Daegu: When the 2026 South Korean baseball season opens with five games across the nation on Saturday afternoon, two veteran players will be in pursuit of the same hits record. Samsung Lions catcher Kang Min-ho is currently tied with three former players for the most hits on Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Opening Days with 20. The Lions will begin their season against the Lotte Giants at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.
According to Yonhap News Agency, KT Wiz outfielder Kim Hyun-soo will try to beat Kang to the record. Kim has amassed 19 hits on Opening Days so far and will make his regular season debut for the Wiz against his former team, the LG Twins, at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Saturday. Kim, who is tied with two others after achieving at least 100 hits for 16 consecutive seasons, can claim the sole lead in that category with another 100-hit season in 2026.
Even if Kang does not manage a hit on Saturday, he will continue to extend his own games played record by taking the field. He has played in 2,496 games so far. Choi Hyoung-woo, who rejoined the Lions as a free agent, is set to become the oldest batter to appear in a KBO game. He will be 42 years, three months, and 12 days old on Saturday. The current record is held by former SSG Landers star Choo Shin-soo, who was 42 years, two months, and 17 days old.
Choo also holds the records for the oldest player to get a hit and to hit a home run, and Choi can surpass him with his next hit or home run. Choi is also approaching the all-time walks record of 1,278, held by Lions legend Yang Joon-hyuk. Choi currently has 1,197 walks and will need 82 more to break the record this season. However, he hasn't surpassed 80 walks in a season since 2019.
On the pitching front, Kia Tigers left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong is 14 wins away from becoming only the second pitcher to reach 200 career wins. Former Hanwha Eagles ace Song Jin-woo is the all-time leader with 210 wins. Yang holds the record for the most consecutive seasons with at least 100 strikeouts, with 11, and aims to extend this streak in 2026. He is also working on a streak of 11 seasons with at least 150 innings pitched.
However, Yang, 38, stated on Thursday that he is not focused on individual statistics and will prioritize helping the Tigers, even if it means pitching shorter outings. Meanwhile, LG Twins setup man Kim Jin-sung is on track to become the all-time leader in holds. He is 18 away from breaking former Lions pitcher An Ji-man's decade-old record. Kim, 41, finished second in the KBO last year with a career-high 33 holds.