Will Oh Seung-hwan's 2026 come... Will it be possible to end the two-year and 22-year contract and return the stone Buddha
Will Oh Seung-hwan's 2026 come... Will it be possible to end the two-year and 22-year contract and return the stone Buddha
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Oh Seung-hwan (43), one of the best closers in the history of the KBO League, finished the season in an unfamiliar position last year. The start of the season was over, but he finally came out with the position that he is most familiar with amid deteriorating ball power and poor performance. He did not make the roster even in the post season. Something that everyone would feel embarrassed about was happening.토토사이트
Even though he is older, Oh Seung-hwan has always been confident on the mound, and seemed likely to retire honorably. He also had 31 saves in 2022 when he turned 40 and 30 saves in 2023, showing off his robustness. The start of 2024 was also a close game. However, the ball power was not as good as before, and opposing hitters began to attack Oh's ball to the extent that they were embarrassed. He tried various methods, such as changing the pattern and increasing the percentage of his pitches, but his performance did not come back.
What was excluded from the postseason plan represents Oh's current position. He does not always play like before. Oh's name cannot be found even in Samsung coach Park Jin-man's first must-win group plan in 2025. "As we used it in the second half of last year, we are planning to play the role of a stepping stone before the starting pitcher goes down and is moved on in the second half," Park said at the last minute of the Okinawa camp. This is not the case with a must-win group.
Oh is the oldest player in the Korean pro baseball league. To pitch a ball so far and to be in the first team itself symbolize an incredible player. However, we cannot guarantee that 2026 will be the year when we fail to recover our performance. We cannot throw a ball forever, and someday it will have to be over. Oh, who signed a two-year contract worth 2.2 billion won (1.88 million U.S. dollars) ahead of the 2024 season, will be out of contract with the end of the 2025 season. If he fails to rebound this year, he may be able to create an environment where he can "end" the game.
We need achievements this year to confirm Oh's performance on the mound in 2026. No other team can expel players who are performing well or those who are needed in the team, just because they are older. Opposing hitters who are no longer overwhelmed by the name Oh Seung-hwan will become more persistent, and Oh has to throw more balls. Samsung officials said that he has built his body well. Despite his young age, he still boasts a strong body shape. Some expect that his ball power will recover from his well-made body. He has more experience than anyone else.
He did not throw the ball in the Okinawa camp. "I think I will start (actual pitching) when I enter Korea instead of playing in Okinawa," Park said. In the past, he was in a position where he could finish off the opening of the regular season even if he skipped all the exhibition games, but now he has to show his true value from the exhibition games. It is a different story, but now all the balls are paid to the players.
The Samsung Lions selected Kim Jae-yoon as the closing pitcher for this year, and the must-win team is nearing completion of their plans. Park has expressed satisfaction, saying that up-and-coming players' ball power has increased a lot. Although Kim Moo-shin has been sidelined due to injury, Park said, "Hwang Dong-jae's ball power is fine, and Lee Jae-hee is fine. Lee Ho-seong also plans to use it as a bullpen starting this year," signaling experiments by various players. Oh's position is not guaranteed.
However, he is also a veteran who has the power to rebound. Attention is focusing on whether Oh, who has recorded 427 saves in the KBO league alone, will be able to pioneer his own path by showing the true value of a veteran. His pitching at exhibition games is expected to draw keen attention.