“It seems like it took a long time.”
Oh Ji-hwan (32, LG Twins) was the best shortstop this season. He appeared in 142 games, hit 25 home runs, and also stole 20 bases, achieving a 20–20 mark.
There was no doubt about his defensive abilities. Boasting his strong arm and wide range, he kept the pitcher’s back.
The shortstop Golden Glove belonged to Oh Ji-hwan. While boasting 78.6% of the vote, he won the golden glove by beating Park Seong-han (SSG 16%) and Park Chan-ho (KIA 3.8%).
Oh Ji-hwan joined the team as the first nomination in 2009 and won the Golden Glove in 13 years.
Oh Ji-hwan said, “I’ve heard a lot of stories about him as a promising player. I’m grateful that I’ve escaped from the titles of ‘I think it will work out’ and ‘I just need to do a little’.”
Oh Ji-hwan added, “I am grateful to my parents for allowing me to be born with such a healthy body. I also want to say thank you to my colleagues.”
The Golden Glove was the best award that could blow away all the hardships of the past. In the meantime, Oh Ji-hwan was subjected to a particularly cold judgment standard. He was evaluated as having both offense and defense, but one mistake and one regrettable scene led to more severe criticism. Oh Ji-hwan said, “Actually, I was cautious. There are always a lot of controversies about me, and I always lowered it because I thought I should be careful about that.” I wanted to show it through baseball,” he emphasized.
I also remembered the leaders who led me to where I am today. Oh Ji-hwan said, “I have met a lot of coaches who were former shortstops. I met many coaches who were former shortstops, including coach Ji-hyun Ryu, coach Jong-beom Lee, coach Joong-il Ryu, and coach Kyung-yeop Yeom. In a way, that was a blessing to me.” After a mistake, he went through the process and made me where I am now. Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop was a defensive coach when I first debuted in the first team. Also, as a scout, he helped me to enter the professional world. So, just two people came to my mind first. it happened,” he said.
The award he was so eager to reveal, “I want to receive it again next year. I received one this time, but I hope there will be several more Golden Gloves.” Oh Ji-hwan himself received the award he had longed for, saying, “It seems like it took a long time,” but he had a heavy heart on one side of his heart. Oh Ji-hwan said, “I don’t think I can laugh as much (even though I received the award). It was very difficult after the season. I still haven’t recovered.”
This season, LG won 87 wins, the most since its foundation, but stayed in second place in the regular season. In the playoffs, Kiwoom Heroes allowed an upset due to the momentum.
Oh Ji-hwan lowered his head, saying, “It’s good to receive an award if we only talk about this season, but I’m so sorry to the fans because I was the captain and it seems like a failed season.”
As much as I regretted it, I was desperate. Oh Ji-hwan said, “Next year’s season is just around the corner. After a month or two, we have to go to spring camp again. I also told my teammates that we should not repeat our failed season with the same mistake, so that we can play games that we can win unconditionally by preparing well.” I made up my mind. 스포츠토토