Sweat does not betray.

KIA Tigers living legend Choi Hyung-woo (41) and Yang Hyun-jong (37) set monumental records. Choi hit his 400th career home run, and Yang achieved his 180th career win. On the 5th at Gocheok Sky Dome, they received applause for establishing these great records in a game against the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2025 Korea Professional Baseball season.

That day, Yang made his seventh start, throwing 96 pitches over 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 1 earned run. The batting lineup provided 13 runs, including 4 runs in the 2nd inning and 3 runs in the 4th inning. He led the team to a 13-1 victory, securing his first win of the season. It was a victory in his 7th game of the season.

With this victory, he recorded his 180th career win. He is 30 wins away from Hanwha legend Song Jin-woo's 210 wins. However, he is already at the top in the institutional sector of wins as a starting pitcher. He surpassed Song Jin-woo's 163 wins in the 2023 season and has steadily added to his starting wins, reaching 178 wins by that day. This year, his performance had not improved significantly since the start of the season.

His velocity did not increase. The average fastball speed was only 140 km/h. The batting average against him also exceeded .300. It was a frustrating situation. He was originally a slow starter, but it took a long time for him to show his true form. He made a lot of efforts to raise his game. Even in heavy rain, he was seen running in the outfield of Champions Field, demonstrating his determination. He also paid attention to analyzing his form.

These efforts bore fruit. His velocity clearly increased. He reached a maximum speed of 147 km/h. There were many balls that were mishit and missed due to increased strength at the end of his pitches. Expectations are growing that he will continue to pitch in his characteristic style. Manager Lee Beom-ho noted, "Hyun-jong needs to improve for the team to rise," identifying him as a key player. He provided that hope.

Choi Hyung-woo was active, going 4 for 4 with 1 home run, 3 runs batted in, and 3 runs scored. In the 6th inning, with no outs and runners on first and third, he launched a 130-meter two-run home run, marking his 5th of the season. He reached the milestone of 400 career home runs. This puts him fourth in KBO league history, following Choi Jeong (SSG, 498 home runs), Lee Seung-yuop (467 home runs), and Park Byung-ho (Samsung, 412 home runs), and he becomes the oldest player (41 years, 4 months, 19 days) to achieve this record.

Even in the year he turns 42, his performance remains outstanding. He maintains an average of .294, with 5 home runs, 17 runs batted in, and 17 runs scored, along with an OPS of .926. When his batting feels off, he consistently participates in special training the next day, highlighting his relentless efforts. Choi has said, "I have never aimed for a home run at the plate."

He stated that he focused only on contact without being greedy. His natural physicality, which prevents injuries, and the swing trajectory established through effort led to the achievement of the 400 home run milestone. Choi Hyung-woo noted, "I thought I would do it someday, but now that I've done it, I feel proud of myself. I believe this is the result of my consistent efforts up to now."

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