The last remaining player from the Hyundai Unicorns, Jang Si-hwan, is leaving the mound, marking the end of an era for the team that dominated the late 1990s and early 2000s.
On October 22, the LG Twins announced they would not re-sign Jang Si-hwan and 10 other players. Jang and infielder Song Dae-hyun have decided to retire, while pitchers Lim Jeong-kyun, Ha Hyun-kyu, Kim Joo-on, Jin Woo-young, Kim Ji-yong, Oh Seung-yoon, and catchers Kim Jun-tae and Kim Min-soo, along with infielder Kim Jeong-yul, were released.
Jang Si-hwan was selected by Hyundai as the second overall pick in the second round of the 2007 rookie draft and made his professional debut that year, appearing in three games.
Hyundai, Jang's original team, is a prestigious franchise that won the Korean Series championship four times—in 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2004. However, the team was disbanded after the 2007 season due to severe financial difficulties faced by its parent company.
Since then, most players from Hyundai have retired from professional baseball. Last year, O Jae-il, Jeong Hoon, and Hwang Jae-kyun all announced their retirements, leaving Jang as the sole active player from the franchise.
After being released by the Hanwha Eagles following last season, Jang extended his career by signing with LG in December. However, he did not appear in any games this season, either in the first team or the Futures League, before opting for retirement.
Throughout his career, Jang played for several teams, including Hyundai, the Woori Heroes (now Kiwoom), KT Wiz, Lotte Giants, Hanwha, and LG, appearing in a total of 416 games. His career statistics include 29 wins, 74 losses, 34 saves, 35 holds, and an earned run average of 5.31.
He also holds the unfortunate record for the longest losing streak in professional baseball history, with 19 consecutive losses. While playing for Hanwha, he lost 13 games as a starter and 6 as a reliever over 87 games from September 27, 2020, against the NC Dinos to April 1, 2023, against the Kiwoom Heroes.
Despite the challenges of being on a struggling team, Jang earned consistent opportunities to pitch, reflecting the coaching staff's trust in him.
While the legacy of Hyundai's active players has come to an end, many former players remain in the baseball community as coaches. Currently, four of the ten KBO League team managers—LG's Yeom Kyung-yeop, SSG Landers' Lee Sung-yong, Samsung Lions' Park Jin-man, and Kiwoom's Seol Jong-jin—are former Hyundai players.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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