A chance to set a record in the bullpen. This is the story of Samsung Lions closer Oh Seung-hwan. He is on the verge of reaching 500 saves in his career. However, Koo’s injury is a setback for him and his team.
Oh is just one save away from the 500-save mark for Korea, the United States, and Japan. Seung-hwan Oh has 499 saves in professional baseball in Korea, Japan, and the United States. He collected 80 saves in Japan and 42 saves in the United States, and has 377 saves in the KBO through five games.
Only two pitchers in Major League Baseball have more than 500 saves. They are Mariano Rivera (652 saves) and Trevor Hoffman (601 saves). In Nippon Professional Baseball, Hitoki Iwase (407 saves) holds the record for most career saves.
Samsung will play a six-game series at home in Daegu this week. For Oh, it’s a chance to break the record in front of the home fans and share a laugh with them. With Samsung struggling to close the gap on the bottom half of the table quickly, any good news could be a boost.안전놀이터
However, by its very nature, a save record is a one-man show. It’s not something you can achieve without the help of your teammates. You have to be on the mound with a lead, so basically, the offence has to step up. If your starting pitcher is pitching well, that”s a plus. A save means a win for the team, so Samsung hopes that Oh Seung-hwan can reach the milestone as soon as possible.
The only disappointment is the absence of Koo Jae-rook from the batting line-up. Koo has been struggling with a hamstring injury in the back of his thigh, making it difficult for him to return in the first half of the season. On the third day of the game against the Hanwha Eagles, he went down holding his right thigh while defending the right field in the second half of the game, and upon further examination, it was confirmed that he had damaged his hamstring muscle.
For now, Samsung said that the rehabilitation is expected to take about six weeks. The first half of the season ends next month on the 13th, with the All-Star Game on the 15th and the second half starting on the 21st. If it takes six weeks to rehabilitate as diagnosed, it will be difficult to return in the first half.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow for Samsung, which has a lot on its plate. After Kim Hyun-joon and Kim Dong-yeop, Kim Jae-sung recently returned from injury and it looked like the team was finally getting back to full strength, but then their mainstay, Koo Ja-rook, went down. Even Oh Seung-hwan, who is on the verge of a record-breaking season, can’t help but miss his absence.
If the starting pitchers do their job, Oh’s record-setting date could be pushed back. As for the starting rotation, Baek, Jeong-hyun Paik and David Buchanan will start against the NC Dinos from 6-8. Won Tae-in, Suarez, and Baek Jung-hyun will start against the Lotte Giants from 9-11. NC is in the middle of the pack and Lotte is fighting for the top spot, so it’s a tough opponent.