Kia Tigers starter Yang Hyeon-jong pitches against the Lotte Giants during a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 270 kilometers southwest of Seoul, June 6. Yonhap

Kia Tigers ace Yang Hyeon-jong became just the second pitcher in Korean baseball history with 2,000 strikeouts on Thursday.

Yang recorded his 2,000th career strike in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) during the Tigers' home game against the Lotte Giants at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers southwest of Seoul.

Yang, the 36-year-old lefty in his 18th season, came into this game needing two strikeouts to join former Hanwha Eagles pitcher Song Jin-woo in the exclusive, 2,000-K club.

Song retired in 2009 with 2,048 career strikeouts in 3,003 innings over 21 seasons. Before Thursday, Yang had logged 2,407 1/3 innings.

Yang got to 1,999 by striking out So Ho-young on three pitches in the top of the first. Then with one out in the top of the second, Yang got Kim Min-sung to fan on a 1-2 changeup for the milestone strikeout.

After the inning ended, Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho presented Yang with a bouquet of flowers to congratulate the pitcher on the accomplishment. (Yonhap)