The 200-Day Campaign Ends with a KBO League Record
LG wins first regular season title in 29 years since 1994 KT goes from last to second place
Pedi 20 wins – 200 strikeouts – Oh Seung-hwan 400 saves – Jung Woo-ram 1000 games
The 2023 KBO season came to a close on Sunday with the final game. The 200-day campaign, which featured 720 games, produced some of the most exciting records in the KBO.
The LG Twins won 86 games, tied 56, and won the regular season for the first time in 29 years since 1994. The team hasn’t lost the top spot since reaching the top of the standings on June 27. Heading into the Korean Series, LG is looking for its third consecutive overall title.
KT Wiz, which was at the bottom of the standings at the start of the season, made a big comeback to finish in second place. They were in last place for 19 consecutive days from May 7-25, but turned things around in June when foreign pitcher William Cuevas joined the team. Cuevas led the league in winning percentage (.652) in June, and after finishing in second place, he was able to defend his position and earn a direct ticket to the playoffs.
The NC Dinos’ foreign ace, Eric Peddie, became the first pitcher to record 20 wins and 200 strikeouts in a single season. It was the first time in 37 years since Sun Dong-yeol of the 1986 Hattae Tigers (24 wins, 214 strikeouts). It is the first time for a foreign pitcher and the fifth time in the entire KBO. Pedi also achieved the pitcher’s triple crown, ranking first in wins (20), ERA (2.00), and strikeouts (209).
Samsung Lions closer Oh Seung-hwan became the first KBO player to reach the 400-save milestone. Seung-hwan Oh, who had 370 career saves before this season, added 30 more this year to make save history. It took him 668 games to reach the milestone.
Hanwha Eagles veteran pitcher Jung Woo-ram became the first KBO pitcher to reach the 1,000-game milestone. After joining the SK Wyverns in 2004, Jung became the youngest player to reach the 500-game, 600-game, 700-game, 800-game, and 900-game milestones. He had 14 seasons with 50 or more appearances.
The Lotte Giants completed a team no-hitter against the Sajik SSG Landers on August 6, the first in the franchise’s history and only the third in KBO history. From starting pitcher Aaron Wilkerson to relievers Koo Seung-min and Kim Won-joong, the Giants did not allow a single hit.
KIA Tigers’ Choi Hyung-woo and SSG’s Choi Jeong-jeong broke their own records for doubles, RBIs and runs scored. Choi hit his 465th career double on April 23 against the Gwangju Samsung Electronics and reached 1,500 hits on June 20 against the Daejeon Hanwha to set new records in both categories. Choi completed his 1,356th career RBI against Hanwha in Daejeon on June 6, setting a new record in the category. The previous records for doubles, RBIs, and runs scored were all held by Lee Seung-yeop.
Hanwha broke the record for most runs scored in the second inning. On July 25 against the Gochuk Kiwoom Heroes, the team set a new record for most runs scored after two innings with 11 runs in the eighth. The previous record for the most runs scored after the second inning was 10, which was set five times from the OB Bears in 1985 to Samsung in 2019. Hanwha batters also tied the league record for most at-bats in an inning (18) and tied the league record for most runs scored in an inning (13).
Hanwha’s Noh Soo-kwang became the eighth player in KBO history to drive in two runners with a sacrifice fly. Noh drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning against Doosan in Daejeon on April 19. The record was previously held by only seven players, including Hae-tae Jung Hoe-yeol and former Samsung player Choi Hae-myung. 슬롯사이트
