SSG Landers’ Kim Kwang-hyun has reached 160 career wins in the KBO.
Kim Kwang-hyun started against SSG Landers in the 2024 KBO League at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea, on April 29, allowing one run on six hits and four walks while striking out seven in six innings. He pitched a quality start (six innings of three earned runs or less) to lead his team to victory. Behind ace Kim Kwang-hyun’s strong pitching performance, SSG defeated Samsung 6-4.
On this day, Kim reached the 160-win milestone in his KBO career. This is the fewest games (358) in history. The previous record was set on June 10, 2008, by Jung Min-chul of Daegu Samsung Electronics (373 games). Kim Kwang-hyun is now fourth on the all-time individual wins list. In third place is Jung Min-cheol with 161 wins.
After the match, Kim Kwang-hyun said, “I didn’t think about the 160 points. I was worried because the team atmosphere was not good. However, the batters scored runs from the beginning of the game, so I was able to pitch comfortably,” he said after the victory.
The record of 160 wins in a minimum number of matches doesn’t mean much to him. It’s just one game toward his goal of 200 wins. “My goal is 200 wins,” Kim said. Until then, I think I have to keep looking up and keep playing baseball. It’s just a process right now. It’s still too early to get excited. I won’t put any meaning on it other than ending the losing streak,” he said bluntly.
Kim kept the Samsung bats in check with a masterful slider. In the first inning, he used his fastball to break the opponent’s momentum, and later threw more changeups. “At the beginning of the game, I thought I had to keep the runs to a minimum,” Kim said. In the first inning, I threw a little harder to set the tone. I got three strikeouts to set the tone, and it was even better today because my slider worked well,” said Kim.
He was positive about the automatic pitch-ball judgment system (ABS). “I heard that the strike zone is slightly different in 메이저사이트 each stadium, so I focused on understanding the strike zone at the beginning of the game. The strike zone might be different from SSG Landers Field in Incheon. But with ABS, both teams are getting fair calls. You have to adapt,” he said.
The junior pitchers gave Kim a water balloon to celebrate his 160th win. “The juniors must have been upset during the three-game losing streak, so I’m grateful to them for celebrating my 160th win. I hope my juniors can become an ace and a must-win team before I retire. I hope they improve a lot. That’s my personal hope,” he said, encouraging the younger players.
The commander also gave a thumbs-up to Kim Kwang-hyun. “Kim Kwang-hyun’s strong pitching was the driving force behind the victory. Even in the midst of the team’s losing streak, he pitched like Kim Kwang-hyun, like an ace. Congratulations to him on his 160th win.”