Yang Hyeon-jong Achieves 13th Consecutive Season of 100 Innings, Second in KBO History After Song Jin-woo

KIA Tigers franchise star Yang Hyeon-jong has set a KBO League record by pitching 100 innings for the 13th consecutive season, becoming only the second player in history to do so.

Starting the away game against the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2026 professional baseball season at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 21st, Yang pitched brilliantly with 5 and 1/3 innings, allowing 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 hit-by-pitch, and 5 strikeouts with 1 run allowed. He was then replaced by Lee Tae-yang with one out in the bottom of the 6th inning while leading 3-1.

Having pitched 95 and 2/3 innings this season up to his previous game, Yang officially surpassed the 100-inning mark.

With this milestone, Yang tied the all-time record for the most consecutive seasons with 100 or more innings (13 seasons from 1994 to 2006) previously set by retired pitcher Song Jin-woo.

If he pitches 100 or more innings next year, Yang will set a new record for the longest consecutive 100-inning streak, a record that is expected to stand for a long time should it be broken.

Among active players, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Hanwha Eagles ranks second in this category with 10 consecutive seasons of 100 innings.

Yang first cleared the 100-inning threshold in the 2009 season, his third year since debut, by pitching 148 and 2/3 innings. After clearing the mark for 3 consecutive seasons, his streak temporarily halted in the 2012 season when he managed only 41 innings.

His streak of consecutive 100-inning seasons resumed in the 2013 season.

Having pitched 104 and 2/3 innings that year, Yang has exceeded 100 innings every season since, except for the 2021 season when he advanced to Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States.

From the 2015 season to the 2019 season, he pitched 180 or more innings for 5 consecutive seasons, establishing himself as the league representative innings-eater.

Notably, in the 2016 season, he pitched 200 and 1/3 innings, surpassing the 200-inning mark in a single season for the first time.

Beyond his consecutive 100-inning record, Yang is leaving various significant footprints.

Prior to this game, he recorded 194 career wins (133 losses), 2,248 strikeouts, and 2,752 and 1/3 innings.

He ranks first all-time in league strikeouts, while ranking second in most wins and most innings pitched behind Song Jin-woo (210 wins and 3,003 innings).

(Photo courtesy of KIA, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.