The clock is ticking again for Doosan’s Jang Won-jun (38), who has made a comeback.
Jang Won-jun started the 2023 KBO League’s home game against Hanwha on June 6 at Jamsil Stadium and pitched 5.1 innings of five-hit ball, striking out three and allowing one run to earn the win.
Previously, Jang Won-jun earned a win in his first start in 958 days on March 23. Jang, who previously had 129 career wins, became the 11th pitcher in KBO history to reach 130 wins, and with his second win in two weeks, he passed Lim Chang-yong for 10th place on the all-time wins list with 131.
Jang Won-jun, who debuted with Lotte in 2004, earned his first double-digit win total in 2008, when he reached his full potential, and went on to win 10 or more games in eight straight years through 2017.
He was part of a dynasty, especially in his first year with Doosan, where he excelled as the team’s second or third starter, making him a successful free agent signing (4 years, 8 billion won).
However, overpitching has been his downfall. After going 3-7 with a 9.92 ERA and 71.2 innings pitched in 2018, Jang was plagued by injuries and although he made appearances every year, he seemed to be on the verge of retirement, failing to win a single game in four years until last year.
This season, however, he has made a resurgence that has been highly anticipated by coach Lee Seung-yeop, and he won his first start of the season on March 23, followed by back-to-back wins.먹튀검증
Jang Won-jun, who is nearing the end of his career, still has room to climb higher. For now, he’s passed Lim Chang-yong for 10th place on the all-time wins list, and he can improve his ranking with each additional win.
Currently, Jang Won-jun is ahead of Kim Won-hyung (the current head coach of SSG) with 134 wins, and is within striking distance of Yoon Sung-hwan with 135 wins and Bae Young-soo with 138 wins.
He also has 1969.1 career innings pitched, so he needs just 30.2 more innings to become the eighth pitcher in KBO history to reach 2,000 innings.