KBO's saves king feted in emotional retirement ceremony

DAEGU, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- Oh Seung-hwan, who earned the nickname "Final Boss" for his dominance as the closer in South Korean baseball, was sent off in an emotional retirement ceremony Tuesday.

Oh, who has been with the Samsung Lions since 2005, announced his decision to retire in August, and pitched in what will likely be his final regular-season game in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Tuesday at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 235 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

He took on Kia Tigers pinch hitter Choi Hyoung-woo, his former teammate with the Lions and one of his closest friends in the league. Oh struck out Choi on four pitches and the two shared an embrace afterward.

The Lions beat the Tigers 5-0 to clinch the fourth seed for the upcoming postseason, setting the stage for celebrations all around the ballpark -- of the team's return to the postseason and Oh's record-breaking career.

Oh, who is not expected to pitch in the Lions' regular-season finale on Friday and may not make their postseason roster, finished his KBO career with a record 427 saves. He also collected 80 saves with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan from 2014 to 2015, and 42 saves for the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2016 to 2019.

Oh also holds the single-season saves record with 47, which he set in 2006 and matched in 2011. He was a member of five Korean Series championship teams with the Lions, and earned Korean Series MVP awards in 2005 and 2011.

"Baseball has been my life itself. I would play baseball without any hesitation if I were to be born again," Oh said. "Samsung has been a special team. They selected me and allowed me to win five championships in front of such great fans."

Oh, long known for his stoic presence on the mound that earned him another popular moniker, "Stone Buddha," broke down in tears when talking about his family, especially his late mother, Kim Hyung-deok.

"I miss her today more than ever," Oh said of Kim, who passed away in March this year. "I believe she is watching this ceremony from above. She always loved flowers, and I wish I'd given her more flowers when she was still with us."

Oh also thanked his father for teaching him how to remain cool and composed on the mound.

The stadium's scoreboard played tribute messages from his former teammates, including those from Hanshin and from his former MLB stops.

The Lions retired Oh's No. 21, making him only the fourth player in club history to have his number honored.

Many of Oh's contemporaries in baseball, including fellow 1982 births Choo Shin-soo, Lee Dae-ho and Kim Tae-kyun, were on hand for the ceremony.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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