Oh reaches double figures in saves

Armed with his signature heavy fastball, South Korean closer Oh Seung-hwan has reached double figures in saves in his first Japanese season, after overcoming a slow start.

Oh picked up his 10th save of the season in his 18th appearance for the Hanshin Tigers on Sunday in Nippon Professional Baseball.

The Tigers defeated Yokohama DeNA Baystars 4-1 at home, with Oh throwing a scoreless ninth.

Oh left the Samsung Lions in the Korea Baseball Organization last December to join the Tigers as a free agent. With over nine dominant seasons in the KBO, Oh became the league’s all-time leader in saves with 277. He has a career ERA of 1.69 and led the KBO in saves in five different seasons.

Oh stumbled out of the gate for Hanshin, giving up three earned runs in his first four appearances, spanning four innings. Since then, Oh has gone 14 appearances without giving up an earned run and has lowered his ERA from 6.75 to 1.47.

Overall, Oh has thrown 18 1/3 innings, with 20 strikeouts against three walks. He also has a relief win to his credit.

“I don’t really put too much stock in numbers,” Oh said through his agency. “I got into better shape in May than in April, and I have a little more confidence going forward.” (Yonhap)