Twins shortstop Oh Ji-hwan opens 20-20 club in KBO

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- Thanks to his combination of power and speed, LG Twins shortstop Oh Ji-hwan is now the first member of the 20-20 club in South Korean baseball this season.

Oh stole his 20th bag against the Doosan Bears on Tuesday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Pairing that with a career-high 23 home runs, Oh became only the fourth shortstop in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history to have at least 20 homers and 20 steals in the same season.

Former Kia Tigers great Lee Jong-beom did it in 1996 and 1997, followed by two former Kiwoom Heroes teammates, Kang Jung-ho (2012) and Kim Ha-seong (2016 and 2020).

Oh is the first Twins member of the 20-20 club since former outfielder Lee Byung-kyu, who had 30 homers and 31 stolen bases in 1999.

"Now that I've done it myself, I can really appreciate how great players like Ha-seong and Jung-ho were when they accomplished this," Oh said. "I am proud to have joined them in this club. As a father, I am pleased to have something to tell my kid about later on."

Oh's 20th steal came in the top of the sixth inning, after he'd led off the frame with a walk. He was later thrown out at home, but the Twins scored three runs with two outs in that inning en route to a 5-0 victory.

The 32-year-old has been a consistent base-stealing threat. This is Oh's seventh 20-steal campaign in his 14-year career, and he has reached double figures in steals every year since 2012.

The power surge comes as a bigger surprise. Oh's previous career high in that department was 20 from 2016, an offense-happy season when 21 other players had at least 20 dingers. Oh's home run total dipped to eight in 2017, and he also had eight homers last year.

This season, only nine players have reached the 20-homer mark with about three weeks left, and Oh is third in the league with 23.

"I feel like I have finally figured out hitting, to a degree that I even think I was doing it all wrong in the past," Oh said. "I am especially disappointed with the dry spell I had for a couple of months this year. If I'd been able to stay more consistent, I'd have much better numbers."

Oh's offensive outburst has not come at the expense of his signature defense. After some rough early years when he often botched routine plays, Oh has established himself as a premium defender at any position in the KBO. He passes the eye test with spectacular plays and also finds himself at or near the top of the advanced fielding numbers.

The annual Golden Glove award has eluded him though. Despite the name's connotation and the league's effort to bring defense into the equation, the Golden Gloves have been usually awarded to the best offensive players at each position. Kang Jung-ho and Kim Ha-seong are among those who have kept the coveted prize from Oh's reach.

Neither player is in the KBO, and the one player considered Oh's rival earlier in the season, Park Seong-han of the SSG Landers, has cooled off considerably at the plate, batting only .213 after the All-Star break after putting up a .332 average in the first half.

The path has cleared for Oh, though he wasn't yet ready to discuss his own credentials.

"When I last had 20 home runs, I still had a decent batting average (.280), but people didn't talk about my chances of winning the Golden Glove then," Oh said. "Though I've joined the 20-20 club, I don't think I have locked down the award. I've seen other shortstops put up strong numbers in the past and that's why I can't really be satisfied with myself."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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