Samsung catcher Kang Min-ho (38), the KBO’s all-time leader in games played among active players, is on the verge of breaking the record.

Kang Min-ho played in the first game of the doubleheader against Daejeon Hanwha on April 27, batting fourth, and has now played in 2222 games in the KBO. He is just two games shy of breaking the all-time record of Jung Sung-hoon (formerly of KIA) with 2223 games.

Kang joined Lotte in 2004 with the 17th overall pick in the third round of the second round, and made his debut on September 19 of that year against Sasik Hyundai. In his second year, Kang jumped to the first team in 2005 and became a full-time starter in 2006.

In his 10th year, on August 8, 2013, he made his 1000th appearance for Lotte against LG in Jamsil at the age of 27 years, 11 months, and 21 days. He then became the 15th player in history to reach 2,000 appearances on April 30, 2022, against Gwangju KIA with Samsung.

Despite being a catcher, which is more physically demanding than other positions, Kang Min-ho has played more than 100 games in 17 of his 20 seasons in the KBO, averaging 117 games per season since 2005, when he established himself as a first-team player.

Among the top 10 players in terms of career games played, Kang Min-ho is the only catcher. His number of games played is unrivaled among catchers.메이저놀이터

He’s even surpassed the all-time record for most games played. He is just 15 games shy of the all-time leader in that category, Park Yong-taek (formerly of LG), with 2,237 games. With only 14 games left in the season, Kang Min-ho’s team, Samsung, won’t be able to break the record this year, but barring any major changes, the record will be broken early next season.

Kang Min-ho has been a consistent and long-running player, signing three free agent contracts. His bat is still going strong this season, as he’s batting .813 with 15 home runs, 67 RBIs, and an OPS of .813 in 114 games (112-for-391). He’s also been solid at the plate, playing 728 innings of defense, the fifth-most of any catcher in the league. At this rate, he could easily surpass Park Yong-taek’s record and become the first KBO player to reach 2300 games, and possibly even 2500.