Olympic gold medallist, WBSC Premier12 winner Min-ho Kang breaks KBO games played record
International baseball star Min-ho Kang broke the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) league games played record as he appeared in his 2,238th KBO game on Thursday, 28 March. Kang was the Samsung Lions starting catcher when they visited the defending champions LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
Former Twins star Yong-Taik Park, who held the record, was the first to congratulate Kang. Park, now 44, still has the most career hits with 2,504.
"Not once have I played a game with this record in my mind. I've just been able to stay healthy over the years and now I've come this far," Kang said before the game. "I want to thank my parents for blessing me with a healthy body."
Kang helped Korea win the 2008 Beijing Olympocs gold medal and the inaugural WBSC Premier12 in 2015. He was also part of the second-place Korea at the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Born in 1985, Kang made his professional debut for the Lotte Giants in 2004. He moved to the Samsung Lions in 2018 and doesn't plan to retire.
"People have been saying catchers are supposed to retire after they turn 40," said Kang to the Yonhap news agency. "I want to show younger players that even catchers can stick around a long time."
Kang went 1-for-3 but the LG Twins outscored his Lions, 18-1.