He played only as a bullpen pitcher for about 20 years. A record that will be difficult to break for the next ten years. ‘Living Legend’ Hanwha Eagles Jung Woo-ram writes new history.메이저사이트
Woo-Ram Jeong is about to play in 1,000 games, becoming the first pitcher in KBO League history. As of the 26th, Woo-Ram Jeong had played in a total of 998 games. He is already the pitcher who holds the record for the most appearances of all time, and with just two more games, he will engrave his name in history as the first pitcher to reach 1,000 appearances.
For the time being, no one can surpass Jeong Woo-ram’s record. The second place record for the most appearances by a pitcher is held by Ryu Taek-hyeon (LG), who is now retired. Ryu Taek-hyun appeared in 901 games. And Jo Woong-cheon (813 games) and Bujeong-yeom (800 games) ranked 3rd and 4th. They are all retired pitchers.
Among active pitchers, Jin Hae-soo (LG) is closest to Jung Woo-ram’s record. Jin Hae-soo appeared in 788 games as of the 26th. However, he is more than 200 games behind Jung Woo-ram, so it is not easy to catch up within 3 seasons.
If Jin Hae-soo, born in 1986, fails to turn it around during his active career, Jung Woo-ram’s record of playing in 1,000 games is likely to be ‘stuffed’ for the time being. The next active pitcher after Jin Hae-soo is Samsung Woo Gyu-min, born in 1985, who is playing in 755 games. Among active veteran pitchers, there are no longer any pitchers who can reach 1,000 games.
It cannot be ruled out that the record built over the past 20 years will not be broken over the next 20 years when young pitchers become veterans.
The reason Jung Woo-ram’s record is so great is because bullpen pitchers have an advantage over starters when it comes to pitching in the most games as a pitcher, and as a bullpen pitcher, he has to pitch in a lot of games consistently without getting injured. Woo-Ram Jeong joined the SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers) in 2004 as a rookie after graduating from high school, and has been active as a first-team bullpen resource since the following year. In the 2006 season, his third year as a professional, he appeared in 82 games in one season, his most appearances in a single season.
Even after moving the team to the Hanwha Eagles, Woo-Ram Jeong has played an active role as a closing pitcher protecting the back door, appearing in 23 games last year and 46 games this year, and has been steadily performing his role as a bullpen pitcher for over 20 years.
Jung Woo-ram’s record for the most appearances in games is unlikely to be easily broken for the time being. It is not easy for him to consistently play as a reliever for 10 to 20 seasons, and frequent appearances are possible only if he produces good results. He should also not have frequent injuries. In addition, recently, bullpen pitchers are refraining from throwing more than three consecutive pitches as much as possible, and pitchers are being thoroughly divided and managed in baseball, so it is virtually impossible for them to pitch as often as Jung Woo-ram in his prime.