Samsung Lions Oh Seung-hwan
The competition between new and old players in professional baseball is always fun to watch.
Fans are moved by the fighting spirit of veteran players and thrilled by the spirit of young players.
The history and present of Korean baseball are colliding in professional baseball this season.
Living legend Oh Seung-hwan (41, Samsung Lions) and Jeong Hae-young (22, KIA Tigers), who has grown into a mainstay of Korean baseball, are engaged in a fierce save competition where they cannot foresee even an inch ahead.
The competition for King of Salvation, where Jung Hae-young was dominating, recently caught fire with Oh Seung-hwan catching up with frightening momentum.
Seung-hwan Oh made saves in the match against Kiwoom Heroes on the 30th of last month and against Hanwha Eagles on the 31st, and he took the mound again against Hanwha on the 1st of this month and added a save, setting a record of 3 consecutive saves.
It has been 2 years and 8 months since Oh Seung-hwan posted 3 consecutive saves in the 2nd double header game against Kiwoom Heroes on October 16, 2021, and the Kiwoom game on October 17th.
Oh Seung-hwan did not stop there, but added a save in the match against SSG Landers on the 4th of this month, making his last 4 consecutive saves.
Jung Hae-young’s momentum is also formidable. He appeared in all three games against the Doosan Bears from the 24th to the 26th of last month and recorded 2 saves, and recorded a save in the game against the NC Dinos on May 28th after taking a day off.
And on the 1st of this month, a save was added in the game against KT Wiz.
As of the 4th, the two players are in first and second place in this category with one save difference.
Seung-hwan Oh has 1 win, 2 losses, 18 saves, and an ERA of 1.86, and Hae-young Jeong has 2 wins, 1 loss, 17 saves, and an ERA of 2.52.
This year is the first time that two players with a 19-year difference in age compete for the top spot in the finish.
Hae-young Jeong grew into KIA’s starting relief pitcher in 2021 and made 34 saves, but showed a gap with Seung-hwan Oh (44 saves), who was crowned the king of relief.
The following year, in 2022, Jeong Hae-young and Oh Seung-hwan recorded 32 saves and Oh Seung-hwan ranked 3rd and 4th, respectively, and in 2023, Oh Seung-hwan ranked 3rd and Jeong Hae-young ranked 7th.
The competition between the two players is even more meaningful to them.
Oh Seung-hwan suffered from ups and downs, including a poor performance at the beginning of last season and a brief resignation from his position as closer, and was not recognized as highly valued even after becoming a free agent (FA) last winter.
However, Oh Seung-hwan is performing as well as his prime this season, putting aside the title of the oldest active pitcher in the KBO League.
Jeong Hae-young enjoys competing with Oh Seung-hwan, her senior.
Jung Hae-young chose Oh Seung-hwan as her role model when she was a rookie and said, “I want to learn how to manage my facial expressions as well as how to play boldly with my body.”
Oh Seung-hwan does not have a direct relationship with Jeong Hae-young, his distant junior, but he was a close friend of his father, Dongwon University baseball team coach Jeong Hoe-yeol.
Coach Jeong Hoe-yeol served as Samsung’s battery coach from 2006 to 2011 and watched Oh Seung-hwan’s heyday. 토토사이트