Kang Min-ho (39, Samsung Lions), a legendary home player who represents Korean baseball, has written a new history of being the most prolific career player in the KBO league. And Kang thanked his wife.

Kang started as the fifth batter and catcher in an away game between the LG Twins and the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 28th. He recorded one hit in three times at bat and was replaced before his defense in the bottom of the sixth inning, finishing his game on the day.

Prior to this game, Kang played 2,237 individual games in the KBO league. And playing 2,238 games in the game on Friday, Kang has become the hero of new history, surpassing the record of most appearances in the KBO league held by Park Yong-taek (retired) of the former LG Twins.

Kang Min-ho, a graduate of Jeju Shinkwang Elementary School, Pohang Middle School, and Pohang Technical High School, wore a Lotte Giants uniform with the 17th overall pick in the third round of the 2004 rookie draft. Kang made his debut in the Sajik Hyundai game on Sept. 19 of that year.

Since then, he started to get a chance to play in earnest in 2005, and on August 8, 2013, in his 10th year since his league debut, he played 1,000 games against LG in Jamsil, and on April 30, 2022, he achieved the record of 2,000 games for the 15th time ever against KIA in Gwangju.

Kang Min-ho played more than 100 games in all but three of the 20 seasons he played in the KBO league, practicing his sense of responsibility as a veteran.

Last season, the 20th year since his debut in the KBO league, he pushed back the record of most individual games to this season with five games left. And Kang Min-ho made a new history when he played in 2,238 games on the day.

Among players ranked within the top 10 in total games played by individuals, Kang is the only catcher. In the catcher position, retired Park Kyung-wan ranks second for most games played by an individual. He played in 2,044 games. Among active catchers, Yang Eui-ji played in 1,718 games, the second most after Kang. Pete Rose, the "hit king" in the U.S. Major League (MLB), and Ivan Rodriguez (2,543) as the catcher. In addition, Kang holds the top home run record (315) and the most RBIs (1,167) in the catcher category.

If Kang Min-ho continues to play this season, he is also expected to achieve the milestone of 2,300 games that no one has stepped on in the 42-year history of the KBO League in the mid-to-late season.

After the bottom of the fifth inning was over, a surprise guest appeared at Jamsil Stadium during the cleaning time. It was Park Yong-taek, 45, a baseball commentator, who is a living legend of Korean baseball. On the day when his milestone was broken, another legendary player visited the stadium and congratulated him. Park came to the ground in person and hugged Kang to congratulate him on reaching the milestone. Not only Samsung but also LG players all came out of the dugout to congratulate him. "I didn't challenge the great achievements of the seniors I have respected since I was young, but I was able to achieve them. It is a great honor. It would be even more meaningful if Park came to congratulate me," Kang told reporters ahead of the game on Tuesday.

Coaches of both teams also congratulated and exchanged words of blessing for Kang's achievement. "That's amazing. I think it's more meaningful for a catcher to set a record for the most games played in a game than any other player does. As a catcher's job is really difficult, I think I took good care of myself as a player. I hope my juniors will learn a lot about this and I want to congratulate them from the bottom of my heart," he said.

"I talked about it yesterday as well. Yesterday I set a tie, and today I set a new record. Unlike other positions, catcher positions are extremely demanding. Still, setting such a record is worth several times more. I don't know how many more games I will play in the future, but I hope I continue to set good records in Korean baseball in good health," Park Jin-man said.

He also played an active part in the Korean national team. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he won the gold medal as the starting catcher. He then contributed to the runner-up at the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC), the gold medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, and the 2015 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12. He also won the KBO Golden Glove six times and became a free agent (FA) three times, signing a four-year contract. He signed a four-year FA contract with Lotte at 7.5 billion won for four years after the end of the 2013 season, 8 billion won for four years after the 2017 season, and 3.6 billion won for four years with Samsung after the 2021 season, respectively.

"First of all, I thought I would have a special feeling, but I don't think I have that special feeling," Kang Min-ho said calmly, and then said, "I think it's a day when I just spend a season. Personally, I still think I've done well without any major injuries. In a way, I'm honored to be able to reach the records of my seniors. I will also play for my juniors for a longer time in the future, so that they can challenge my record."
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