WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.700 I want you to picture something for me for a 00:00:01.700 --> 00:00:04.820 second. Imagine you're playing a video game. 00:00:04.980 --> 00:00:08.539 Let's say it's a baseball management sim or maybe 00:00:08.539 --> 00:00:11.119 just franchise mode in the show. Okay. And you 00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:13.560 decide to just mess with the settings. You turn 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:16.699 stamina all the way up. You turn fatigue completely 00:00:16.699 --> 00:00:20.239 off. And then you simulate an entire season with 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:23.320 just one starting pitcher. I know exactly where 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:24.679 you're going with this. You get numbers that 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:26.579 just look like a glitch in the code. Exactly. 00:00:26.579 --> 00:00:28.760 It looks like the game broke. You see a stat 00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:32.939 line that says, Game is played. 100. Games started 00:00:32.939 --> 00:00:37.380 by this one guy. 60. Complete games. 36. It sounds 00:00:37.380 --> 00:00:40.439 like a typo. Or like you're reading stats from 00:00:40.439 --> 00:00:42.560 the 1880s when guys were throwing underhand from 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:45.399 45 feet away. Right. But it's not a typo. It's 00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:47.159 not a glitch. And it's definitely not from the 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:49.219 19th century. This actually happened in 1983. 00:00:49.659 --> 00:00:51.880 And that's what this deep dig is all about today. 00:00:52.020 --> 00:00:54.460 We are unpacking the career of a man who makes 00:00:54.460 --> 00:00:56.840 modern pitching workloads look like a light warm 00:00:56.840 --> 00:01:01.250 -up. It's a genuinely... fascinating story. We're 00:01:01.250 --> 00:01:03.270 looking at a player who lived his career under 00:01:03.270 --> 00:01:05.829 three different names across two different countries 00:01:05.829 --> 00:01:09.069 and managed to set records that are quite literally 00:01:09.069 --> 00:01:11.569 unbreakable. And I don't use that word lately. 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:14.480 We're talking about the man born as Akio Matsubara, 00:01:14.620 --> 00:01:17.739 who became the champion Hiroki Fukushi and finally 00:01:17.739 --> 00:01:20.980 became the legendary and honestly tragic Jang 00:01:20.980 --> 00:01:23.239 Myung -bu. And the mission here is really to 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:25.680 explore the cost of that greatness. Yeah. You 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:28.120 have this pitcher who goes from being a journeyman 00:01:28.120 --> 00:01:30.840 in Japan to an absolute mythical figure in the 00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:33.280 early days of the Korean baseball organization, 00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:35.939 the KBO. And he holds the record for the most 00:01:35.939 --> 00:01:38.859 wins in a season. And paradoxically, the most 00:01:38.859 --> 00:01:41.359 losses. Which just feels like a perfect metaphor 00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:43.599 for his entire career. The highest highs, the 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:46.200 lowest lows. It really is. It's a story about 00:01:46.200 --> 00:01:48.599 endurance, about the physical limits of the human 00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:51.500 body, and about a very specific era of sports 00:01:51.500 --> 00:01:53.879 where pitch count wasn't even in the vocabulary. 00:01:54.260 --> 00:01:57.400 So let's rewind. Before he was the Ironman of 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:00.939 the KBO, he started out in Japan. And his background 00:02:00.939 --> 00:02:02.980 is a bit complex right from the get -go, isn't 00:02:02.980 --> 00:02:06.340 it? He was born December 1950 in the Tottori 00:02:06.340 --> 00:02:09.080 Prefecture. Right. And he started his career... 00:02:09.259 --> 00:02:12.419 using the Japanese name Akio Matsubara. He was 00:02:12.419 --> 00:02:15.719 signed young, just 19 years old, by the Yomiuri 00:02:15.719 --> 00:02:18.500 Giants in 1970. Now, for those of us who might 00:02:18.500 --> 00:02:20.819 not follow Japanese baseball history that closely, 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:24.259 how big a deal are the Yomiuri Giants? Oh, they're 00:02:24.259 --> 00:02:27.240 the pinnacle. Imagine the New York Yankees combined 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:30.479 with the Dallas Cowboys, but in Tokyo. They are 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:33.439 the institution of Japanese baseball. Wow. So 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:35.960 getting signed by them is a massive honor, but 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:37.900 it's also incredibly difficult to actually break 00:02:37.900 --> 00:02:39.840 into the lineup because they always have the 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:42.159 best talent money can buy. So he's a teenager, 00:02:42.280 --> 00:02:44.039 signs with the biggest team in the country. Did 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:47.020 he even play? Barely. For three seasons, he was 00:02:47.020 --> 00:02:49.159 essentially a ghost. He was buried on the bench, 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:51.539 pitching in practice, maybe getting some mop 00:02:51.539 --> 00:02:53.439 -up duty here and there. If story ended there, 00:02:53.539 --> 00:02:55.120 he'd have just been a footnote. A guy who had 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:56.800 a cup of coffee with the Giants and then was 00:02:56.800 --> 00:03:00.469 gone. Exactly. But he didn't disappear. He gets 00:03:00.469 --> 00:03:04.009 traded to the Nankai Hawks in 1973. And this 00:03:04.009 --> 00:03:05.849 is the turning point. This is where we start 00:03:05.849 --> 00:03:08.889 to see flashes of what he could actually do when 00:03:08.889 --> 00:03:10.550 someone finally gave him the ball. So it goes 00:03:10.550 --> 00:03:12.870 from the bench to the mound. How did he do? He 00:03:12.870 --> 00:03:15.629 finds his footing almost immediately. In his 00:03:15.629 --> 00:03:20.889 first year, 1973, he posts a 2 .87 ERA. Okay, 00:03:20.930 --> 00:03:22.810 let's unpack that for the non -baseball mad people. 00:03:23.530 --> 00:03:26.729 ERA is earned run average. What does a 2 .87 00:03:26.729 --> 00:03:29.530 tell us? It means for every nine innings he pitched, 00:03:29.650 --> 00:03:32.689 he gave up less than three runs. And pro baseball, 00:03:32.830 --> 00:03:35.969 anything under 3 .00 is excellent. It's elite. 00:03:36.310 --> 00:03:38.550 So you're shutting down the other team. You are. 00:03:38.710 --> 00:03:40.550 Yeah. And that was the eighth best mark in the 00:03:40.550 --> 00:03:42.569 whole Pacific League that year. So he proves 00:03:42.569 --> 00:03:44.650 he belongs. Right. And he even pitched in the 00:03:44.650 --> 00:03:47.409 Japan series that year. He actually took a loss 00:03:47.409 --> 00:03:49.629 in a game against his old team, the Giants, which 00:03:49.629 --> 00:03:51.650 must have stung a bit. Oh, I bet. But the trajectory 00:03:51.650 --> 00:03:54.479 was clear. By 1975, he's tying for the league 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:57.180 lead with four shutouts. A shutout is when you 00:03:57.180 --> 00:03:59.319 pitch the entire game and the other team doesn't 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:01.879 score a single run, correct? Not a single run. 00:04:02.300 --> 00:04:05.699 And doing that four times shows a level of dominance 00:04:05.699 --> 00:04:08.680 and stamina. But the real shift, the evolution 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:11.780 into this workhorse identity, that happens when 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:14.039 he moves to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 1977. 00:04:14.539 --> 00:04:16.819 The Carp. This is where the legend really starts 00:04:16.819 --> 00:04:20.300 to build. It is. In 1978, still playing as Matsubara, 00:04:20.459 --> 00:04:22.990 he makes his first All -Star game. And he led 00:04:22.990 --> 00:04:25.850 the Central League with 12 complete games. 12 00:04:25.850 --> 00:04:27.870 complete games. I want to pause on that because 00:04:27.870 --> 00:04:30.529 the context has just changed so much. In modern 00:04:30.529 --> 00:04:33.389 MLB, if a pitcher throws two or three complete 00:04:33.389 --> 00:04:36.720 games in a season. Everyone goes crazy. It's 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:38.779 virtually unheard of now. Managers protect their 00:04:38.779 --> 00:04:40.819 assets. You go six innings, maybe seven. And 00:04:40.819 --> 00:04:43.579 you're out. And you hand it to the bullpen. Maktoubira 00:04:43.579 --> 00:04:46.600 was finishing what he started 12 times. But, 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:48.860 and here is a really crucial detail from the 00:04:48.860 --> 00:04:51.180 source, there was a warning sign. A warning sign. 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:55.300 Yeah. While he had a solid ERA of 3 .60, he also 00:04:55.300 --> 00:04:58.279 allowed 236 hits. Which was the most in the league. 00:04:58.459 --> 00:05:00.300 The most. So what does that tell you? It tells 00:05:00.300 --> 00:05:02.610 me he's getting hit. A lot. Exactly. It tells 00:05:02.610 --> 00:05:04.829 you he pitches to contact. He isn't blowing everyone 00:05:04.829 --> 00:05:06.910 away with, you know, 100 mile per hour fast goals. 00:05:07.050 --> 00:05:09.290 He's staying in the game. He's absorbing hits. 00:05:09.430 --> 00:05:11.269 He's letting the defense work. And he's just, 00:05:11.310 --> 00:05:14.470 he's just keeping on pitching. He's bending, 00:05:14.569 --> 00:05:17.889 but not breaking. A durable style, but it must 00:05:17.889 --> 00:05:20.329 put a lot of mileage on the arm. A ton. Okay, 00:05:20.370 --> 00:05:24.509 so that's 1978. Then 1979 comes around and suddenly 00:05:24.509 --> 00:05:27.949 Akio Matsubara is gone. And Hiroaki Fukushi arrives. 00:05:28.519 --> 00:05:31.180 He changes his registered name. Now, looking 00:05:31.180 --> 00:05:33.639 ahead to the Korean part of his career, is it 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:36.000 safe to assume this was related to his heritage? 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:39.079 It's highly likely. He was what was known as 00:05:39.079 --> 00:05:42.199 a Zenichi Korean, an ethnic Korean living in 00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:44.500 Japan. And at that time, it was very common for 00:05:44.500 --> 00:05:47.120 players of Korean descent to use Japanese names 00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:49.839 to avoid discrimination or just to fit in. The 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:51.740 source material just notes the change happened 00:05:51.740 --> 00:05:55.019 in 79. And under this new name, Fukushi, he enters 00:05:55.019 --> 00:05:57.850 what you could call his champion era. The Hiroshima 00:05:57.850 --> 00:06:01.089 Toyo Carp had a massive year in 79. Huge. They 00:06:01.089 --> 00:06:02.930 won their first title in the team's 30 -year 00:06:02.930 --> 00:06:05.050 history. And Fukushi wasn't just along for the 00:06:05.050 --> 00:06:07.949 ride. No, not at all. He was a hero. He pitched 00:06:07.949 --> 00:06:11.009 in Game 4 of the Japan Series, went 1 -0 with 00:06:11.009 --> 00:06:14.569 a 2 .19 ERA. He was clutch. And he kept it up. 00:06:14.730 --> 00:06:17.810 1980 seems like another huge year. It was. He 00:06:17.810 --> 00:06:20.569 wins 15 games, makes his second All -Star appearance, 00:06:20.750 --> 00:06:23.949 and... Get this, he's the winning pitcher in 00:06:23.949 --> 00:06:27.050 Game 6 of the Japan Series to help the carp repeat 00:06:27.050 --> 00:06:30.069 as champions. So at this point, 1980, he is on 00:06:30.069 --> 00:06:32.730 top of the baseball world. Two -time champion, 00:06:32.910 --> 00:06:36.029 an all -star, a proven winner. He is. He's reached 00:06:36.029 --> 00:06:38.589 the summit. But in sports, especially for pitchers 00:06:38.589 --> 00:06:41.110 who rely on volume and durability, the cliff 00:06:41.110 --> 00:06:44.069 can come. Very, very suddenly. The cracks start 00:06:44.069 --> 00:06:46.829 showing in 1981. They do. He makes the all -star 00:06:46.829 --> 00:06:49.189 team again, which is a bit misleading because 00:06:49.189 --> 00:06:51.610 if you look at the underlying numbers, he led 00:06:51.610 --> 00:06:54.269 the Central League in walks, runs allowed, and 00:06:54.269 --> 00:06:56.529 earned runs allowed. Ouch. So he's putting guys 00:06:56.529 --> 00:06:59.029 on base and they're scoring. Yeah. The durability 00:06:59.029 --> 00:07:00.930 is becoming a liability. He's eating innings, 00:07:00.930 --> 00:07:02.970 but they're bad innings. And then comes the crash. 00:07:03.529 --> 00:07:06.769 1982. The disaster season. A 313 record. Just 00:07:06.769 --> 00:07:09.329 a complete collapse. And just like that. The 00:07:09.329 --> 00:07:11.350 Hiroshima Toyo Carp, the team he helped win back 00:07:11.350 --> 00:07:13.730 -to -back titles, they release him. It's brutal 00:07:13.730 --> 00:07:15.769 how fast that happens. One minute you're winning 00:07:15.769 --> 00:07:17.889 Game 6 and two years later you're out of a job. 00:07:18.029 --> 00:07:20.209 Well, out of a job in Japan. Yeah. But this is 00:07:20.209 --> 00:07:22.069 where the story takes its most fascinating turn. 00:07:22.529 --> 00:07:25.009 He doesn't retire. He moves to a new frontier. 00:07:25.329 --> 00:07:29.660 The KBO. The South Korean League. Which was in 00:07:29.660 --> 00:07:32.240 its infancy then. It had just started in 1982. 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:34.600 So this was 1983. It was a brand new league. 00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:37.220 And they were desperate for talent. Yeah. They 00:07:37.220 --> 00:07:39.220 were specifically looking for ethnic Koreans 00:07:39.220 --> 00:07:42.139 playing in Japan to come over and raise the standard 00:07:42.139 --> 00:07:45.240 of play. So Fukushi moves over to play for a 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:47.720 team with, I have to say, one of the greatest 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:50.639 names in sports history. The Sammy Superstars. 00:07:50.800 --> 00:07:52.839 I love that name. Sammy Superstars. It sounds 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:55.670 like a cartoon team. It really does. And he changes 00:07:55.670 --> 00:07:57.850 his name again. He adopts the name Yang Myung 00:07:57.850 --> 00:08:00.170 -bu, which is a transliteration. He's embracing 00:08:00.170 --> 00:08:02.529 his identity. Okay, so now we have Jang Myung 00:08:02.529 --> 00:08:05.050 -bu. It's 1983. He's on the Sammy Superstars. 00:08:05.050 --> 00:08:07.970 And this, this is the season we need to really 00:08:07.970 --> 00:08:10.029 settle in on. Because looking at these numbers, 00:08:10.069 --> 00:08:12.829 I genuinely don't understand how his arm didn't 00:08:12.829 --> 00:08:15.649 just fall off by July. This is the centerpiece 00:08:15.649 --> 00:08:17.569 of the legend. This is the glitch you mentioned 00:08:17.569 --> 00:08:20.889 at the start. So the Sammy Superstars played 00:08:20.889 --> 00:08:23.350 a 100 -game season that year. Okay, 100 games. 00:08:24.089 --> 00:08:26.889 Shorter than MLB, but still a full season. Cenk 00:08:26.889 --> 00:08:29.750 pitched in 60 of them. 60 % of the games. He 00:08:29.750 --> 00:08:31.910 was on the mound more often than he wasn't. He 00:08:31.910 --> 00:08:34.049 gets crazier. He didn't just pop in for an inning 00:08:34.049 --> 00:08:37.629 here and there. He threw 427 and one -third innings. 00:08:37.769 --> 00:08:41.950 400. Wait, let's put that in perspective. What 00:08:41.950 --> 00:08:44.230 does a workhorse pitcher throw today? Today. 00:08:44.669 --> 00:08:47.389 If a pitcher throws 200 innings, they are considered 00:08:47.389 --> 00:08:50.549 an absolute beast, a cyborg. The Cy Young winners 00:08:50.549 --> 00:08:53.870 are usually around 180 to 200. So in 1983, Jang 00:08:53.870 --> 00:08:56.730 threw basically double what a modern ace throws. 00:08:56.950 --> 00:08:59.590 Pretty much, yeah. He threw two full modern seasons 00:08:59.590 --> 00:09:01.750 in one summer. In fact, the pitcher who came 00:09:01.750 --> 00:09:04.230 in second place in the KBO that year, he was 00:09:04.230 --> 00:09:07.529 192 innings behind Jang. He threw almost 200 00:09:07.529 --> 00:09:10.309 more innings than the next closest guy. That's 00:09:10.309 --> 00:09:14.360 just mind -boggling. It is. He faced 1 ,712 batters 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:16.879 in one season. Just imagine the mental focus 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:18.740 for that. And here's the thing. He wasn't just 00:09:18.740 --> 00:09:20.860 eating innings for a bad team, right? He was 00:09:20.860 --> 00:09:23.000 actually dominating. The results were historic. 00:09:23.259 --> 00:09:27.659 He won 30 games. 30 wins in a 100 -game season. 00:09:27.980 --> 00:09:30.600 That is a league record that still stands. And 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:32.919 honestly, unless they change the rules of baseball, 00:09:33.139 --> 00:09:35.799 nobody is ever breaking that. But here is the 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:38.559 stat that just blows my mind. He completed 36 00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:43.059 games. 36 complete games. So 36 times he has 00:09:43.059 --> 00:09:45.039 started a game and was still on the mound for 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:48.279 the final out. Correct. He also had five shutouts, 00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:51.419 struck out 220 batters, which was a record at 00:09:51.419 --> 00:09:54.940 the time. His ERA was 2 .34. He was a machine. 00:09:55.299 --> 00:09:57.919 He was the entire team. And this is the part 00:09:57.919 --> 00:10:00.139 that really drives it home. The Sammy superstars, 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:02.500 they were not a great team. They won 52 games 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:05.840 total that year. 52 wins. Total. Jang had 30 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:08.740 wins and 6 saves. Let me do the quick math. 30 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:12.120 plus 6. So he was directly involved in 36 of 00:10:12.120 --> 00:10:14.799 their 52 wins. He accounted for more than 69 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:16.960 % of the team's entire win total. I've heard 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:18.419 of putting the team on your back, but this is 00:10:18.419 --> 00:10:20.179 ridiculous. He was the team. He won the Golden 00:10:20.179 --> 00:10:22.419 Glove Award that year, and rightfully so. But 00:10:22.419 --> 00:10:24.799 when you look at those numbers, 427 innings, 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:28.379 60 appearances, you have to ask. What is the 00:10:28.379 --> 00:10:31.399 cost? Yeah, that level of exertion. The human 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:33.460 body just isn't designed for that. The ligaments, 00:10:33.580 --> 00:10:36.460 the tendons, the shoulder, it has a limit. Exactly. 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:39.080 And this brings us to the decline because you 00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:41.299 can't borrow that much against your future without 00:10:41.299 --> 00:10:43.360 paying the debt. The bill comes due. It does. 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:46.179 The burnout was immediate and severe. The very 00:10:46.179 --> 00:10:49.740 next year, 1984, he still managed 13 victories, 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:53.440 which, you know, in a vacuum is a decent season. 00:10:53.620 --> 00:10:56.879 But the magic was gone. It was. He suffered 20 00:10:56.879 --> 00:10:59.519 losses. So he went from winning 30 to losing 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:02.120 20. The dominance is fading. He's getting hit 00:11:02.120 --> 00:11:05.419 hard. And then comes 1985. The pendulum swings 00:11:05.419 --> 00:11:07.500 all the way to the other side. He sets another 00:11:07.500 --> 00:11:10.080 league record. Let me guess. Most losses. Most 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:13.139 losses in a season. 25 losses. He won 11 games 00:11:13.139 --> 00:11:15.620 but lost 25. So just to get this straight, he 00:11:15.620 --> 00:11:18.220 holds the KBO single season records for most 00:11:18.220 --> 00:11:21.240 wins and most losses. That's right. Most wins 00:11:21.240 --> 00:11:24.299 with 30. Most losses with 25. It's a poetic, 00:11:24.379 --> 00:11:27.429 almost tragic. Kind of symmetry. He gave everything 00:11:27.429 --> 00:11:29.889 he had in 1983, and he spent the next two years 00:11:29.889 --> 00:11:31.750 paying for it. And it ends pretty quietly after 00:11:31.750 --> 00:11:34.690 that, doesn't it? It does. He moved to an expansion 00:11:34.690 --> 00:11:38.370 team, the Bingray Eagles, in 1986. How'd that 00:11:38.370 --> 00:11:42.049 go? Not well. He went 1 -18. One win and 18 losses. 00:11:42.309 --> 00:11:44.649 With an ERA close to five. It was the end of 00:11:44.649 --> 00:11:47.279 the line. It's such a steep drop -off. From the 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:49.720 highest peak to the lowest valley in just three 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:52.440 years. It really highlights the volatile nature 00:11:52.440 --> 00:11:55.000 of his career. I mean, look at the summary. He's 00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:57.779 a five -time Japan Series champion from his time 00:11:57.779 --> 00:12:00.340 with the Giants and the Carp, a hero in Japan. 00:12:01.220 --> 00:12:03.759 Then he goes to Korea, becomes this mythical 00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:06.879 figure who did the impossible but destroyed himself 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:09.139 doing it. And he passed away relatively young, 00:12:09.220 --> 00:12:11.440 didn't he? Yeah, he passed away on April 13, 00:12:11.779 --> 00:12:14.559 2005. He was only 54 years old. That is young. 00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:16.779 It really makes you think about the legacy he 00:12:16.779 --> 00:12:19.320 left behind. It does. Because when we look back 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:21.440 at sports history, we focus so much on efficiency 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:24.700 now, on longevity, protecting the asset, pitch 00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:27.000 counts, innings limits. We treat players like 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:29.639 investments. Right. No one would ever let a player 00:12:29.639 --> 00:12:32.019 throw 400 innings today. The manager would be 00:12:32.019 --> 00:12:34.840 fired by June for negligence. Exactly. And they 00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:37.620 should be. It destroys the arm. But Jang Myung 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:41.419 -bu's 1983 season stands as this monument to 00:12:41.419 --> 00:12:43.679 a completely different philosophy. It was the 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:46.379 era of burn bright, regardless of the burnout 00:12:46.379 --> 00:12:49.419 that follows. He literally gave his arm for one 00:12:49.419 --> 00:12:51.799 season. It's interesting you say that. It feels 00:12:51.799 --> 00:12:53.779 like we look at old stats and just see numbers, 00:12:53.899 --> 00:12:55.820 but there's a human story of pure exhaustion 00:12:55.820 --> 00:12:58.799 behind that 31 record. There is. And think about 00:12:58.799 --> 00:13:01.899 the mental side, too. Playing 60 games, the mental 00:13:01.899 --> 00:13:04.220 fortitude to go out there day after day knowing 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:06.360 your arm is heavy, knowing you're tired, knowing 00:13:06.360 --> 00:13:09.200 you're going to throw 120 pitches again, it's 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:11.059 something we just don't see anymore. It's true. 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:13.799 We marvel at the physical scats, but the mental 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:17.539 grind of facing 1 ,712 batters, it's intense. 00:13:17.940 --> 00:13:20.419 And he wasn't just collecting stats. He dragged 00:13:20.419 --> 00:13:23.019 that team to relevance. Without him, the Sammy 00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:24.940 superstars would have been a complete laughingstock. 00:13:25.299 --> 00:13:27.419 So as we wrap this up, what does this all mean 00:13:27.419 --> 00:13:29.539 for us today? Why does this story from the 80s 00:13:29.539 --> 00:13:32.000 matter? I think it matters because it defines 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:35.279 the boundary of what is humanly possible. We 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:37.580 often think records are made to be broken. You 00:13:37.580 --> 00:13:40.580 know, home runs, scoring titles. We assume someone 00:13:40.580 --> 00:13:43.480 someday will pass them because athletes get bigger, 00:13:43.580 --> 00:13:45.919 faster, stronger. But not this one. I don't think 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:48.220 so. I think Jang Myung -bu is the eternal guardian 00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:50.679 of the unbreakable season. Unless the fundamental 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:53.100 rules of baseball change, no one is ever getting 00:13:53.100 --> 00:13:56.440 30 wins again. No one is throwing 36 complete 00:13:56.440 --> 00:13:59.259 games. It's a record sealed in amber. Precisely. 00:13:59.659 --> 00:14:01.960 It's a testament to a specific moment in time, 00:14:02.059 --> 00:14:04.919 a specific baseball culture, and a specific man 00:14:04.919 --> 00:14:07.259 who was willing to throw until he just couldn't 00:14:07.259 --> 00:14:09.519 lift his arm anymore. It's a fascinating legacy 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:12.720 for a man with three names, Akio Matsubara, the 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:15.419 young prospect, Hiroaki Fukushi, the champion, 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:19.120 and Zhang Mianbu, the legend who broke the records 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:22.039 and broke himself in the process. A complex career 00:14:22.039 --> 00:14:24.980 for a complex figure, and a reminder that sports 00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:27.299 history is filled with these incredible anomalies. 00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:30.440 And a reminder that sometimes the most unbelievable 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:32.700 stats, the ones that look like glitches, are 00:14:32.700 --> 00:14:34.460 the ones that really happen. So I want to leave 00:14:34.460 --> 00:14:37.960 you with this thought. In a world where we optimize 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:40.639 everything for long -term performance, have we 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:43.259 lost something by not seeing athletes push themselves 00:14:43.259 --> 00:14:45.820 to the absolute breaking point like Jang did? 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:49.639 Or are we just better off never seeing a 427 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:52.539 -inning season ever again? That is the question. 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:55.240 The spectacle of the moment versus the longevity 00:14:55.240 --> 00:14:57.539 of a career. Thanks for diving in with us. We'll 00:14:57.539 --> 00:14:58.720 catch you on the next one. Goodbye, everyone.