Hanwha’s rebound from May cannot be explained without excluding infielder Oh Seon-jin (34), who returned as a free agent. Up until April, rookie Park Jeong-hyeon had a high percentage of shortstop appearances, but it fell short of expectations. From May, the team began to stabilize as Oh Seon-jin took center stage in the infield. 메이저놀이터
During the month of May, Oh Seon-jin, who was fixed as the starting shortstop, made a big success with a batting average of 3.26 (15 hits in 46 at-bats), 2 RBIs, 10 walks, 8 strikeouts in 19 games, .456 OPS, .869 on base. He connected chances to the top batting line with batting like Altoran in the 6th and 8th batting order, as well as a sense of defensive stability.
However, on the first day of June, against Kiwoom in Daejeon, opposing pitcher Kim Jun-hyung hit his jaw with a fastball. Fortunately, he did not break any bones, but his chin was torn about 2cm and he underwent 30 stitches of sutures. He took a week to get the stitches undone and was excluded from the first-team entry the following day.
While he went down, he also focused on recovering his right hamstring, which had not been good since mid-May. On the 13th and 14th of last month, he played 5 innings of the Futures League match against Lotte in Sangdong, Gimhae, and wanted to return to the first team, but the brakes were put on again because he was anxious about a recurrence.
Oh Seon-jin, who announced his return to practice with 1 hit in 3 at-bats as shortstop for Seosan Doosan on the 12th, said, “I played while managing my hamstring, but I continued to feel uneasy. He said, “If I get sick again, it takes a long time to recover, so I was careful not to rush and get better completely.”
Oh Seon-jin, whose return was delayed more than expected, said, “I’m sorry for the team. (Even before the entry was canceled) I am a player who has to go on defense, but it seems that the players who should be resting because of the designated hitter have not been able to rest,” he said.
While Seon-Jin Oh was missing, Do-Yoon Lee, who had been unknown for 9 years, played an active role in the air defense as the starting shortstop, contributing to the team’s 8-game winning streak. Oh Seon-jin, who watched the 8-game winning streak on TV, said, “Before, Do-yoon had the feeling of being chased, but since he was guaranteed a chance and continued to play, I saw that he was comfortable from expression to play. He went through a lot of hardships, but it was nice to see him doing well,” he said with a smile at his junior’s growth.
It is regrettable that we have not been able to share the historic 8-game winning streak in 18 years. “From the time we were preparing for the camp, the players showed signs of growth to the extent that the seniors kept saying, ‘Our team is going to get really good.’ The team was difficult in the beginning, but it got better and better. I think 8 consecutive wins is a natural result. Not really surprising. There is still a long way to go up. I watched my 8 consecutive victories on TV, and the fans really liked it and were enthusiastic about it. I think it would have been really exciting and fun if I had been with them on set. It’s a pity that I wasn’t there,” says Oh Seon-jin.
With the growth of Lee Do-yoon and the return of Ha Joo-seok, Hanwha has been able to afford the shortstop position, but Oh Seon-jin is a player who can cover 2nd and 3rd base above average. This season, he also crossed shortstop (27 games, 18 starts, 169⅔ innings), third baseman (4 games, 2 starts, 22 innings), and second baseman (3 games, 2 starts, 15 innings), totaling 206⅔ scoreless innings. The team is ready for any position you need.
He said, “When I go to the first team, I want to support my juniors well. I’ve been playing second and third base for a long time, so it’s not difficult if I just train to adapt to a certain extent.” With the second half still left, I want to help the team by preparing well so that it can go better than now. I won 8 in a row, so now I will aim for 9 wins in a row.”