'Annual salary of 150 million won' Wang Yencheng reaches four wins this season, stirring Taiwan! "Salary gap with Ko Young-pyo as high as 19 times → 8 strikeouts in a single game, leading the KBO League"

*This content was translated by AI.

Taiwanese local media have been reporting daily on the fierce momentum of Wang Yencheng (25, Hanwha Eagles), a left-handed pitcher from Taiwan. Praising his overwhelming cost-performance ratio and perfect adaptation to the KBO League, local outlets are even comparing his salary to that of Ko Young-pyo (35, KT Wiz), whom he faced in a starting pitcher showdown, pouring out praise.

On the 15th, Wang Yencheng started against KT Wiz at the Suwon KT Wiz Park in the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League' game, pitching 5 innings with 5 hits allowed, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs, securing his fourth win (2 losses) of the season. His ERA, previously 2.64, rose slightly to 2.74, but he achieved a two-game winning streak as a starter.

In response, Taiwanese sports media covered the news as a headline, conveying the strong reaction from local baseball fans. The Liberty Times (LTN) reported, "Wang Yencheng performed without any disadvantage even when compared to top-paid pitchers in the league, including Ko Young-pyo (KT), whose salary is 19 times higher," focusing intensively on Wang Yencheng's explosive cost-performance.

In fact, ahead of this season, Hanwha signed Wang Yencheng through the Asia quota system with an official annual salary of $100,000 (approximately 150 million won). Compared to Ko Young-pyo, who signed the highest-level contract among domestic starting pitchers in the KBO League (a five-year total of 10.7 billion won), the gap is a staggering 14 to 19 times. Specifically, Ko Young-pyo's 2026 season salary is 2.6 billion won. This is the specific figure cited by Taiwanese media.

Taiwanese media TSNA also highlighted Wang Yencheng's pitching performance, stating, "Despite making his third appearance of the season after four days of rest, he recorded an impressive 8 strikeouts, setting a new personal record for most strikeouts in a KBO League game. Hanwha, which utilized four relief pitchers including closer Jack Cushing after Wang Yencheng, successfully protected the victory." Before Cushing, Yoon San-heum, Lee Min-woo, and Lee Sang-gyu each pitched one scoreless inning. Another Taiwanese media outlet, Now News, stated, "Wang Yencheng recorded the most strikeouts in a single game this season with fierce momentum. His top pitch speed also reached 150 km/h."

The current 'Wang Yencheng fever' sweeping Taiwan resembles the way Korean baseball fans once viewed Park Chan-ho (53) of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The entire Taiwanese nation is feeling a sense of euphoria as a local pitcher boldly faces off against the highest-paid ace in the league on the overseas stage, throwing a 'strikeout show' and securing a victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.