The year he turned 18, KIA took him first in the rookie second-stage draft. In 2007 he joined the KIA Tigers and went 1-2 in his first season. On Sept. 29 he started and earned his first career win.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 21, in his third pro season, he went 12-5 in the regular season and started Game 4 of the Korean Series against SK. That November he pitched against Yomiuri, the Japan Series champions, at the Korea-Japan Club Championship.
In 2010 he tied for second in wins with 16 and started the Guangzhou Asian Games semifinal. The national team beat Taiwan in the final for gold. In 2014 he pitched in the Incheon Asian Games final for another gold medal and won the first Choi Dong-won Award. In 2015 he led the league in ERA and married that December.
In 2017 he went 20-6 with a 3.44 ERA, the first 20 wins by a Korean-born pitcher in 22 years. In the Korean Series he threw a Game 2 shutout and saved Game 5 to win series MVP. In 2019 he led the league in ERA again with 2.29, for the second time after 2015.
In 2020 he went 11-10. In 2021 he signed with the Texas Rangers, made his first major league start in May and returned to KIA in December. In 2022 he reached 150 career wins, the fourth pitcher to do so and the youngest at the time.
In 2023 he threw 170 innings for a ninth straight season, a first in the KBO. In 2024 he passed Song Jin-woo for the most career strikeouts, and KIA won the Korean Series.
In 2025 he became the second pitcher to pass 2,600 career innings, and in December he signed a two-plus-one-year, 4.5 billion won free agent deal with KIA. On Sept. 11, 2026, the year he turned 38, he earned his 197th career win, three short of 200.
Yang Hyeon-jong (born Mar 1, 1988) joined the KIA Tigers in 2007, the year he turned 19, and became known when he started Game 4 of the Korean Series on Oct 20, 2009, in his third pro season, the year he turned 21. He won 20 games in 2017, the year he turned 29.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
A left-handed pitcher from Gwangju’s Dongsung High School, he was taken first by KIA in the 2007 rookie second-stage draft.
Source 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 2007 rookie second-stage draft · opens in a new tabSource 31 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · Yang Hyeon-jong, a national team player for the sixth time · opens in a new tabWent 1-2 with a 4.17 ERA in his first pro season.
Source 02 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Lee Eui-ri rookie of the year · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 2007 rookie second-stage draft · opens in a new tab The route into the club follows the 2006 article (second-stage draft, first pick). A 2021 Yonhap article calls it a first-round pick. The date of his first game was not confirmed.Started against Hanwha in Daejeon and earned the win, allowing one run in five innings. It was his 30th appearance and sixth start of the season.
Source 03 · OSEN (Korean) · First career win · opens in a new tabIn his third pro season he went 12-5 with a 3.15 ERA in the regular season and started Game 4 of the Korean Series against SK. Kookje Shinmun describes this as the time he was just becoming known as the next pillar of KIA’s mound staff.
KIA won the Korean Series for the first time in 12 years, on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7.
Source 05 · Edaily (Korean) · 2009 Korean Series title · opens in a new tabAgainst Yomiuri, the Japan Series champions, he pitched 5⅔ innings with six strikeouts and one run allowed. Monthly JoongAng says this game made his name better known.
Source 06 · OSEN (Korean) · Korea-Japan Club Championship · opens in a new tabSource 30 · Monthly JoongAng (Korean) · Yang Hyeon-jong, the left-handed Sun Dong-yol · opens in a new tabIn a year when he tied for second in wins with 16, he started the semifinal against China and allowed one run in six innings. The national team beat Taiwan 9-3 in the final the next day to win gold.
Source 07 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Guangzhou Asian Games semifinal · opens in a new tabSource 08 · Newsis (Korean) · Guangzhou Asian Games baseball gold · opens in a new tabHe pitched in the seventh inning of the final, and South Korea beat Taiwan 6-3 for a second straight gold medal.
Source 09 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Incheon Asian Games baseball final · opens in a new tabIn a year when he went 16-8 with a 4.25 ERA in 29 games and ranked second in wins, he became the award’s first winner.
Source 10 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · First Choi Dong-won Award winner · opens in a new tabSource 11 · Sportsworld (Korean) · 2014 salary talks · opens in a new tabWent 15-6 and led the league with a 2.44 ERA.
Source 13 · MK Sports (Korean) · 2019 ERA leader · opens in a new tabSource 12 · SBS Entertainment News (Korean) · Wedding · opens in a new tab Only the year was confirmed.Held his wedding in Gwangju.
Source 12 · SBS Entertainment News (Korean) · Wedding · opens in a new tabFinished the season 20-6 with a 3.44 ERA, the first 20 wins by a Korean-born pitcher in 22 years, since Lee Sang-hoon in 1995. Foreign pitcher Hector also reached 20 wins the next day, giving KIA two 20-game winners on one team.
Source 14 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · KIA’s 20-win one-two punch · opens in a new tabSource 16 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 2017 top 10 sports stories · opens in a new tabPitched the bottom of the ninth in Game 5 against Doosan and earned the save. With a Game 2 shutout, he was named series MVP. Yonhap says that, with the regular-season MVP, he was the first to win both MVP awards in Korean pro baseball.
Source 15 · Newsis (Korean) · 2017 Korean Series MVP · opens in a new tabSource 16 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 2017 top 10 sports stories · opens in a new tab The date of the regular-season MVP ceremony was not confirmed.Re-signed with KIA for 2.3 billion won, up 800 million won.
Source 17 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 2018 contract renewal · opens in a new tabLed the league with a 2.29 ERA over 184⅔ innings, for the second time after 2015.
Source 13 · MK Sports (Korean) · 2019 ERA leader · opens in a new tab Only the year was confirmed.Went 11-10 in the season before he left for the United States.
Source 18 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · Analysis of his return to KIA · opens in a new tab Only the year was confirmed.Joined spring camp as a non-roster invitee on a minor league deal. If he reached the majors, he would be guaranteed $1.3 million.
Source 19 · SPOTV News (Korean) · Parting with KIA · opens in a new tab The date is Korea time.Started against the Minnesota Twins, allowing one run in 3⅓ innings with eight strikeouts.
Source 20 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · MLB start debut · opens in a new tab The date is Korea time.Signed for 10.3 billion won in total: a 3 billion won signing bonus, a 2.5 billion won salary and 4.8 billion won in options. It came one year after he left for the United States.
Source 21 · Newsis (Korean) · Proving his worth in the new year · opens in a new tabWon against Lotte with two runs allowed in 7⅔ innings, becoming the fourth pitcher, after Song Jin-woo, Lee Kang-chul and Jung Min-cheul, to reach 150 career wins. He was the youngest to do so at the time.
Source 22 · MBC (Korean) · Youngest to 150 wins · opens in a new tabNine straight seasons of 170 innings is a first in the KBO.
Source 23 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · 2023 KBO top 10 stories · opens in a new tabAgainst Lotte, he passed Song Jin-woo’s career total of 2,048 strikeouts to take first place in KBO career strikeouts.
Source 24 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · Career strikeout leader · opens in a new tabStarted and left after allowing five runs in 2⅔ innings; KIA beat Samsung to win the Korean Series.
Source 25 · News1 (Korean) · 2024 Korean Series Game 5 · opens in a new tabStarted against LG and became the second pitcher to pass 2,600 career innings.
Source 26 · Donghaeng Media Sidae (Korean) · 2,600 innings · opens in a new tabSigned for 4.5 billion won in total, including a 1 billion won signing bonus. It was his third free agent contract.
Source 27 · The Gate (Korean) · Two-plus-one-year deal with KIA · opens in a new tabPitched 5⅓ innings against SSG for his 11th win of the season and 197th of his career. He is three wins short of 200, which would make him the second to get there.
Source 28 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · 197th win · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2006–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Sports · South Korea
Mar 1, 1988 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1988: the year of the event minus 1988, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.10.05 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.