Kia Tigers ace Yang Hyeon-jong became the new career strikeout leader in South Korean baseball Wednesday.

Kia Tigers starter Yang Hyeon-jong pitches against the Lotte Giants during the clubs’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangju on Aug. 21, 2024. (Yonhap)

Kia Tigers starter Yang Hyeon-jong pitches against the Lotte Giants during the clubs’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangju on Aug. 21, 2024. (Yonhap)

Yang picked up his 2,049th strikeout against the Lotte Giants in his home city of Gwangju, moving past former Hanwha Eagles hurler Song Jin-woo to reach the top of the all-time strikeout list in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Yang struck out Yoon Dong-hee swinging for the final out of the top of the third inning for the milestone at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul.

The scoreboard at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the sou
thern city of Gwangju shows the 2,049th career strikeout by Kia Tigers pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong (C), a new record in the Korea Baseball Organization. Yang moved to the top of the leaderboard by striking out Yoon Dong-hee of the Lotte Giants in the top of the third inning. (Yonhap)

The scoreboard at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangju shows the 2,049th career strikeout by Kia Tigers pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong (C), a new record in the Korea Baseball Organization. Yang moved to the top of the leaderboard by striking out Yoon Dong-hee of the Lotte Giants in the top of the third inning. (Yonhap)

It was also Yang’s 102nd strikeout of the season. He is just the third pitcher in KBO history to record at least 100 strikeouts in 10 consecutive seasons.

Song retired in 2009 with an all-time high 3,003 innings pitched across 21 seasons. Yang, 36, is pitching in his 17th season and had logged 2,471 1/3 innings, the second most in league history, prior to Wednesday.

As he returned to the dugout, Yan
g was greeted by his manager, Lee Bum-ho, who embraced his one-time Tigers teammate and gave him a bouquet of flowers.

Before the start of the bottom of the third inning, Yang was recognized in a brief on-field ceremony. Captains from both clubs, Na Sung-bum for the Tigers and Jeon Jun-woo for the Giants, presented the pitcher with flowers, and the players posed for photos behind the home plate.

The scoreboard at the stadium flashed the number 2,049.

Kia Tigers pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong (R) is congratulated by manager Lee Bum-ho after setting the Korea Baseball Organization career strikeout record with his 2,049th strikeout against the Lotte Giants at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangju on Aug. 21, 2024. (Yonhap)

Kia Tigers pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong (R) is congratulated by manager Lee Bum-ho after setting the Korea Baseball Organization career strikeout record with his 2,049th strikeout against the Lotte Giants at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangju on Aug. 21,
2024. (Yonhap)

Yang finished the game with 2,053 strikeouts, with seven strikeouts over five innings.

He did not get a decision in a 6-5 win by the Tigers, after giving up four runs on seven hits, including two home runs, across those five frames. He struck out seven, one shy of his season high.

Yang cruised through four frames, giving up only three hits while throwing 36 of his 40 pitches for strikes. With the Tigers up 3-0 in the top of the fifth, the Giants scored four times off Yang, with No Jin-hyuk hitting a solo homer and Son Ho-young smacking a go-ahead three-run shot.

Kim Sun-bin got Yang off the hook by delivering a game-tying single in the bottom fifth.

The Giants reclaimed their lead in the top sixth, as Jeon led off the frame with a solo shot off new pitcher Gwak Do-gyu.

The game went into a rain delay in the bottom of the seventh when the Tigers had men at first and second with no out and cleanup Socrates Brito at the plate. It resumed 22 minutes later, and after Brito’s flyout advanced bo
th runners, Na Sung-bum drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly to right field.

The Tigers scored the go-ahead run in the bottom eighth on an error by third baseman Son Ho-young.

Kia Tigers pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong (C) is congratulated by Tigers captain Na Sung-bum (L) and Lotte Giants captain Jeon Jun-woo after setting the Korea Baseball Organization career strikeout record with his 2,049th strikeout against the Giants at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangju on Aug. 21, 2024. (Yonhap)

Kia Tigers pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong (C) is congratulated by Tigers captain Na Sung-bum (L) and Lotte Giants captain Jeon Jun-woo after setting the Korea Baseball Organization career strikeout record with his 2,049th strikeout against the Giants at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangju on Aug. 21, 2024. (Yonhap)

Long a model of consistency and durability on the mound, Yang has also tossed at least 100 innings for the 11th consecutive season, and in 14 of his 17 seasons overall.
He also has 12 seasons in which he has struck out at least 100 batters — tied with SSG Landers ace Kim Kwang-hyun for most in KBO history.

Yang would have broken Song’s record last year if he hadn’t spent the 2021 season with the Texas Rangers in the majors.

He only had a cup of coffee in the bigs, logging 35 1/3 innings across 12 outings, including four starts, and going 0-3 with a 5.60 ERA. He spent the majority of that year in Triple-A, where he had an identical 0-3 record and a 5.60 ERA in 10 appearances.

Yang reunited with the Tigers in 2022 and has been his typical self. From the beginning of 2022 to Tuesday, Yang had thrown a KBO-high 485 1/3 innings, while ranking fourth with 373 strikeouts and seventh with a 3.69 ERA.

Yang has never led the league in strikeouts in any season but has finished inside the top 10 on 10 occasions.

The bespectacled ace enjoyed his finest season in 2017, when he won a career-high 20 games and helped the Tigers to their 11th Korean Series title, while becoming the firs
t player ever to win both the regular season and Korean Series MVP awards in the same year.

Yang is second on the career wins list with 177, 33 behind Song.

Source: Yonhap News Agency