Song Jin-woo (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Song Jin-woo |
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| Hanwha Eagles – No. 21 | |||||||||||||||||
| Pitcher / Coach | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: February 16, 1966 Jeungpyeong, North Chungcheong, South Korea |
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| debut | |||||||||||||||||
| April 12, 1989, for the Binggrae Eagles | |||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | |||||||||||||||||
| September 23, 2009, for the Hanwha Eagles | |||||||||||||||||
| KBO statistics | |||||||||||||||||
| Win–loss | 210–153 | ||||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 3.51 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saves | 103 | ||||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 2,048 | ||||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||||
As player
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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| Song Jin-woo | |
| Hangul |
송진우
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| Hanja |
宋津宇
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| Revised Romanization | Song Jinu |
| McCune–Reischauer | Song Chinu |
Song Jin-woo (Hangul: 송진우; Hanja: 宋津宇; born February 16, 1966) is a South Korean retired left-handed pitcher. A pitcher is a player who throws the baseball from the mound to the catcher. Song played in the KBO League, which is South Korea's top baseball league, for 21 seasons. He played from 1989 to 2009 with the Hanwha Eagles team.
Song holds several pitching records for the KBO. These include his 210 career wins and 3,003 innings pitched. An "inning pitched" means he was the pitcher for a full inning of the game. He is one of only two pitchers in KBO League history to win 200 games and strike out 2,000 or more batters. Because he helped create the Korean baseball players' association, which is like a group that supports players, he earned the nickname "Mr. President."
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Playing Career Highlights
Song went to Dongguk University before becoming a professional baseball player. He represented South Korea in the 1988 Summer Olympics. He also played in the 2000 Summer Olympics, where his team won a bronze medal.
Achieving a No-Hitter
On May 18, 2000, Song achieved a special feat called a no-hitter. This means he pitched an entire game without allowing the other team to get any hits. He played against the Haitai Tigers and won the game 6-0. Song was only the tenth pitcher in KBO history to accomplish this amazing achievement.
Golden Glove Award and Strikeout Record
In 2002, Song won the KBO League Golden Glove Award. This award recognizes the best defensive player at each position. That year, he had a record of 18 wins and 7 losses. His ERA was 2.99, which is very good. He also had 165 strikeouts and completed 8 games by himself.
Song was the first pitcher in the KBO to strike out over 2,000 batters. He reached this milestone on June 6, 2008. This happened at his home field, Daejeon Baseball Stadium, against the Woori Heroes. He got the 2,000th strikeout in the 8th inning by striking out Song Ji-man.
Song's number 21 jersey was retired by the Eagles on September 23, 2009. This means no other player on the team can wear that number. His record of 2,048 strikeouts stood for 15 years. It was finally broken by Yang Hyeon-jong of the Kia Tigers on August 21, 2024.
Coaching Career
Song became the pitching coach for the Hanwha Eagles in 2018. As a coach, he focused on changing the team's approach to pitching. He believed in giving "personalized" advice to each pitcher. For example, he helped foreign pitcher Keyvius Sampson improve his pitching style. He also advised Jason Wheeler on how to fix his changeup pitch. Song emphasized the importance of good communication between coaches and players.
Television Appearances
Song Jin-woo has also appeared on television.
| Year | Title | Network | Role | Ref. |
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| 2022 | Back to the Ground | MBN | Coach |
See Also
- List of KBO career win leaders
- List of KBO career saves leaders
- List of KBO career strikeout leaders
