LG Oh Ji-hwan Opens the Glorious Time Frozen Since 2029

Led Unified Championship Victory and Crowned Korean Series MVP
"Happy and Overwhelmed... Thinking of Senior Players I Played Baseball With"
Rolex Owner Left by Late Former Club Owner Gu Bon-mu

He finally realized the dream he had cherished since his boyhood. This is the story of Oh Ji-hwan (33), captain of the LG Twins. He led the team to their first championship in 29 years and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Korean Series (KS).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 13th, LG defeated the kt wiz 6-2 in Game 5 of the 2023 professional baseball KS held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. Although they lost the first game, they won the next four games consecutively, clinching the trophy with an overall record of 4 wins and 1 loss. LG took over the Seoul-based team MBC Cheongryong, which was founded in 1982, the inaugural year of professional baseball, in 1990. They rose to become the most popular team by promoting "Shinbaram Baseball," but until last year, they had only won the KS twice (1990 and 1994). They often struggled to even reach the postseason and ended their seasons early.

Oh Ji-hwan has consistently supported LG and nurtured his dream of professional baseball. Since 2009, he has experienced hardships firsthand. He joined LG as a promising rookie and shared failures with his seniors. Every attempt at a turnaround before the season ended in vain. This year, as captain, things were different. With a strong sense of responsibility, he led by example both on and off the dugout, lifting the team's depressed atmosphere. He also posted solid stats. He played in 126 regular-season games, recording a batting average of 0.268 (113 hits in 422 at-bats), 8 home runs, 62 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, 64 walks, and an OPS of 0.767. Coupled with top-tier defensive skills, he led LG to win the regular season.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Oh Ji-hwan also shined in the KS. He started all five games as a shortstop, hitting .316 (6 hits in 19 at-bats) with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs. Notably, he became the first player in KS history to hit home runs in three consecutive games from Game 2 to Game 4. His contributions were crucial. In Game 2, he hit a solo home run in the 6th inning to ignite a comeback when trailing 1-4. In Game 3, with two outs in the 9th inning and the team down 5-7, he hit a go-ahead three-run homer off kt closer Kim Jae-yoon, a decisive hit that could have ended the game. In Game 4, he added a three-run homer in the 7th inning to seal the victory with LG leading 6-1. In the journalists' vote that day, he received 83 out of 90 votes, an overwhelming 86% support rate, earning him the MVP award along with a trophy and a prize of 10 million won.

Oh Ji-hwan said, "This championship is something I have waited 15 years for, and LG fans have waited 29 years. I feel happy and emotional. I also think a lot about the seniors I played baseball with." When asked how he prepared for the KS, he said, "kt has many pitchers with good fastballs and no left-handed pitchers, so I didn’t feel much pressure. I aimed for fastballs every time I stepped up to the plate and attacked aggressively, which I think led to good results." He also analyzed, "LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop encouraged aggressive base running from the start of the season, which seemed to foster a challenging spirit among the players. This was the foundation for the young players to play confidently and actively in the KS."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Along with his MVP title, he became the owner of a Rolex watch left by the late Gu Bon-mu, former owner of the LG Twins. Gu, who passed away in 2018, promised in 1997, "If the team wins the KS, I will gift a luxury wristwatch (Rolex) to the MVP." He personally purchased the watch overseas that year for about 80 million won. However, for 26 years, the watch remained unclaimed and was effectively left in the safe of the LG team’s CEO office.

The historically significant watch is expected to be handed over to LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo through Oh Ji-hwan. Oh said, "It feels burdensome to wear it. I consider it a relic of the previous chairman. I will give it to Chairman Koo first. I hope it will be displayed so many people can see it." He added with a bright smile, "Instead of the Rolex watch, I would like to receive another nice gift. I want a good watch that suits the current era."