Bears' ace Ariel Miranda breaks KBO single-season strikeout record

Doosan Bears' left-hander Ariel Miranda is the new single-season strikeout king in South Korean baseball.

Miranda got his 224th strikeout of the 2021 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season Sunday against the LG Twins, surpassing a 37-year-old record held by the late Lotte Giants legend Choi Dong-won.

Miranda's record-breaking strikeout came against Hong Chang-ki for the second out in the top of the third inning at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.

Miranda had thrown 169 1/3 innings before Sunday. Choi had his 223 strikeouts in 283 2/3 innings in 1984.

Miranda had a strikeout in the first inning and picked up another in the second inning to pull into a tie with Choi.

Then with one out in the third, Miranda got Hong to whiff on a 1-2 forkball for the record.

This is Miranda's first season in the KBO. The 32-year-old Cuban was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent in 2015 and made his big league debut the following year.

He was traded to the Seattle Mariners in July 2016 and last pitched in the majors in 2018. Miranda went on to pitch in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League before landing with the Bears.

Miranda entered Sunday's action leading the KBO with a 2.29 ERA and 221 strikeouts. He was tied for third in wins with 14, two behind David Buchanan of the Samsung Lions. (Yonhap)