"Dominating"
In 2010, his first full-time season, he made 27 errors, the most in the KBO League. There were also many "clutch errors" directly related to wins and losses, so they were nicknamed "dominating the game" in a negative sense. He has posted an average of 21.7 errors per year for three years since 2012. He also ranked first with 24 errors in 2018. Oh Ji-hwan's baseball life, which has not been short of patience, is in full bloom in his first Korean Series (KS, four wins out of seven).
Oh Ji-hwan is active in KS against KT Wiz, which began on the 7th. He has a batting average of 0.400 (6 hits in 15 at-bats) and three home runs and eight RBIs until the fourth game, making him a strong candidate for the most valuable player (MVP). The series OPS, which combines the slugging percentage (1.067) and the on-base percentage (0.500), reaches 1.567.
It shines at every turn. He hit a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning with two outs and runners on first and second bases in Game 3, when he was losing 5-7. In Game 4, he set a home run record for the first three consecutive games in the history of the KS single series with a three-run home run that sealed the game. LG, which had three wins (one loss), crossed the ninth ridge of the championship. The probability of winning the KBO League KS with 3 wins and 1 loss in history is 94.1% (16/17).
Oh has never experienced KS since joining the team in 2009. It's not that I didn't have a chance. LG advanced to the playoffs in 2013, 2014, and 2016, but failed to cross the KS threshold. In 2013 and 2014, they were caught by the "Seoul rivals" Doosan Bears and Nexen Heroes (currently Kiwoom Heroes). Oh went 2-for-22 overall in two series. He also recorded one error each, and his offense and defense performance fell short of expectations. In 2016, he knelt down to the NC Dinos. KS was not allowed last year, which was the fourth chance.
But this year is different. LG won the regular season and went straight to KS. Oh Ji-hwan is flying in his first personal 'dream stage'. The process was not easy. In the first round of KS, he recorded two throwing errors. In the third game, he provided an excuse for a large number of runs due to a critical catch error in the fifth inning. It was a moment when the nickname "Ojibae" came to mind.
If it was the previous fall baseball, it could be ruined on its own, but it endured. As the team's captain, he stood tall as an "autumn man," making up for the regret of his mistake with a hit, just as he promised to the players before the series, "Let's not give up until the end." As the attack is released, the defense is increasingly stable. It leads LG's rise as a key resource in the center line. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop sends full confidence to Oh Ji-hwan.
Oh Ji-hwan is a 'one-club man' who has played in LG alone for 15 years since joining in 2009. In December 2019, he became the first individual free agent (FA) and remained at a total of 4 billion won for four years. Having grown into a shortstop for the national team, he received the Golden Glove last year for the first time in 23 years since Ryu Ji-hyun in 1999. In January, he signed a six-year, up to 12.4 billion won contract with a non-FA multi-year contract, declaring him a "long life LG man."
LG has not won KS since 1994. Oh Ji-hwan knows his team's thirst for championship better than anyone else. Throughout the series, he said, "It's a victory that I've been waiting for for 15 years for me and 29 years for my fans. Winning is the biggest goal," he stressed.
Oh Ji-hwan is trying to turn the winning clock of LG, which had been stopped. He's starting to really 'dominate' KS.