41-year-old Oh Seung-hwan competes for salvation king again this year, “I don’t want to ruin the game.”

Resurrection at the crossroads of retirement. Already the 13th save “I get energy thanks to the young players.”

Seunghwan Oh with a bright expression

Oh Seung-hwan (41, Samsung Lions), the oldest active pitcher in the KBO League, will remain on the mound without wavering this year.

Seung-hwan Oh has pitched in 20 games as of the 20th and is tied for second place in saves with an outstanding record of 1 win, 2 losses, 13 saves, and an ERA of 2.05.

There is only one save difference from SSG Landers Moon Seung-won (14 saves), who ranks first in this category.

If the current trend continues, it seems possible to recapture the KBO League save king title in three years after 2021.

Oh Seung-hwan, who has firmly maintained his position despite the times, said about the driving force behind his performance this season, “It’s thanks to my juniors.”

Ahead of the 2024 professional baseball home game against KT Wiz held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 21st, he said, “Young players such as Won Tae-in, Kim Young-woong, Lee Jae-hyeon, and Kim Ji-chan are playing with tremendous energy in every game.” “I am coming on the mound last, and I have a strong feeling that I don’t want to ruin what they have done so well.”

He added, “Thanks to the young players, I’m gaining a lot of energy, and I think this environment is showing up in my individual performance as well.”

In fact, Oh Seung-hwan went through a major hardship last year.

As his pitching status declined at the beginning of the season and he recorded many blown saves, he seriously considered retirement.

However, Oh Seung-hwan took on various challenges, including starting for the first time in his career, to find his way back, and made a remarkable comeback in the middle of the season.

Oh Seung-hwan, who ended last season with 4 wins, 5 losses, 30 saves, and an ERA of 3.45, signed a free agent contract with Samsung and is producing better than expected results in the first year of the contract.

Seung-hwan Oh analyzed that the influence of key bullpen players such as Kim Jae-yoon and Lim Chang-min, who joined the team last winter, is also having a significant impact on him and the team’s performance.

He said, “The two players are capable of blocking one inning each,” and added, “With the addition of the two players, the overload in the bullpen disappears, and a synergy effect seems to emerge.”

He also said, “I have a close relationship with Lim Chang-min and Kim Jae-yoon as we often eat together,” and added, “We only talk about baseball once, right before we eat. If we talk for a long time, it becomes a nag.”

Samsung is cruising along thanks to the strength of its strong bullpen. As of the 20th, they are in second place with a record of 26 wins, 19 losses, and 1 draw.

Seung-Hwan Oh said, “Last year was difficult because the bullpen was not good, but now everything seems to be working well together,” and pledged, “I will continue the current atmosphere well.”

Oh Seung-hwan, who has various records related to saves, said about challenging the record for the oldest save in the KBO League history, “I’m focusing on each game right now,” and “It won’t be too late to talk about the record after the regular season ends.”

If Oh Seung-hwan saves in mid-July, he will break the KBO League’s oldest save record (42 years and 3 days) set by Lim Chang-yong (retired) on June 7, 2018 while playing for the KIA Tigers. 토토사이트