"Keep an eye on that rookie." That was the beginning → 17 years of unwavering "KBO's first-ever feat"

*This content was translated by AI.

"Keep an eye on that rookie player."

Exactly 20 years ago, at the end of the 2006 season, Kim Kyung-moon (68), then manager of the Doosan Bears, pointed to a player and said exactly that.

A high school graduate outfielder for Doosan, registered in the first division for the first time through an expansion roster from a developmental player. That player was Kim Hyun-soo (38, currently with KT Wiz). And that was the beginning.

In his rookie year, he appeared as a pinch hitter on September 2 against Hanwha in Cheongju and recorded one at-bat without a hit. The following season, he played in 99 games and collected 87 hits, establishing his name. In 2008, he won the batting triple crown with a .357 batting average, 168 hits, and a .454 on-base percentage, while also contributing to South Korea's gold medal victory at the Beijing Olympics, earning himself the reputation of a "hitting machine."

Since that year, his streak of 100 hits per season has now come close to making new history. From 2008 through last year—excluding the 2016 and 2017 seasons when he played in Major League Baseball in the United States—Kim Hyun-soo never missed a three-digit hit total in any of his 16 KBO League seasons. As of the 8th, he has recorded 98 hits in 82 games this season, needing just two more to reach 100.

A 17-season consecutive streak of 100 hits is a feat no batter in KBO League history has ever achieved. He will surpass the previous record of 16 seasons held by Yang Joon-hyuk (1993–2008) and Park Han-i (2001–2016, both formerly with Samsung), setting an unprecedented milestone.

After playing for Doosan and LG Twins before joining KT this year, Kim Hyun-soo, now approaching 40, continues to display consistent hitting prowess. His season batting average stands at .293, ranking him fifth in the league in hits. Teammates praise him not only for fulfilling his role in the lineup but also as a role model for younger players in terms of self-management and training attitude. KT manager Lee Kang-cheol (60) even remarked that he has already "earned his worth" (a three-year, 50 billion won contract).

He has one more goal: to break the KBO League record for most career hits. Currently, Choi Hyung-woo (43, Samsung Lions) leads with 2,680 hits, followed by Son Ah-seop (38, Doosan Bears) with 2,652. Kim Hyun-soo sits at 2,630, closely trailing both. Watching the competition among these three veterans on their way to becoming the greatest "hit-making machine" in history is also fascinating.

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*This content was translated by AI.