He also wrote the first KBO history, and there is another one left…How will 3.6 billion standard be treated as KIA vs. pitcher

Sep 21, 2025

He also wrote the first KBO history, and there is another one left…How will 3.6 billion standard be treated as KIA vs. pitcher
LG-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 24th. KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong is warming up before pitching. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.24/



KIA Tigers pitcher Yang Hyun-jong made the first page of KBO history again.

Yang Hyun-jong started against the Gwangju NC Dinos on the 20th and struck out Lee Woo-sung with two outs and a runner on first base in the top of the first inning to mark his 100th strikeout of the season. It was the 11th consecutive season with 100 strikeouts.

Yang Hyun-jong set a tie with Lee Kang-chul (1989-1998) and Jang Won-jun (2006-2011 and 2014-2017) for 10 consecutive seasons, surpassing the two legends and now rising to first place alone.




Yang Hyun-jong has recorded more than 100 strikeouts every year so far this year, except for 2021, when he entered the U.S. Major League starting with 165 strikeouts in 2014.

The total number of strikeouts is 2,178, which is also the number one in KBO history. On August 21 last year, he surpassed Song Jin-woo's 2048 in the match against the Lotte Giants in Gwangju. KBO history is changing every time Yang Hyun-jong takes the mound and adds one strikeout.

The best ace who dominated the KBO League this year is by far Cody Ponce of the Hanwha Eagles. Ponce went 17-1 with 174 ⅔ innings, 242 strikeouts and a 1.85 ERA in 28 games. He is overwhelmingly No. 1 in multiple wins, strikeouts, and ERA, setting a new record for the most strikeouts in a season.




Yang Hyun-jong, who is 37 years old this year, does not show as much ball power as Ponce, but as the cumulative record explains, he proves why he is called a 'Great Pitcher'.

Yang Hyun-jong himself is unlikely to be a very satisfactory season. He was 7-8 with 144 ⅓ innings and a 4.74 ERA in 28 games. This is because Yang Hyun-jong's record of 170 consecutive innings has been suspended for the first 10 consecutive seasons in KBO history. Starting with 171 ⅓ innings in 2014, he consistently recorded more than 170 innings until last year, and aimed for 170 innings for 11 consecutive seasons this year, but Yang Hyun-jong, who is a tightrope, was inevitable.

He also wrote the first KBO history, and there is another one left…How will 3.6 billion standard be treated as KIA vs. pitcher
KIA Tigers Yang Hyun-jong, who achieved 100 strikeouts in 11 consecutive seasons for the first time in KBO history. Photo courtesy = KIA Tigers
He also wrote the first KBO history, and there is another one left…How will 3.6 billion standard be treated as KIA vs. pitcher
LG-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 24th. KIA starter Yang Hyeon-jong is pitching. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.24/
Even if the record of 170 innings for 11 consecutive seasons has been canceled, the first-ever record challenge is still in effect. It is 150 innings for 11 consecutive seasons. Yang Hyun-jong achieved 150 innings for 10 consecutive seasons last year, setting the second record in KBO history and the first left-handed record. The first ever was achieved by Haitai (current KIA) Lee Kang-chul from 1989 to 1998.

Yang Hyun-jong can take the mound at least once more for the rest of the season. There are five ⅔ left until 150 innings, so a milestone challenge is possible.

Yang Hyun-jong is the only player in KIA's starting lineup this year who has not been hurt by an injury. KIA set up its opening starting rotation with James Nail, Adam Oler, Kim Do-hyun and Yoon Young-chul along with Yang Hyun-jong. Oler was away for about two months due to elbow inflammation at the end of the first half, and next, Yoon Young-chul went to the operating table due to left arm flexor muscle damage and ended the season. Recently, Kim Do-hyun and Nail stopped the season after hearing the findings of elbow inflammation. Veteran Yang Hyun-jong also conceded the rest of the four players in the order of rest, and he has never left his seat except for taking one rest during the All-Star break. This is why he can keep writing the milestone.

After this season, Yang Hyun-jong will qualify as the FA for the third time. After graduating from Gwangju Dongseong High School, he joined KIA as the No. 1 player in the second round of the rookie draft in 2007, and has maintained his reputation as a left-hander ace representing Korea as well as the team.

When he signed with the Texas Rangers in the Major League in 2021, he played as an FA and made his second FA contract with KIA when he returned to Korea ahead of the 2022 season. The total amount was 10.3 billion won for four years. Although the guarantee amount was 5.5 billion won, it added 4.8 billion won in options to match the total amount of 10 billion won.

There is no disagreement that KIA will catch Yang Hyun-jong. The amount negotiation is important, and the standard is likely to be left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun, who signed a non-FA multi-year contract with SSG Landers in June. Kim Kwang-hyun signed a two-year total of 3.6 billion won. As Yang Hyun-jong is the same age as Kim Kwang-hyun and has had a similar career, it is reasonable to assume that the size of the contract will be determined at this level.

He also wrote the first KBO history, and there is another one left…How will 3.6 billion standard be treated as KIA vs. pitcher
LG-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 24th. KIA starter Yang Hyun-jong is preparing to pitch. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.24/




This article was translated by Naver AI translator.