KBS N Sports commentator Kim Tae-kyun (42) and Kang Min-ho (39) of the Samsung Lions had a time to review players who could be permanently absent in the future through Kim’s YouTube channel TK52 on Tuesday. Oh Seung-hwan (42, FA) was a must.
Oh has 41 wins, 24 losses, 17 holds 400 saves and an ERA of 2.06 in 668 games in the KBO League. He has achieved 400 saves for the first time in the KBO League, ranking first in his career in this category. Although he was away from playing in the Japanese pro baseball and Major League Baseball from 2014 to 2019, he ranks first in overall saves.
He has 522 saves (80 in Japan and 42 in the U.S.) in total among Korea, the U.S. and Japan. He is the best closing pitcher in the history of Korean baseball. If such a player is not permanently absent, who should be appointed? Kang said, “Seung-hwan should do it.” Kim Tae-kyun talked about Oh’s desire to extend his active career, and Kang said, “Even if I see him from the sidelines, I can still do more.”
Oh was 4-5 with 2 holds 30 saves and a 3.45 ERA in 58 games during the 2023 season. Despite his lackluster performance, he managed to make 30 saves. “I’m still throwing around the mid-140km range at that age,” Kim said. 토토
“What’s more interesting is that even if we were sluggish this year, we made 30 saves. This is not easy at all,” he said. “Even if young pitchers throw 150 kilometers, they may not be able to make 30 saves based on their ERA (around 3 points),” Kim Tae-kyun said.
It is very natural that Oh Seung-hwan is not in his prime. At some point, his fastball began to hit the center of the bat. That does not mean that Oh cannot catch hitters in the KBO League. He still pitches smartly, increasing the proportion of breaking balls and actively utilizing fastballs if he has good condition.
Still, Oh’s unique hardware is strong. “If you look at his body, I think he’ll be up to 50 years old. He’s very good at taking care of himself,” Kim said. “He’s very good at taking care of himself. I don’t think he’s aging because he’s naturally a fan of sports.”
Even Kang Min-ho said, “As I shoot, I can feel my ball power drop a little bit as I get older, but Seung-hwan is still the same.” It means that he came down from the celestial world to the earth, but still cannot compare with ordinary finishes.
Oh, however, is currently in the free agent market. Although he agreed to sign a contract with Samsung in a broad framework, there seem to be differences over details. Nobody, however, expects Oh to leave the club. Kim Tae-kyun and Kang Min-ho also predicted that since this precondition is so obvious, his team will likely be called a permanent absentee.
Oh may return to the set-up man starting next year as Kim Jae-yoon (34) signed a four-year contract worth 5.8 billion won (approx. This does not mean that Oh’s value will decline. He has already said early on that he does not care about the position. Perhaps it is his last contract as an FA. He still has some time until his departure from the Okinawa spring camp in January. Samsung fans will have to wait a little longer.
