Oh Seung-Hwan
Encyclopedia
Oh Seung-Hwan (Hangul
:오승환, Hanja
: 吳昇桓) (born July 15, 1982 in Jeollabuk-do
Jeongeup
, South Korea
) is a relief pitcher
who plays for the Samsung Lions
in the Korea Baseball Organization
. He is known as "Dol-bucheo" (lit. Stone Buddha) for being unshaken and maintaining an emotionless face in every situations.
in Seoul
, South Korea
. He had been a pitcher since he began baseball, but he switched to the outfield after getting 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
, 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 2004, his senior year at Dankook University
, Oh came back - stronger, dominant, in total command and as consistent as ever, sweeping 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
held in Tainan, Taiwan
. He led his team to the bronze medal, playing most of the games in closer
duty.
in the 2nd round (5th pick, 12th overall) of the 2005 KBO Draft. Signed by the Samsung Lions
, Oh had a strong rookie season as the Lions setup man and closer
in 2005, going 10-1 with a 1.18 ERA, 16 saves (6th in the league) and 115 strikeouts (5th in the league) in 99 innings pitched in 61 games. In the 2005 Korean Series
, Oh pitched 7 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts, appearing in 3 games as a closer
to lead his team to the Champion, and he was finally named the Korean Series MVP
. After the season, Oh was also named KBO
Rookie of the Year.
Oh was selected to the roster of the South Korea national baseball team for the inaugural World Baseball Classic
prior to the 2006 season.
Oh picked up 40-plus saves in two consecutive seasons (2006 and 2007).
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
:오승환, Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
: 吳昇桓) (born July 15, 1982 in Jeollabuk-do
Jeollabuk-do
Jeollabuk-do is a province in the southwest of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Jeolla province, and remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, then became part of South Korea...
Jeongeup
Jeongeup
Jeongeup is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city limits include Naejang-san National Park, a popular destination particularly in autumn due to its foliage...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
) is a relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
who plays for the Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions Baseball Club is a Korea Professional Baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in Daegu and are members of the Korean Baseball Organization. Their home stadium is Daegu Baseball Stadium...
in the Korea Baseball Organization
Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. KBO should not be confused with the Korea Professional Baseball League. KBO was founded in 1981 and has been governing two leagues, Korea Professional Baseball and Futures League since...
. He is known as "Dol-bucheo" (lit. Stone Buddha) for being unshaken and maintaining an emotionless face in every situations.
Amateur career
Oh attended Kyunggi High SchoolKyunggi High School
Kyunggi High School is the oldest modern secondary school in Korea, and has educated many leaders of South Korean society. Before the abolition of high-school entrance exams, it was the highest-ranked school in the country. It is located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, today one of South Korea's most...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. He had been a pitcher since he began baseball, but he switched to the outfield after getting serious arm injuries in 1999. He joined the 2001 KBO
Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. KBO should not be confused with the Korea Professional Baseball League. KBO was founded in 1981 and has been governing two leagues, Korea Professional Baseball and Futures League since...
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
Dankook University is a private university in South Korea. Dankook University has been constantly recognized as one of top universities in Asia ranked 148th in Asia by QS Asian Universities Ranking in 2010...
, but missed the entire 2001 and 2002 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
in 2001.
In 2003, he came back to the mound, pitching limited innings as a relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
.
In 2004, his senior year at Dankook University
Dankook University
Dankook University is a private university in South Korea. Dankook University has been constantly recognized as one of top universities in Asia ranked 148th in Asia by QS Asian Universities Ranking in 2010...
, Oh came back - stronger, dominant, in total command and as consistent as ever, sweeping 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
World University Baseball Championship
The World University Baseball Championship is an under-23 international college baseball competition sponsored by the International University Sports Federation and sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation , which was first held in 2002 in Italy...
held in Tainan, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. He led his team to the bronze medal, playing most of the games in closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
duty.
Notable international careers
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | World University Baseball Championship World University Baseball Championship The World University Baseball Championship is an under-23 international college baseball competition sponsored by the International University Sports Federation and sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation , which was first held in 2002 in Italy... |
 |
||
Professional career
Oh was selected by the Samsung LionsSamsung Lions
Samsung Lions Baseball Club is a Korea Professional Baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in Daegu and are members of the Korean Baseball Organization. Their home stadium is Daegu Baseball Stadium...
in the 2nd round (5th pick, 12th overall) of the 2005 KBO Draft. Signed by the Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions
Samsung Lions Baseball Club is a Korea Professional Baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in Daegu and are members of the Korean Baseball Organization. Their home stadium is Daegu Baseball Stadium...
, Oh had a strong rookie season as the Lions setup man and closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
in 2005, going 10-1 with a 1.18 ERA, 16 saves (6th in the league) and 115 strikeouts (5th in the league) in 99 innings pitched in 61 games. In the 2005 Korean Series
Korean Series
The Korean Series is the championship series of the Korea Baseball Organization. It has been held since the KBO's first season in and is the final series of in the post-season play-offs. From , the winner of the Korean Series goes on to play in the Asia Series....
, Oh pitched 7 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts, appearing in 3 games as a closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
to lead his team to the Champion, and he was finally named the Korean Series MVP
Korean Series
The Korean Series is the championship series of the Korea Baseball Organization. It has been held since the KBO's first season in and is the final series of in the post-season play-offs. From , the winner of the Korean Series goes on to play in the Asia Series....
. After the season, Oh was also named KBO
Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. KBO should not be confused with the Korea Professional Baseball League. KBO was founded in 1981 and has been governing two leagues, Korea Professional Baseball and Futures League since...
Rookie of the Year.
Oh was selected to the roster of the South Korea national baseball team for the inaugural World Baseball Classic
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
prior to the 2006 season.
Oh picked up 40-plus saves in two consecutive seasons (2006 and 2007).
Notable international careers
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | World Baseball Classic 2006 World Baseball Classic ---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:... |
|
0-0, 1 SV, 0.00 ERA (4 G, 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 K) | |
| 2006 | Asian Games Baseball at the 2006 Asian Games Baseball was one of the many sports which was held at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar beginning on November 29, 2006. Six East and Southeast Asian nations participated in the tournament. Chinese Taipei won its first ever baseball gold medal in the Asian Games when they mounted a ninth inning... |
|
0-1, 0 SV, 7.71 ERA (2 G, 2.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 K) | |
| 2007 | Asian Baseball Championship Asian Baseball Championship The Asian Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Asia, governed by the Baseball Federation of Asia . It is held every other year in odd-numbered years and since 1983 it also functions as the qualification games for the Baseball at the Summer... |
 |
||
| 2008 | Olympic Games |  |
0-0, 1 SV, 0.00 ERA (2 G, 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 K) | |
| 2009 | World Baseball Classic 2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic was an international baseball competition. It is the only international baseball tournament to feature a large number of players from the major leagues of North America and Asia. It began on March 5, 2009, and finished March 23, 2009.Japan emerged victorious for the... |
|
0-1, 0 SV, 18.00 ERA (2 G, 1.0 IP, 2 ER, 1 K) | |
External links
- Profile and stats on the KBO official site