Veteran closer Oh Seung-hwan removed from role amid early season woes

Samsung Lions reliever Oh Seung-hwan, the all-time saves leader in South Korean baseball, has been removed from his closer role in the midst of his early-season struggles.

Lions manager Park Jin-man told reporters Thursday that Oh will now be pitching in relief, with left-hander Lee Seung-hyun taking over as closer.

"I think he has lost a bit of confidence," Park said before the Lions took on the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. "He hasn't been making pitches. We had a meeting with the entire coaching staff today, and we decided to give him some time to regain some confidence."

Oh is the career saves leader in the Korea Baseball Organization with 374. In seven games this year, however, Oh has blown two saves and sports a 4.91 ERA across 7 1/3 innings. He has given up 11 hits and struck out six.

Long known for his hard fastball, Oh has seen his velocity dip to a concerning level this year. According to the statistics website Statiz, Oh has been averaging 142.6 kilometers per hour with his four-seam fastball this season, down from 144.7 kph last year and 145.7 kph from 2021.

"I'm sure he will accept his new role," Park said. "This was not an easy decision for us to make. He also spent some time away from the closer role last year and regained his form later in the season. I am confident he can bounce back this year, too."