Hello, Dankook! Welcome.
One of our alumni, Oh Seung-hwan (Class of ‘01, College of Sports Science) of Samsung Lions achieved the all-time save record (228 saves) in Korean Professional Baseball this season.
What is a save? It is a stat given to the pitcher who finishes a winning game in baseball.
It is a very hard stat to get since the pitcher’s performance has to be backed by the game situation.
We could not just sit by when our alumnus achieved such a great record!
So we went to meet our alumnus, Oh Seung-hwan
We were a little early for our appointment and were waiting!
When from far away came Lee Byung-kyu of the LG Twins (Class of ‘93)
Lee also graduated from our University.
He played in the Japanese Professional Baseball League, and last June, he set a remarkable record of 2,000 hits all-time in Korean and Japanese baseball.
He promised that our cheers would get him another hit.
We decided to interview Lee Byung-kyu in the near future.
And a little later, we finally went onto the playing field to meet Oh Seung-hwan.
After the LG Twins’ practice, the Samsung Lions were practicing.
Many fans were gathered, watching the players practice before the game.
We looked around the baseball stadium until the practice ended.
And finally!
After the practice he came to meet us for the interview.
So the interview started.
DKUPR : Hello! So nice to meet you!
Oh : Yes! Nice to meet you!
DKUPR : You have set a new record for all-time saves. Congratulations! How do you feel?
Oh : I recorded 228 saves, and I am really happy about that. However, to the contrary, I think this is a new start. I will do my best for our team’s victory.
DKUPR : : I want to ask you about baseball. Your nickname is Stone Buddha. Did you know that?
Oh : Yes, I did.
DKUPR : You are always expressionless when you get on the mound. Do you get nervous at all?
Oh : Yes, I do get nervous. But I don’t keep a poker face on the mound. I try to do as I practiced even when I’m nervous.
DKUPR : Do you have any mind controlling method of your own before going up? (Facebook Park Joo-yeon)
Oh : No, not really. Since I am always under pressure on the mound, I don’t have any time for something like that. I only focus on each pitch.
DKUPR : Ok. I want to know about your college life. The former Coach Kang Moon-gil said you were a very sincere player who did not stop practicing. How do you picture yourself when you think of “Oh Seung-hawn in College?”
Oh : I really appreciate the coach for his compliments. I worked hard every day during college… All I can remember was practicing hard every day.
DKUPR : I think your sincerely has made who you are now. What does Dankook University mean to you?
Oh : It set the initial stage for today’s Oh Seung-hwan of the Samsung Lions. Everything that I did during my college days has made me stronger.
DKUPR : I want to ask you some fun questions. Were you a campus couple in college? (Facebook Yoon Sung-wook)
Oh : Yes….. I was.
DKUPR : Wow! You were?
Oh : Yes, for a little while.
DKUPR : Once?
Oh : Yes.
DKUPR : Wow… okay. This person seems to be a fan of the other team. What do you think about ruining the moment of the end of the ninth inning with two outs? (Facebook Park Byung-joon) (Note: Generally two outs at the end of the ninth inning is the end of the baseball game. Oh Seung-hwan has always defended his team from dramatic turn-arounds)
Oh : It would be a delight to Samsung Lions fans!
DKUPR : Yes, it is. The next question is about you and your classmate Yoon Yo-sup (formerly Yoon Sang-kyun) of the LG Twins. Who was more popular among girls during college? (Twitter Lee Kang-bok)
Oh : Well… I am not sure who was more popular in what way.
DKUPR : Ha ha. Ok.
Oh : Sang-kyun was more popular. I… always hung around with him… anyway he was more popular.
DKUPR : Last but not least, could you say something to Dankook Alumni and Dankook’s baseball team?
Oh : I graduated from Dankook university and am getting an interview after setting the record. I appreciate your support, and I will not forget that I am a member of the Dankook community and to do my best. Thank you.
We were a little worried because the interview took place just an hour before the game, but he was very friendly during the interview.
He may look a little cold and unfriendly on TV, but the real Oh Seung-hwan spoke out and smiled a lot.
It was a heart thumping interview with Oh Seung-hwan!
We wanted to talk more, but we had to go after wishing him good luck!
We went to our seats near the third base as the game was about to start.
(Lee Byung-kyu, we are sorry. We didn’t know we would meet you today. We said we’ll cheer for LG… but we already bought tickets for Samsung!)
Many fans came to the game on a week day.
We could feel the passion for baseball.
With remarkable plays by the pitchers of both teams, the score was still 0:0, but the Samsung Lions scored 2 points each in the fifth and seventh innings, getting ahead of the game with 4:0.
The LG Twins scored a point in the eighth inning, which made the situation right for a save.
(There are many situations for recording a save, but generally a 3 point lead in the game meets the criteria)
We were worried that Oh Seung-hwan might not play today, but he took the mound in the ninth inning!
Samsung fans in the third base area sang Oh’s song “SAVE US, Oh Seung-hwan,” with rewritten lyrics to the tune of the theme song from the animation “Lazenca Save Us.”
He is the guardian angel of the Samsung Lions and Korea’s baseball.
But the first batter was Lee Byung-kyu….
Oh no. What do you do?
The result? Lee Byung-kyu hit a fly out foul over third base, and it was a relief for Oh Seung-hwan.
Oh finished the game with a strike out and a foul fly out and added another save to his record making it 229 games.
We were honored to be there when he was making the historical 229th save.
Now, his saves will make a new record in Korea’s baseball history.
Let’s all continue to give him a lot of support!
[ Go To Dankook University’s Blog ]