Seung-hwan Oh (
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 ...
: ; ; ; born July 15, 1982) is a South Korean professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
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 ...
for the
Samsung Lions 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 previously played for the Lions in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
, the
Hanshin Tigers
The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railwa ...
of
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
(NPB) in
Japan, and the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
,
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
, and
Colorado Rockies of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB). He is known as "Dol-bucheo" (Stone Buddha) for being unshaken and maintaining an emotionless face in every situation. His prowess as a relief pitcher also earned him the nickname "Kkeut-pan Wang" (Final Boss), in South Korea and among Cardinals fans.
Amateur career
Oh attended
Kyunggi High School
Kyunggi High School () is the oldest modern high school in Korea, located in Gangnam District, Seoul. The school is an all-boys school, and its counterpart is , also located in Gangnam District, Seoul.
Kyunggi High School has educated many lead ...
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 ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
. He had been a pitcher since he began baseball, then switched to the outfield after suffering serious arm injuries in 1999. He joined the 2001
KBO draft at the end of his last high school season, but, despite intriguing some MLB scouts, went undrafted, and Oh elected to attend college instead.
Upon graduation from high school, Oh started his collegiate career at
Dankook University
Dankook University (commonly referred to as Dankook), abbreviated as DU or DKU, is a prestigious private research university in Yongin and Cheonan, South Korea. The university was established in 1947. It was the first university established after ...
, but missed the entire 2001 and 2002 seasons after undergoing
Tommy John surgery in 2001.
In 2003, he came back to the mound, pitching limited innings as a
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 ...
.
In 2004, his senior year at
Dankook University
Dankook University (commonly referred to as Dankook), abbreviated as DU or DKU, is a prestigious private research university in Yongin and Cheonan, South Korea. The university was established in 1947. It was the first university established after ...
, Oh won most of the Korean college pitching awards. In June, Oh made his first appearance for the
South Korea national baseball team at the
2004 World University Baseball Championship
4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky in many East Asian c ...
held in
Tainan
Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of his ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. He led his team to the bronze medal, playing most of the games in
closer duty.
Professional career
Samsung Lions (2005–2013)
The
Samsung Lions selected Oh in the second round (5th pick, 12th overall) of the 2005 KBO First Year Players draft. After signing with the club, he contributed a strong rookie season as a
setup man
In baseball, a setup man (or set-up man, also sometimes referred to as a setup pitcher or setup reliever) is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. They commonly pitch the eighth inning, with the closer pitching the ninth.
A ...
and
closer in
2005, going 10–1 with a 1.18 ERA, 16 saves (sixth in the league) and 115 strikeouts (fifth in the league) in 99 innings pitched over 61 games. In the
2005 Korean Series, he pitched seven scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts, appearing in three games as a closer to lead his team to the championship. He won the
Korean Series Most Valuable Player Award
The Korean Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is given to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the Korean Series, which is the final round of the KBO League postseason. The award was first presented in 1982. ...
. After the season, Oh was named the
KBO League Rookie of the Year
The KBO League Rookie of the Year Award is given to the player judged the best first-year player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League. The most recent winner is Lee Jung-hoo of the Nexen Heroes
The Kiwoom Heroes () are a South Korean ...
.
Prior to his second season, Oh was selected to the roster of the
South Korea national baseball team for the
inaugural World Baseball Classic. That year, he achieved the first of two consecutive seasons with 40-plus saves,
2006 and
2007. His 47 saves in 2006 set a KBO League record for one season, a total he repeated in 2011.
Recording his 100th save in fewer games than anyone in KBO League history, Oh became the KBO League's all-time saves leader with 277.
[ He collected his 200th save in his 333rd career appearance, making him the fastest player in all of the world's top professional leagues to achieve that total, surpassing the mark of 359 forged by ]Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Robert Papelbon (; born November 23, 1980) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Boston Red Sox, with whom he was an All-Star in four cons ...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
.[
A shoulder injury began interfering with Oh's performance in 2009 and continued into 2010. He had his second elbow surgery to remove ]bone spurs
An exostosis, also known as bone spur, is the formation of new bone on the surface of a bone. Exostoses can cause chronic pain ranging from mild to debilitatingly severe, depending on the shape, size, and location of the lesion. It is most commonl ...
in 2010 and returned to the playoffs in the same year.[
While Oh was still playing for the Lions, they became KBO League ]champions
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
four more times. The Lions defeated the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League.
The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...
, the Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
champions, to earn the Asia Series
The Asia Series was an international club baseball competition, contested by the champions of all four of the professional leagues that are associated with the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) — Australian Baseball League (ABL), ...
championship in 2011, and become the first non-Japanese team to win. Oh earned his second Korean Series MVP Award in 2011.[
He also posted a stellar 1.69 ERA in 444 games over the nine seasons that he played for Samsung Lions.] Every season with the Lions, Oh turned in an ERA under 2.00, except 2009–10, which were shortened by injuries.
Hanshin Tigers (2014–2015)
On November 22, 2013, Oh signed a two-year, 990 million yen contract with the Hanshin Tigers
The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railwa ...
, the biggest contract for a Korean baseball player in Japan. Tigers' manager Wada Yutaka suggested offering some Korean-language classes for his players to better communicate with their new teammate, especially the catchers and pitching coaches.
All throughout the 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
season, he played the role as the Tiger's top closer. He became the second Korean player to break the 300-save mark after Lim Chang-yong in a 3–0 defeat of Yomiuri Giants
The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...
on July 22, 2014. On the September 24 match with the BayStars, he picked up his 36th save of the season and broke the NPB record for saves by a foreign pitcher in his first year in the NPB. Eddie Gaillard (2000) and Dennis Sarfate (2011) each saved thirty-five games in a season. He also now holds the record for the most saves by a Korean pitcher in their first year in Japan, beating the previous record set by Lim, who had 33 saves in 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
when he started playing for the Swallows. Oh notched a total of 39 saves for the season, breaking the NPB record for saves by a Korean pitcher in a single season set by Sun Dong-yeol (38 saves) with Chunichi in 1997.
Oh played an instrumental role in Hanshin's advance to the Japan Series
The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...
in October. After pitching four innings in two games against Hiroshima during the Climax Series
The is the current annual playoff system implemented by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). It determines which team from the Central League (CL) and from the Pacific League (PL) will advance to compete for the championship in the Japan ...
(first stage), he took the mound in all four games against the Yomiuri Giants and successfully secured consecutive victories for his team. Including the last five regular-season games, he pitched in 11 consecutive games and recorded the save in all of them. When the Tigers finally won the series in October 18, Oh received the Climax Series MVP award, becoming the first Korean pitcher to do so in his first year in NPB. His fast and heavy balls, together with his calm and unwavering expression even in crisis situations, earned him a new nickname "Stone Guardian" from Japanese baseball fans.
With Hanshin in 2015, Oh appeared in 54 games, logging innings and striking out 66, walking 16 and allowing a 2.75 ERA. He saved another 41 games that year, breaking his own NPB single-season record for most saves by a Korean pitcher.[ In two seasons while playing in Japan, he had a 2.25 ERA with 80 saves. Through eleven total professional seasons in South Korea and Japan, he recorded 357 saves, a 1.81 ERA, and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings in IP.]
St. Louis Cardinals (2016–2017)
On January 11, 2016, Oh signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB), with a club option for a second season. The Cardinals had scouted him for seven years while he pitched in Asia. During contract negotiations with St. Louis, Oh indicated that his goal was to become the first player to appear in the 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 ...
, the Japan Series
The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...
, and the World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
. He was initially assigned to help set up for incumbent closer Trevor Rosenthal.[ Oh made his Major League debut on Opening Day 2016 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He pitched one inning, walking two batters and striking out two batters, while throwing 27 pitches. He earned his first major league win against the ]Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
on April 10, pitching a scoreless inning in a 12–6 outcome.
In May, Oh began to receive attention as a top candidate for the National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
(NL) Rookie of the Year Award. In his first 31 games and innings, he had struck out 46 batters – tied for first among NL relievers – while walking eight batters and permitting an ERA of 1.65.[ On June 25, the Cardinals removed a struggling Rosenthal from the role as closer, and determined that Oh, lefty Kevin Siegrist, and righty ]Jonathan Broxton
Jonathan Roy Broxton (born June 16, 1984) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardin ...
would instead serve in the role by committee. Oh recorded his first MLB save on July 2 by pitching a perfect ninth with two strikeouts against the Milwaukee Brewers. By saving both games of a doubleheader against the San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
on July 20, Oh was the first Cardinals pitcher to do so since Jason Isringhausen in 2004. When Oh finished his 30th game on September 9, he triggered the 2017 option, worth $2.75 million.
In 2017, he was 1-6 with a 4.10 ERA, and led the major leagues in intentional walk
In baseball, an intentional base on balls, usually referred to as an intentional walk and denoted in baseball scorekeeping by ''IBB'', is a walk issued to a batter by a pitcher with the intent of removing the batter's opportunity to swing at the ...
s, with nine.
Toronto Blue Jays (2018)
On February 26, 2018, Oh signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
that included a vesting option for the 2019 season.
Colorado Rockies (2018–2019)
On July 26, 2018, the Blue Jays traded Oh to the Colorado Rockies for Forrest Wall, Chad Spanberger, and a player to be named later
In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
or cash considerations. On July 16, 2019, it was announced that Oh would undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the 2019 season, and he was subsequently designated for assignment on July 23. He was released on July 26, 2019. In 2019, his cutter was on average the slowest in major league baseball, at 82.2 mph.
Second stint with Samsung Lions (2019–present)
On August 5, 2019, Oh returned to Korea and signed with the Samsung Lions 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 ...
, the team he began his professional career with.
In the 2020 season, Oh was scheduled to wrap up his remaining 30 games of disciplinary action and took the mound in mid-June. As scheduled, he returned to the game against Kiwoom on June 9.
Notable international results
Playing style
A right-handed pitcher, Oh stands 5' 10" (178 cm) and weighs . His primary pitches include a four-seam fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...
– averaging and topping out at – and a mid-80s slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* ...
with a darting motion resembling a cutter.[
Oh's signature pitch is the four-seam fastball, which, due to its hard rising movement, earned the nickname "Dol-jikgu" (stone fastball) in Korea. By varying the speeds of each pitch, he alters the movement. He also alters the delivery of his pitches, creating another factor to change the batter's concentration.
]
Personal life
It was announced in April 2015 that Oh was in a relationship with Girls' Generation's Yuri. The couple were confirmed to have broken up in October 2015 after six months of dating due to the long distance in their relationship.
The subject of a Korean investigation related to gambling
Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...
, authorities interrogated Oh about his activities in Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
in November 2014 with fellow Korean baseball player Lim Chang-yong. Korean law is unusually strict in that it does not ban gambling per se, although it does ban going to casinos based outside the country, even in places where gambling is legal. The 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 ...
Central District Prosecutors Office fined Oh and Lim in January 2016, and the KBO League suspended Oh for six months.[ With Japanese law toward gambling among athletes similarly restrictive, the Hanshin Tigers terminated his contract amid reports he was linked to a Korean crime organization.
Due to references from fans and media as "The Final Boss" and "Stone Buddha," Oh's nickname has frequently drawn comparisons to other notable nicknames of MLB players.]
See also
* List of Major League Baseball players from South Korea
References
External links
Career statistics and player information
from 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 ...
NPB stats
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oh, Seung-hwan
1982 births
Living people
Asian Games medalists in baseball
Asian Games bronze medalists for South Korea
Baseball players at the 2006 Asian Games
Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Baseball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Colorado Rockies players
Dankook University alumni
Hanshin Tigers players
KBO League pitchers
KBO League Rookie of the Year Award winners
Kyunggi High School alumni
Korean Series MVPs
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from South Korea
Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
Olympic baseball players of South Korea
Olympic gold medalists for South Korea
Olympic medalists in baseball
Samsung Lions players
South Korean expatriate baseball players in Canada
South Korean expatriate baseball players in Japan
South Korean expatriate baseball players in the United States
St. Louis Cardinals players
Toronto Blue Jays players
2006 World Baseball Classic players
2009 World Baseball Classic players
2013 World Baseball Classic players
2017 World Baseball Classic players