Jung Min-cheul (; born March 28, 1972) is a South Korean former professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

and coach, who is currently the General Manager of the

Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon that competes in the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark. They have won the Korean Series once, in 1999, and the league penn ...

. He played 16 seasons in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the Binggrae/Hanwha Eagles, and two seasons in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

for the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...

. He is second all-time in the KBO League in wins and fourth in career strikeouts. Jung won at least ten games for eight straight seasons, from 1992 through 1999. Jung debuted in the KBO League in 1992, right out of Daejeon High School, winning 14 games to go with a 2.48

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

, second in the league among qualified candidates. His 145 strikeouts was also the second-highest total in the league. Jung was stellar in 1994, as his 2.15 ERA led the league among qualified candidates, and he topped the KBO in strikeouts in with 196. He was second in the league in strikeouts in 1996, with 203 (the only season in which he topped 200 strikeouts). Jung again led the league in strikeouts in 1997 with 160."1997 Korean Baseball Organization Pitching Leaders,"
Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 19, 2020. In May of that year, Jung became only the ninth pitcher in the history of the KBO to pitch a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

. Jung was the ace of the 1999 Korean Series-winning Eagles' pitching staff, going 18–8 with a 3.75 ERA and 151 strikeouts. Jung left the Eagles for the NPB's

in 2000–2001, but he didn't find the success in that league that he did in the KBO, compiling a 3–2 record and a 4.70 ERA in limited action. Returning to the Eagles in 2002, Jung pitched for nine more seasons, racking up 53 more wins. His final season, 2009, was spent as a player-coach. Jung's #23 jersey was retired by the Hanwha Eagles on September 11, 2009. Jung's 161 career victories are second in the KBO only to his long-time Eagles teammate

Song Jin-woo Song Jin-woo (; born February 16, 1966) is a South Korean retired left-handed pitcher. Song played in the KBO League for 21 seasons between and with the Hanwha Eagles. He currently holds several pitching records for the KBO, including his 21 ...

. Jung served as the Eagles'

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decision ...

in 2010–2014. He was an MBC Sports+ baseball commentator from 2015 to 2019, while also serving as the pitching coach of the South Korean national baseball team from 2017 to 2019. In October 2019, Jung moved into the front office as the Eagles' general manager."Ex-All-Star pitcher named GM of former KBO club,"
''Yonhap News Agency'' (October 08, 2019).
''Korea JoongAng Daily'' (October 9, 2019).

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jung, Min-cheul 1972 births Living people Baseball players from Seoul Hanwha Eagles players Yomiuri Giants players KBO League pitchers Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers KBO League players with retired numbers

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