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Race to 200 wins heats up with Landers pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun signed through 2027

Published: 16 Jun. 2025, 16:33 Updated: 16 Jun. 2025, 16:43

SSG Landers pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun pitches during a KBO game against the Kia Tigers at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon on May 11. [YONHAP]

SSG Landers pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun set a goal of reaching 200 career wins after extending his contract through 2027 with the team.

“My goal has always been recording 200 wins since I started playing baseball,” Kim said on Friday. “I’ll reach it within two years.”

Kim, 36, is now in a two-way race with Kia Tigers pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong, 37, to reach one of the rarest feats in the KBO.

Only one pitcher has reached the milestone since the KBO began in 1982: Son Jin-woo.

The Hanwha Eagles legend recorded 210 wins between 1989 and 2009 and remains the KBO’s all-time wins leader. No one else has come close since his retirement in 2009.

Kim and Yang, both of whom debuted in 2007 and have spent their entire KBO careers with a single team, now appear to have the only realistic shot.

Kia Tigers pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong pitches during a KBO game against the KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on May 22. [YONHAP]

As of mid-June, Yang has 184 wins after adding four this season while Kim, who also has four wins this year, stands at 174.

The next-closest retired pitcher is Jeong Min-chul, who recorded 161 wins. Among active players, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Hanwha Eagles trails with 113.

Both Kim and Yang have also played in the MLB.

Kim played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2020 to 2021, while Yang joined the Texas Rangers for part of the 2021 season.

With his contract guaranteed through the 2027 season, Kim now has a clear runway to reach 200 if he maintains a pace of around 10 wins per year.

Yang is set to become a free agent after this season but will likely re-sign with Kia. If the terms of his contract are similar to those of Kim’s, the race to 200 wins could come down to the wire.

Back in the early years of the KBO, the race to 100 wins was the benchmark.

Two rivals born in 1958 — Kim Si-jin and Choi Dong-won — vied for the honor. Kim reached the milestone first, in 1987, and Choi joined the club three years later before retiring with 103 wins.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]