Hanwha’s living legend Jung Woo-ram (38) became the first Asian single league pitcher to appear in 1,003 games. It exceeded 1,002 games held by Hitoki Iwase (49) of the Japanese professional baseball league.
Jung Woo-ram pitched in relief in the eighth inning with a 7-2 lead over Lotte in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 15th and pitched one inning. Bae Young-bin grounded out to third base, and Ahn Kwon-soo and Kim Min-seok grounded out to second base in succession, making it simple with seven balls. 토토사이트
Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho greeted Jung Woo-ram in front of the dugout as soon as he finished the inning. They shared hugs by delivering congratulatory bouquets and received a warm welcome from junior players. The home crowd also applauded and cheered for Jung Woo-ram.
Jung Woo-ram set a career record of 1,003 games with the mound. It was the most pitcher appearance in Asia’s single league, exceeding 1,002 games by Iwase, the representative closer who has the most 407 saves in the history of Japanese professional baseball.
Iwase pitched 1002 games in 19 seasons, except in 2015 when he was out for the season with an elbow injury from 1999 to 2018. It is a record that has not been broken in Japan since retiring at the end of 2018, but Jung Woo-ram has exceeded in the KBO League. For reference, in Taiwan, Gao Jian-san has the most appearances in 636 games. In the U.S. Major League Baseball, Jesse Orosco played 1252 games, the most ever.
Jung Woo-ram, who stole hot tears after setting a 1,000-game milestone for the first time as a KBO League pitcher against NC in Daejeon on the 2nd, stood tall as the most pitching pitcher in Asia with three additional games. The KBO League, which was launched in 1982 and has been in its 42nd year this year, started 46 years later than the Japanese professional baseball, which has been in its 88th year since 1936.
Although the history of professional baseball is far behind, 1,003 game pitchers, which have not appeared in Japan, have come from Korea. The main character, Jung Woo-ram, also said after the match, “It’s a record that means as much to me as 1,000 games. “I think it’s a sign that we’ve been playing steadily without injuries to overcome the league’s record with a longer history than ours,” he said.
Jung Woo-ram, who was happy to receive the rings prepared by junior players as a surprise gift at the 1,000-game business trip ceremony before the game (14th), said on the same day, “I was able to stand on the mound thanks to my juniors’ concentration in scoring points.” “I was able to come down after an inning thanks to my juniors’ good defense,” he said. “I want to thank all the players in my team and the coach for giving me the opportunity.”
Jung Woo-ram, who graduated from Gyeongnam Commercial High School and was nominated by SK (currently SSG) as the 11th overall pick in the second round in 2004 and took his first step as a professional, built a 1,003 game feat with 18 seasons, starting with his first appearance against Hanwha in Munhak on April 21 of that year. In 2008, more than 50 games, including the most 85 games in a season, were consistent enough to be played for 16 seasons.
He pitched a total of 977 innings, recording 64 wins, 47 losses, 197 saves, 145 holds, and an ERA of 3.18 strikeouts and 937 strikeouts. He is the only pitcher in the top 10 in both categories, ranking sixth in saves and fourth in holds. He played in 50 games for 12 consecutive seasons (2008-2021, the second all-time) and accumulated double-digit saves for 8 consecutive seasons (2012-2021, the third all-time).
In the postseason as well as the regular season, he pitched in a total of 31 games, including the Korean Series (15 games), the playoffs (10 games), the semi-playoffs (5 games), and the wild card (1 game). He also took the mound in a total of six games, including three in the 2015 Premier 12 and three in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.