Oh Seung-hwan (Samsung Lions), who became the first pitcher in professional baseball to reach the 400-save milestone, admitted that he felt pressure to achieve the record.
“I’m sorry for not being able to hold my head up high this year,” Oh said through the club after making his 400th career KBO League save in a home game against the SSG Landers of the 2023 KBO League at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Thursday, “but I’m glad that we won the last game (at home).”
“I’ve been feeling pressure and conscious about achieving 400 saves,” he said, adding, “I didn’t say it out loud, but I also thought, ‘When will it come?
In the meantime, Oh Seung-hwan said he doesn’t attach much meaning to personal records.
Whenever he has set a record, such as the 500th career save in the Korean-American Baseball Organization, he hasn’t expressed any pressure to achieve it.
However, on this day, he was just like any other pitcher and expressed his feelings honestly.
When asked about the most memorable save he’s ever made, Oh said, “Today’s save.”
Seung-hwan Oh’s 400th save was a dramatic one.
He hadn’t made his 400th save in a long time after recording his 399th career save.
As Samsung’s remaining regular-season games dwindled, the dramatic save came in the final home game on the 14th.
Taking the mound with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the eighth inning with a 4-3 lead, Oh Seung-hwan threw 34 pitches in 1 1/3 innings, striking out two and walking none to preserve the win.
“I don’t have any goals left,” Oh said, “I just want the team to win a lot of games and move up in the standings.”
“If I get a win, it will mean that I made a lot of saves,” he added. 스포츠토토