Tigers' Yang Hyeon-jong ends regular season with another record

Kia Tigers ace Yang Hyeon-jong became the first pitcher in KBO history to pitch at least 170 innings a season for 10 consecutive KBO seasons on Wednesday as the Tigers lost 5-2 to the Lotte Giants at home in Gwangju.

Kia Tigers' ace Yang Hyeon-jong pitches against the Kia Tigers at Gwangju Kia Champions Field on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Kia Tigers ace Yang Hyeon-jong became the first pitcher in KBO history to pitch at least 170 innings a season for 10 consecutive KBO seasons on Wednesday as the Tigers lost 5-2 to the Lotte Giants at home in Gwangju.

Yang, 36, also passed 2,500 career innings in the same game, the second highest in the league behind former Hanwha Eagles’ pitcher Song Jin-woo’s 3,003.

Yang had a tough outing despite the records, giving up a 1-0 lead by allowing the Giants to take five runs in the third, ultimately handing the veteran ace his fifth loss of the season.

It has been a banner season for Yang and the Tigers, who have already booked their spot in the Korean Series with the pennant secure ahead of the end of regular season games this weekend.

Yang, the Tigers ace for the last decade, has seen plenty of personal success as well, breaking the KBO strikeout record in August when he broke Song’s 2,048 record that had stood for 15 years. As of press time, Yang has now pushed that number to 2,076.

An announcement on the jumbotron marks Yang Hyeon-jong's record 10 seasons with at least 170 innings pitched at Gwangju Kia Champions Field on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

Yang’s 170-inning run started in 2014 and excludes 2021, when he played in the Texas Rangers organization in the major leagues. Over that run Yang has broken 180 innings five times and 190 twice, even nudging over the 200 line in 2016.

He also recorded double-digit wins in all but one of those seasons, narrowly missing out with nine last year.

Wednesday’s outing was likely Yang’s last of the 2024 regular season, with his next appearance expected at the Korean Series next month. Assuming that’s the case, Yang ends the regular season with a 4.10 ERA, 11 wins and five losses over 171 and one third innings of work.

The Korean Series is scheduled to start on Oct. 21.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]