply engraved his name in the Korean Series.
“My body is still 27 years old, so I thought the word ‘oldest’ was only attached to (Choi) Hyung-woo,” Yang Hyun-jong said in an interview with an official trainer after the second game. “It’s a little strange that the word ‘oldest’ has been added to me, and I think time flies. I hope (other pitchers) will break this record quickly.”
Choi Hyung-woo had a short conversation with reporters about the interview that Yang Hyun-jong mentioned him before Game 3 of the Korean Series on the 25th. “I think (Yang Hyun-jong) said that to make him look younger,” he said in a witty joke.
“Yang is almost in his late 30s. He is five years older than me,” Choi said. “I hope he will continue to do well for a long time. I hope he will continue to play until the age of 45.”
Yang played in the Korean Series for the first time in the 2009 season when he was 21. He struggled against the SK Wyverns (current SSG Landers) by posting one loss in seven ⅓ innings and 6.14 ERA in three games, but acquired his first career championship ring as his team lifted the trophy with four wins and three losses.
It took eight years for Yang to take the mound again in the Korean Series. In the 2017 Korean Series, which involved a showdown with the Doosan Bears, he garnered one shutout victory in the second round, followed by one scoreless save in the fifth game, thereby displaying Kia’s “V11” by himself. He had the best year ever, winning the MVP of the regular league and the MVP of the Korean Series.
If Yang becomes the winning pitcher in Game 5 of the 2024 Korean Series on Friday, he will break the record of the oldest starting pitcher once again in five days. As a native of Gwangju, it is also meaningful to become a winning pitcher in a game that secures the Korean Series title at the home turf Champions Field.
KIA also has an opportunity to display celebratory shots in Gwangju for the first time in 37 years. KIA is a team that has won the most championships (11 times) in the Korean Series in the KBO League, but unexpectedly, it secured a championship at its home stadium only once in 1987. At the time, it beat Samsung with four consecutive wins to claim the top spot in the KBO League. 먹튀검증
