Deprived of finishing → PS entry eliminated → Protective player happening... Will 'oldest' Oh Seung-hwan, who had a nightmare, regain his pride in Stone Buddha for a while
Deprived of finishing → PS entry eliminated → Protective player happening... Will 'oldest' Oh Seung-hwan, who had a nightmare, regain his pride in Stone Buddha for a while
Blog Article
For Oh Seung-hwan (43), the "living legend" of the Samsung Lions, 2024 may have been a year he wants to forget. He made 27 saves, but lost his pride by posting a 4.91 ERA, the highest since his debut. Blon Save also suffered a humiliation, posting a personal record of eight in a season, exceeding seven in 2022.스포츠토토
He got off to a good start. He was the first player to make 20 saves in the league, and cruised to a record of 1-1 with 21 saves and 1.67 ERA until June 14. However, he was pushed back from the finishing position due to sharp declines in July (1-2 with two saves and 12.15 ERA in nine games) and August (1-2 with one save and 10.50 ERA in seven games). He also showed no rebound in September (1 loss with two holds and 6.00 ERA in seven games). At the match against the Kiwoom Heroes on Sept. 22, he pitched in a 9-2 lead and gave up a whopping six runs after two outs.
Oh, who had the worst second half of 21 games (2 wins, 4 losses, 3 saves, 2 holds average ERA of 7.41), was ultimately eliminated from the fall baseball entry. After the end of the season, Samsung was at the center of the controversy over whether to include the list of protected players in the process of recruiting Choi as a free agent. The Korean legend had the most saves (427) in his career in the KBO league and 549 saves in his career in Korea, the U.S., and Japan, which could have been scratched from his pride.
This year marks the 21st year of his professional career since debuting in 2005. With Choo Shin-soo and Kim Kang-min, both born in 1982, having retired after the last season, Oh has become the oldest player (42 years, 6 months and 16 days) in the KBO league in the 2025 season. He is 24 years younger than Kim Seo-joon of Kiwoom (18 years, 1 month and 19 days, as of Jan. 31st), who is registered as a member of his team. Oh has already aged enough to play on the same stage with players born in 2006, when he won his first title (47 saves).
The year 2025 is more important than ever for Oh, who will turn 43 this season. He is at a crossroads between extending his active career and retiring. Oh, who signed a two-year free agent contract worth 2.2 billion won (2.42 million U.S. dollars) ahead of the 2024 season, said, "This is the last year of his contract. If he continues to show the same performance as last year, chances are high he will end his career as a pro. If he proves that he is still competitive, he will be able to take the mound in 2026 under the title of "Oldest active player."
It is uncertain whether Oh, who gave up his finishing position to Kim Jae-yoon, will be able to secure a spot in the Samsung bullpen this year. Coach Park Jin-man impressed young pitchers including rookie Bae Chan-seung. Kim Moo-shin, who was expected to play in the must-win group, left the team due to elbow surgery, but the vacancy does not belong to Oh. It remains to be seen whether the 21-year-old veteran will be able to overcome competition with young players and recover his pride from the cracked stone Buddha.