Finally, there is one left in the record. Jung Woo-ram (38, Hanwha), who is about to become the first pitcher in KBO League history to appear in 1,000 games, is on the verge of achieving a feat that no one can surpass for the time being.
Woo-Ram Jeong made a relief appearance in the 5th inning against Lotte Sajik on the 29th of last month. This is the 999th game of his career, and he is just one game away from the long-awaited 1,000th game. The first KBO League pitcher to play 1,000 games could be born as early as today (1st) in the Daejeon NC game.
Jung Woo-ram, a left-handed pitcher from Gyeongnam Commercial High School, entered the professional ranks after being selected by SK (now SSG) with the 11th overall pick in the second round of 2004. On April 21 of that year, he made his debut in relief in the 7th inning against Munhak Hanwha, pitching 2⅓ innings with no hits, 2 walks, and no runs. 지울프-토토
His first year ended with just two appearances, but he established himself as a first-team pitcher the following year. He pitched in 45 or more games for 15 consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2021, excluding his military service period (2013-2014).
In 2008, he appeared in 85 games, the most ever in a single season, and in 2010, he exceeded 100 innings (102) in a season, which is rare for a bullpen pitcher, but he continued to be a key first-team pitcher without any major injuries throughout his career. He became the youngest person to achieve both 500 and 900 races.
Jung Woo-ram, who surpassed Ryu Taek-hyun (901 games) in the Daejeon Doosan game on June 30, 2021, to become the pitcher with the most appearances in the KBO League, is finally approaching his 1,000th game after two years and three months.
The fact that a pitcher appears in many games means that he or she has consistently maintained competitiveness. Jung Woo-ram, a bullpen pitcher representing the KBO League, was the holds king twice in 2008 (25) and 2011 (25), and was also crowned relief king by ranking first in saves (35) in 2018. He has played 973⅔ innings in 999 games over 18 seasons, with 64 wins, 47 losses, 197 saves, 145 holds, an ERA of 3.17, and 936 strikeouts. He ranks 6th in all-time saves and 4th in holds, and is the only pitcher to record over 100 in both categories, along with Dae-hyun Jeong (106 saves, 121 holds).
Except for being limited to 23 appearances last year due to shoulder pain, Jung Woo-ram was called a ‘rubber arm’ because he did not suffer any major injuries throughout his career. When he was young, his natural durability and recovery were so good that he didn't even ice after throwing. His soft pitching form is also the secret to his long runs compared to other pitchers, but it cannot be explained without mentioning self-management. Jung Woo-ram is special in that he often has to warm up in a hurry, and long runs are very difficult due to the nature of the bullpen, where short-term overuse is inevitable the better you pitch.
From the time he first joined the pros, Jung Woo-ram was not a ‘special player.’ He himself said, “It was amazing just to train with the seniors I watched on TV, but I felt like I was lacking even more. “I thought a lot about how to survive in this difficult place,” he said. “When I was 20, I decided that I was not competitive like this, and I tried to change. “I always thought about how I could throw a better ball,” he said. Although he does not have a fiery fastball, he has refined his control more precisely and equipped himself with a weapon called a changeup. The unique pitching form of hitting the glove once briefly after kicking was also the result of research to maintain balance and steal timing.
Even in the American Major League, which has a long history of 148 years, a pitcher has appeared in 1,000 games, a record that only 16 people have achieved, including Jesse Orozco, who appeared in 1,252 games. In Japanese professional baseball, which is in its 88th year, only one person, Hitoki Iwase (1,002 games), has it.
If you combine the records of Korea, the United States, and Japan, there are two more pitchers with 1,000 games. Lim Chang-yong pitched in a total of 1,004 games, including 760 games in Korea, 238 games in Japan, and 6 games in the United States. Seung-Hwan Oh (Samsung) played in a total of 1,022 games, including 663 in Korea, 232 in the United States, and 127 in Japan. At the time of reaching 1,000 games, Lim Chang-yong is 42 years old and Oh Seung-hwan is 41 years old, but Jung Woo-ram is fast in that he is approaching 1,000 games at 38 years old.
After Jung Woo-ram, there is no KBO league pitcher capable of over 1,000 games. Following Jung Woo-ram, active pitchers include LG Jin Hae-soo (789 games), Samsung Woo Kyu-min (755 games), LG Song Eun-beom (680 games), Samsung Oh Seung-hwan (663 games), LG Kim Jin-seong (612 games), Lotte Kim Sang-su (576 games), SSG Ko Hyo-jun (568 games) and Kiwoom Won Jong-hyun (521 games) are in that order. They are all players in their late 30s to 40s, so 1,000 games is an unknown.
By simple calculation, a feat of 1,000 games is possible by pitching in 50 games over 20 years. The young bullpen players who are just starting their careers have to break records, but it is not easy in many ways. In an era where the importance of pitcher management and protection is increasing, the mandatory three-batter opponent rule, like in the major leagues, is scheduled to be introduced starting in 2025, so one-point relief will soon disappear. Jung Woo-ram's 1,000th game is likely to become an immortal record that will not be easily broken for the time being.