In 1982, the first year of professional baseball, Park Chul-soon of OB (currently Doosan) achieved 22 consecutive victories without losing a single match from Haitai (now KIA) on April 10th to Lotte on September 18th.
This record still remains as the record for the most consecutive wins by a pitcher in the KBO League. At that time, before the concept of pitcher division of labor was established, Park Cheol-soon pitched regardless of selection and relief, and in 1982 recorded a phenomenal record of 24 wins, 4 losses, 7 saves, and an average ERA of 1.82. He recorded 22 consecutive wins in one season alone, and the record for consecutive wins in a single season is also held by Park Chul-soon.
If there is a winning streak, there is also a losing streak. The KBO league pitcher’s record for the most consecutive losses is held by Hanwha Jang Si-hwan (36, photo). Jang Si-hwan started in the Daejeon NC game on September 27, 2020 and became a losing pitcher, and then made a rescue mound in the Gocheok Kiwoom game on April 1, which was the opening game of this season, and lost 19 consecutive losses. He broke the record of 18 consecutive losses.
Jang Si-hwan, who disappeared from the first team after playing only three games in April, stood on the mound again on the first team stage on the 6th. He did his part as a veteran bullpen agent, recording 1 scoreless inning against Lotte on the 6th, 1.1 scoreless innings against SSG on the 8th, and 1 scoreless inning against NC on the 21st.
Sihwan Jang stood on the mound again on the 25th before Gocheok Kiwoom. He came to the mound in the 7th inning when the Hanwha was trailing 3-6 and blocked one inning with only 7 pitches. Was it to break Jang Si-hwan’s losing streak? The Hanwha lineup exploded a whopping 13 points while spinning two laps in the attack at the beginning of the 8th inning, giving Jang Si-hwan the requirement to be a winning pitcher. As the Hanwha Eagles won 16-6, Jang Si-hwan became the winning pitcher in 1038 days and stopped the long losing streak.
Luck did not follow the dishonorable record of 19 consecutive losses. On August 26, 2021, against Gocheok Kiwoom, he fought hard with 2 runs in 7 innings, but had to win due to the fire of the bullpen. Last year, he made 14 saves and 7 holds amid stellar performances, going back and forth as a finisher and setup man, but he suffered 18 consecutive losses with only 5 losses without a win.
However, if you think about it on the other side, the fact that he was able to climb the mound despite losing 19 games in a row means that he showed a reliable pitch to the coaching staff. Without his skills, he can’t even set the record of 19 consecutive losses. Maybe it’s a record like ‘Medal’.
Jang Si-hwan, who had tears in his eyes in the broadcast interview after the game, said, “I am happy. When the team attacked for an hour in the beginning of the 8th inning, the time of 19 consecutive losses for 3 years passed like a kaleidoscope. He felt once again that winning was such a good thing,” he said.꽁머니
Hanwha, which has not been able to get out of the bottom for the past three years, has risen to a situation where it can fight for the middle ranks this season. Attention is focusing on whether Jang Si-hwan, who experienced a tearful losing streak, will contribute to Hanwha’s leap forward in the second half.