Oh Seung-hwan (42, Samsung Lions), a “stone Buddha” who has started reorganization in the second division, has increased his speed after rest. When will he join the team.
Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man (48) mentioned Oh Seung-hwan’s current condition and timing of his return ahead of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League regular season home game against the Lotte Giants at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 24th.
Oh took the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning when his team was leading 3-2 in an away game between the NC Dinos and the 2024 Medi Hill KBO Futures League held at Masan Baseball Stadium on Sunday. He struck out Choi Bo-seong, the first batter, with a curveball, and gave Kim a ground ball to the second base. He had a hit by Han Seok-hyun, but ended the inning by catching Shin Yong-seok with a catcher’s foul fly.
Oh had one hit, one strikeout and no run in one inning on the day. According to the Samsung Lions, the maximum speed of his fastball was 147 kilometers and the maximum speed of his slider was 139 kilometers per hour. Compared with his maximum speed of 143 kilometers per hour in his last appearance in the first division (against the KT Wiz in Daegu on Saturday), Oh showed his fastball speed significantly increased. He also showed off his ability to throw consecutive games by posting perfect innings in the game on Sunday. 스포츠토토
Coach Park said, “Oh Seung-hwan is going to think about whether he needs a little more games or if he will join right away until tomorrow (25th).” “There have been a lot of arrests, and that’s why I’m thinking about this and that in many ways,” he said.
Oh has taken the mound in 48 games this season as of Tuesday, recording 2-7 losses and 27 saves with an ERA of 4.50. He allowed 18 pitches and 57 hits while striking out 31 during 46 innings. His hit rate was 0.303 and his on-base allowed rate per inning was 1.57. Although he was away for nearly 10 days, he is ranking first in the save category, but his overall figures are not like Oh. Notably, the 6.07 strikeouts per nine innings is the lowest since his debut as a pro in 2005.
Oh, who had an earned run average (1.67) of one point level through mid-June, kept his performance until June. However, he posted an earned run average of 12.15 in July and rose to 12.00 in August. His season record rose from 2.48 in July to 4.50 in July. At the game against KT in Daegu on Saturday, his last game in the first division, Oh Jae-il (2 runs) and Hwang Jae-gyun (1 run) hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning, when the team was tying 2-2. Eventually, Oh went down to the second division the next day.
Despite his poor form, Oh’s experience of making 27 postseason appearances cannot be ignored. “If there is a big chance in the future, we definitely need experienced and experienced players. That’s why (Oh Seung-hwan) will be back on track soon,” Park said.
Even without Oh, Samsung has experienced players like Kim Jae-yoon and Lim Chang-min. However, if Oh regains his condition, he will likely become a “twinner.”
