Seoul: Samsung Lions pitcher Oh Seung-hwan, the all-time saves leader in South Korean baseball, is not yet ready for top-league duty even after spending two months in the minor league, the club's manager said Wednesday. Oh, who has 427 saves over his 14 seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization, did not make the Opening Day roster for the Lions in March and started the season in the Futures League instead.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the 42-year-old is in the final year of his two-year contract. He had an up-and-down 2024 season, in which he ranked second in the league with 27 saves but pitched to a career-worst 4.91 ERA. Oh also dealt with an adductor injury in April while in the Futures League, which kept him out of action for over a month.
Oh returned to the mound last Wednesday and has pitched twice more since. However, Lions manager Park Jin-man put a damper on speculation that Oh could join the Lions as early as this weekend. "Based on the report I got from the minor league, I think he will need a little more time," Park told reporters at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul before the Lions faced the Kiwoom Heroes. "Physically, he is not yet 100 percent and is still working his way back from injury."
Specifically, Park said Oh's fastball velocity has left much to be desired. He has touched 145 kilometers per hour (kph) just once in the minors and his average is around 140 kph, Park said. In his heyday, Oh routinely threw over 150 kph. He also had a higher spin rate on his fastball than many other pitchers, and it created a rising effect on his four-seamers.
"We thought about making some roster moves later this week," Park said. "But after what I heard today, I think Oh will have to start throwing harder before he can be up here."