Yang Joon-hyuk Rewrites Baseball History at 38

Yang Joon-hyuk, who was 24 when he made his professional league debut in 1993 as a Samsung Lions player, said back then, “I would like to play for ten more years.”

15 seasons since he said these words, Yang broke fresh ground in the 26-year history of Korean baseball by achieving 2,000 hits. Yang, who had 1998 hits up to the game against the Doosan Bears on June 9 at Jamsil Stadium, hit a double into right field in the third inning and reached the 2,000 mark when he sent a ball to left field in the ninth inning.

Now 38, Yang said, “My next goal is 3,000 hits. Since I hit 2,000 in 15 years, it will take me maybe seven years to hit 1,000 more. I’ll be 45 then, but I guess if I have the determination, it won’t be impossible. The more difficult a goal is, the more it’s worth going for.” On June 10, Yang hit a timely hit into center field in the sixth inning for a total of 2,001 hits, taking his first step toward 3,000.

The Major League hit record of 4,256 hits is held by Pete Rose, and the Japanese Professional League record is held by Korean player Jang Hun (Japanese name: Isao Harimoto) at 3,085 hits.

uni@donga.com