Manager Kim Tae-hyung of the Lotte Giants is just one win away from reaching 800 career wins in the KBO League, becoming the seventh manager in league history to achieve this milestone. He is the second active manager to do so, following Manager Kim Kyung-moon.

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung (59) needs just one more victory to become the seventh manager in KBO League history to reach 800 wins.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung secured his 799th career win in the KBO League by defeating the Gwangju KIA Tigers 8-3 the previous day (on the 3rd).

Manager Kim Tae-hyung was appointed as the manager of the Doosan Bears for the 2015 season and recorded his first win on March 28 of that year in a game against the NC Dinos at Jamsil.

He achieved his 100th win on May 11, 2016, in a game against the Incheon SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers), the year after his appointment. Following his 500th win on October 3, 2020, against KIA at Jamsil, he secured his 600th win on May 4, 2022, against the LG Twins at Jamsil. In total, as the manager of the Doosan Bears, Kim Tae-hyung recorded 645 wins in 1,149 games. Additionally, he led the team to three Korean Series championships in 2015, 2016, and 2019, cementing his place among the KBO's legendary managers.

After stepping down as the Doosan Bears manager at the end of the 2022 season, Kim Tae-hyung returned to the KBO League as the manager of the Lotte Giants for the 2024 season. He reached his 700th career win on August 31, 2024, in a game against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil, marking the start of a period of approximately two years.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung has recorded 154 wins with Lotte over the past three years, including this year. If he adds one more win, he will become the seventh manager in KBO League history to reach 800 wins. Among active managers, he is the second to achieve this, following Hanwha Eagles manager Kim Kyung-moon.

If he participates in nine more games, Manager Kim Tae-hyung will also reach a career total of 1,500 games managed. This would be the seventh such record in KBO League history. He previously reached 1,000 games managed on October 24, 2021, in the second game of a doubleheader against the LG Twins at Jamsil.

As of June 3, Manager Kim Tae-hyung has recorded 799 wins, 662 losses, and 30 draws in 1,491 games, with a winning percentage of 0.547.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung, who is challenging for his 800th win, named Park Se-woong as the starting pitcher for today's game. Park Se-woong has recorded 1 win and 4 losses with an ERA of 4.20 in 10 games this year, pitching 55 2/3 innings and recording 47 strikeouts. Against KIA this year, he has a record of 1 win and 1 loss with an ERA of 4.91 in two games.

While the Lotte lineup showed active hitting led by leadoff hitter Hwang Sung-bin the previous day, they will face Shirakawa Keisho (25), who has returned to Korea after two years. Shirakawa, who previously played as a temporary foreign player for two years, left after recording 4 wins and 5 losses with an ERA of 5.65 in 12 games.

At that time, he played for the SSG Landers and the Doosan Bears, so he has no record against those two teams. However, while playing for SSG, he struggled on the mound at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, pitching 5 innings, allowing 6 hits, issuing 4 walks, recording 3 strikeouts, and giving up 3 earned runs.

Meanwhile, the KBO plans to present a commemorative award to Manager Kim Tae-hyung if he achieves 800 wins, in accordance with the award regulations.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.