Oh Ju-won (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: 오주원; born March 31, 1985) is a South Korean

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

who plays for the

Kiwoom Heroes The Kiwoom Heroes () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. They are a member of the KBO League. The Heroes play their home games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Gocheok-dong, a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of Se ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

. He bats and throws left-handed.

Amateur career

While attending Cheongwon High School in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

, Oh was considered one of the top lefty high school pitching prospects. In , he was selected for the South Korea national junior baseball team and competed in the 5th Asian Junior Baseball Championship held in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, where South Korea won its second Asian Championship, beating Chinese Taipei in the final game.

Notable international career

Professional career

Upon graduation from Cheongwon High School in Seoul, Oh was drafted by the

Hyundai Unicorns The Hyundai Unicorns () were a South Korean professional baseball team based in Suwon. They were a member of the KBO League. The Unicorns won the KBO championship four times (1998, 2000, 2003 and 2004). The Unicorns were dissolved after the 20 ...

in the 2nd round (12th overall) of the KBO Draft. In the 2004 KBO season, Oh immediately earned a spot in the Unicorns starting rotation as a rookie. He finished his rookie season with a record of 10-9, an ERA of 3.99 and 113 strikeouts in 149 innings pitched. Oh helped lead the Unicorns to the 2004

Korean Series The Korean Series is the final championship series of the KBO League. It has been held since the KBO League's first season in and is the final series of the post-season play-offs. From to 2013, the winner of the Korean Series went on to play in ...

, where he started Game 5. In that game, Oh earned a win, allowing only one run over 5.1 innings against the Samsung Lions. At the end of the season, Oh won the 2004 KBO Rookie of the Year Award. In , Oh suffered a disastrous and injury-riddled sophomore slump, finishing the season with a 1-11 record and a 6.01 ERA. In , Oh only appeared in 4 games, posting a 1-1 record and a 4.61 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched. After the season, he joined the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps Baseball Team to serve two years of mandatory military service. In , Oh returned to the pro league after finishing the military duty but had a mediocre comeback season, posting a 1-2 record and 5

hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Ferm ...

s with a 4.08 ERA as a relief pitcher. In , Oh played a vital role in the Heroes' bullpen, appearing in a team-leading 69 games (4th in the league). He lowered his ERA to 2.38 and notched 9 holds with a record of 1-0. In , Oh had the best season as a setup man, racking up a career-high 20 holds which ranked him third behind Jung Woo-Ram's 25 and

Jong Hyun-Wook Jong Hyun-Wook (; born December 2, 1978, in Goryeong, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea), nicknamed "Slave Jong ()", is a former South Korean relief pitcher in the KBO League. Amateur career Jong attended Dongdaemoon Commerce High School i ...

's 24. He was the only Hero relief pitcher to appear in over 60 games for two consecutive seasons. After 2019 season, he earned FA qualification and stayed at 700 million won for two years.

References

External links

* Profile and stats a
KBO official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oh, Ju-won 1985 births Living people Baseball players from Seoul Hyundai Unicorns players Kiwoom Heroes players South Korean baseball players KBO League pitchers KBO League Rookie of the Year Award winners