Professional baseball player Kim Kwang-hyun (37) of SSG Landers expressed his feelings about signing a contract extension with SSG ahead of free agency.

SSG announced on the 13th, "We have signed a multi-year contract with our franchise star and veteran left-handed ace Kim Kwang-hyun for 2 years, totaling 3.6 billion won (300 million won salary and 600 million won in options)."

Kim Kwang-hyun is a franchise star who joined SSG (then SK) as the first overall pick in the 2007 rookie draft. He made his first-team debut in his rookie year, recording 3 wins, 7 losses, and an earned run average of 3.62 over 20 games (77 innings). In the Korean Series, he excelled with 1 win and an earned run average of 0.00 over 2 games (8 innings). Notably, in Game 4 of the Korean Series against Doosan, he delivered a dominant performance, winning decisively against Daniel Rios, who had recorded 22 wins and won the regular season MVP, leaving a strong impression on fans.

Having grown into an ace representing the league, Kim Kwang-hyun signed a 4-year, 8.5 billion won contract in 2016 when he gained free agency on November 4. He continued to perform well after the free agency contract, and after the 2019 season, he challenged for a Major League Baseball career through posting, signing a 2-year, guaranteed $8 million (about 1.1 billion won) contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in December 2019, fulfilling his dream of entering the Major Leagues. Over the two seasons, Kim Kwang-hyun recorded 10 wins, 7 losses, and 2 saves with an earned run average of 2.97 over 35 games (145⅔ innings) before completing his two-year stint and returning to Korea in March 2021 to sign a contract with SSG for 15.1 billion won over 4 years.

Since returning to Korea, Kim Kwang-hyun, who has been a cornerstone of the SSG starting rotation, has recorded 174 wins, 104 losses, and 2 holds with an earned run average of 3.35 over 400 games (2249 innings) in the KBO League. His performance this season includes 4 wins, 6 losses, and an earned run average of 3.91 over 13 games (71⅓ innings).

In a pre-game interview that day, Kim Kwang-hyun said, "While resting this time, I spoke with the team and we developed a mutual understanding that led to the contract. Since joining the pro team, I had two major goals when I started playing baseball at a young age. The first was to play baseball for 20 years. The second was the dream of achieving the same record as my senior Song Jin-woo, who surpassed 200 wins and had symbolic significance. I thought about how many years it would take to reach 200 wins, which is why I returned from the U.S. Thanks to the team's consideration, I was able to secure a good contract."

Kim Kwang-hyun, who said, "I believe the team treated me well," noted, "It's about talent, but I think of it as a message to strive for the future of the Landers. I know they are preparing many things to ensure a smooth transition to Cheongna. I hope that when we get to Cheongna, the juniors will become good players, and I believe I need to play a supportive role. I will support them so we can achieve good results in Cheongna, and I will work together to ensure the juniors become the team's star players at that time."

When asked why the contract period was set for 2 years and if he has thoughts about a coaching career, Kim Kwang-hyun replied, "It seems early to talk about a coaching career. It would be a lie to say I have no ambition. I would like to be reassessed in 2 years, but that does not mean I want to retire. I think it’s far off since my senior Oh Seung-hwan, who is 6 years older, and my senior (No) Kyung-eun, who is 4 years older, are still active. My final goal may be to continue playing for at least one more year to catch up with them. I think I need to manage well from now on and work hard to achieve good results."

Kim Kwang-hyun revealed, "I had no desire to be evaluated in the FA market at all. I have been with one team since I was drafted, and I had no thoughts of going to another team. Ever since I returned from the U.S. to Korea, the thought of 200 wins was always in my mind. My former teammate in St. Louis, (Adam) Wainwright, also retired right after achieving 200 wins. I want to continue piling up victories with this team rather than seeking evaluation from the market, and I would like to achieve 200 wins and be evaluated once again."

With this contract, Kim Kwang-hyun has accumulated a total contract amount of 27.2 billion won in the KBO League, ranking 3rd after Choi Jeong (SSG, 30.2 billion won) and Yang Eui-ji (Doosan, 27.7 billion won), and is 1st among pitchers. Kim Kwang-hyun smiled, saying, "I didn’t think I would receive such a large salary," and added, "The value of currency will continue to decline. Records are made to be broken, right? Rather than my pride, I think juniors will earn much more salary. Being able to receive this much money is due to my performance, but I wonder if it’s also thanks to the efforts for juniors and fans, including youth baseball. I believe the team also reflected my contributions to the team through donations and events each year."

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