“Even if I have a chance, I’ll only be selected if I do well” SSG’s Oh Won-seok’s reversal of fortune revives A-game hopes

SSG’s left-handed starter Oh Won-seok, 22, snapped a three-game losing streak and picked up his sixth win of the season.

Oh Won-seok started SSG’s home game against Hanwha in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on July 30, holding the opposing bats to three hits and one run over five innings in SSG’s 6-1 win. Oh picked up the win in his final start of July, snapping a three-game losing streak. He picked up his sixth win of the season (seven starts). He also lowered his ERA to 4.56. With their second straight win, SSG collected their 50th win of the season (1W, 35L), keeping the gap between them and first-place LG (53W, 2L, 33L) at 2.5 games.

Oh Won-seok has been struggling lately. In particular, he fell into a deep slump after failing to make the final roster for the Hangzhou Asian Games in September. The final roster for this year’s Asian Games was announced on June 9. Won-seok Oh had a decent record of 4-2 with a 3.49 ERA in 10 games through June 8. However, after the roster was announced on June 9, he struggled, going 1-5 with a 6.82 ERA in seven games. His slump came after he was cut from the final roster, and there were concerns that he was suffering from a psychological breakdown.

However, he has been finding his stride in his recent appearances. On the 25th of this month, he pitched five innings and one run (loss) for Samsung Electronics, and on the same day, he pitched five innings and held the opposing batters to one run. Against Hanwha, he used a mix of fastballs, which reached up to 147 kilometers per hour, and his main weapon, a slider, to shut down the opposition. Oh Won-seok struck out five Hanwha batters. SSG manager Kim Won-hyung said after the game, “Oh Won-seok had his moments, but he fulfilled his role as a starting pitcher. His fastball had good velocity and his slider had good movement and delivery.”

Oh still has a chance to play in the Asian Games. NC’s left-handed ace, Koo Chang-mo, who was selected with the intention of taking over the ace role for the national team, has not been able to return. Koo Chang-mo was removed from the game against Jamsil LG on March 2 after complaining of discomfort while pitching, and was diagnosed with a fatigue fracture of the ulna in his left arm after a medical examination. Manager Ryu Jung-il and the Korean Baseball Organization’s (KBO) Strength and Conditioning Committee believed that Koo could recover enough to make it to September, so they kept him on the roster.

However, he didn’t return until the end of the first half of the season and has yet to take the mound for the first team. He underwent a reexamination on the 21st and the results showed that he has not fully recovered, so he will be reexamined in three to four weeks. The strength and conditioning committee will meet soon to decide on a replacement for Koo Chang-mo.

“It’s great to win like this after a long time,” Oh Won-seok said after the game against Hanwha, “The batters gave up runs early on, and the pitchers did a good job of protecting me, so I was able to win.” On the possibility of being selected for the Asian Games, Oh Won-seok said, “Even if I have a chance, I have to do well. “Right now, 메이저사이트 I’m chasing LG rather than thinking about the Asian Games, so I’ll focus on what I can do better in the rest of the season,” he said.