adminSSG Landers’ Oh Won-seok pitched five scoreless innings to secure his first win in 34 days.
SSG became the first team in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League to reach the 40-win plateau with a 3-1 victory over the Doosan Bears in a two-game series at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on April 21. On the mound, Oh Won-seok pitched five innings of four-hit ball with five strikeouts and two walks to earn his fifth win of the season.
The game was not easy from the start. In the top of the first inning, Oh Won-seok gave up a grounder to Jung Soo-bin, a single to Kim Jae-hwan, a walk to Yang Seok-hwan, a double to Yang Ji, and a walk to Kang Seung-ho. However, Park Kye-beom flied out to left field to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Park Kye-bum walked and Cho Su-sung singled to put runners on first and second, but Lee Yoo-chan fouled out to third to end the threat, and in the bottom of the fifth inning, when SSG made it 1-0, he again faced a bases-loaded situation as he gave up a walk to Kim Jae-hwan, a single to Yang Ji, and a walk to Kang Seung-ho, but he induced a grounder to Park Kye-bum to end the inning without allowing an earned run.
After the game, Oh Won-seok said, “I tried to pitch aggressively with the mindset of trusting the catcher and throwing to the center, but it feels good to win the game. I had a hard time with the increased pitch count in the first inning, but I was able to keep my mind calm and keep throwing while keeping the bases loaded.” He reflected, “I didn’t win the game alone, but I was able to win thanks to my teammates who played good defense, gave up no runs, and kept the lead until the end. It was a team effort,” he added.
Oh Won-seok said, “When I give up a walk, the inning goes weird, so I was like, ‘Please,’ but in the end, it was a crunch time. In the fifth inning, Coach Cho Woong-chun said, ‘Think of it as the last inning, the last batter, and throw confidently. Don’t be afraid of a 온라인바카라 strikeout,’ and I’m glad I was able to save the day.”
On the day, Oh Won-seok threw a personal best of 109 pitches. The previous record was 106 pitches on August 25 last year against KT Suwon. “I knew it was the highest pitch count, but I wish I could have thrown more innings and recorded the highest pitch count,” Oh said. “Next time, I want to throw more innings and record the highest pitch count.”