A sad piece of news for KIA fans, and Yang Hyeon-jong is aware: "In the past, I had the strength to take responsibility for a single game, but now..." [Busan Field Report]

*This content was translated by AI.

The weight of time cannot be resisted by anyone. While this is sad news for KIA Tigers fans, the team's "living legend," 38-year-old Yang Hyeon-jong, was well aware that he could no longer deliver the "untouchable" pitching performances of his past.

On the 9th, KIA secured a 5-2 victory over Lotte Giants in an away regular-season game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League season. With this win, KIA broke its losing streak and concluded the first half of the season with a record of 45 wins, 2 draws, and 39 losses, placing them alone in fourth place in the league standings.

The top contributor to ending the losing streak was none other than the "veteran warrior," Yang Hyeon-jong. Carrying a heavy sense of responsibility, he started the game and delivered an impressive performance over five innings (69 pitches total), allowing five hits, one walk, striking out one batter, and surrendering only one earned run. This victory marked his sixth win of the season.

After the game, Yang Hyeon-jong told reporters: "Over the past two days while watching the games, I felt that Lotte's batters were in excellent condition and had a strong rhythm. I prepared accordingly. Rather than avoiding them, I believed it was better to attack aggressively to create ground balls and convert them into outs. Fortunately, my condition allowed me to play aggressively. Although it wasn't many innings, I managed to complete five innings successfully and leave the mound."

Before today's game, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho declared a full-scale effort. The manager stated: "I consulted with the pitching coach, and (Hwang) Dong-ha will be on standby from the first inning. We also plan to have the bullpen ready from the first inning. I instructed (Yang) Hyeon-jong to throw his best from the very beginning. If the score gap widens early, it becomes difficult to catch up, so we decided to prepare accordingly." This essentially meant that if circumstances required it, even Yang Hyeon-jong would be replaced depending on the situation.

Yang Hyeon-jong said: "Actually, on the day of my start, I was quite sensitive and tend not to listen to many things. However, this was a message the manager specifically asked the coaches to convey to me. Since it was the final game of the first half and many relief pitchers had rested, he mentioned that I might be replaced early depending on the situation. He emphasized that he really wanted us to win this game."

Regarding his overall assessment of the first half, Yang Hyeon-jong remarked: "It's quite lacking. I shouldn't bring up old stories, but in the past, I had the strength to take responsibility for a single game. However, now I don't have that same strength, and I feel like I've always been relying on relief pitchers to pick up the slack."

He continued: "Looking at the first half of this season, I haven't thrown more than six innings in any game. So I always feel sorry for and grateful to the relief pitchers. This is my role, but there was a time when I could take responsibility for an entire game... It brings back memories of those days, and it seems like that's how things have always been. I want to pitch more and reduce the burden on middle relievers. That sentiment will remain not only in the second half but until the day I retire from the uniform."

Finally, he added: "The manager managed my workload well at the beginning of the season. There's no physical fatigue whatsoever. I simply enjoy going out to the mound and pitching. It's fun, and even at this stage of my career, I feel like I'm always learning. Watching (Kwak) Do-gyu pitch today made me think, 'His balance is truly excellent. That's how you should throw.' I just want to keep playing baseball for a long time. It's so enjoyable, fun, and fulfilling. I always have the desire to learn more and perform better. Since I don't fully understand my own body yet, I look forward to what lies ahead."

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*This content was translated by AI.