Reliever trying to stay present amid scoreless streak
Kiwoom Heroes reliever Oh Seok-joo pitches against the Doosan Bears during the clubs' Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Sept. 16. Courtesy of the Heroes
After striking out his third straight Doosan Bears batter to strand two runners and preserve his team's late lead, Kiwoom Heroes reliever Oh Seok-joo pumped his fist and let out a primal scream — in spite of himself.
"I had no idea I did that," Oh said with a smile after the Heroes hung on to beat the Bears 4-1 in their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Tuesday night. "I guess I had a dopamine rush. I was really fired up."
The Heroes were up 3-1 entering the bottom of the eighth, as reliever Yun Seok-won took over from starter Raul Alcantara. Yun promptly gave up a walk and a single to put the tying run at first, with the heart of the Bears' order due up.
In came Oh, who struck out Oh Myeong-jin, Jake Cave and Hong Seong-ho in succession — all of them swinging.
Against the No. 3 hitter Cave, Oh Seok-joo fell behind 3-0 before throwing a fastball and a curveball for strikes, and then getting him to whiff on a forkball.
"I tried to put myself in the hitter's shoes there," Oh recalled. "Just because it was a 3-0 count, I didn't want to let him dictate things. I tried to figure out what the hitter was looking for at that moment."
With that tidy piece of work, Oh extended his scoreless streak to 20 1/3 innings over 17 appearances. The right-hander last allowed a run on June 26.
Pitchers on that kind of run would typically try their best not to think about their numbers. Oh said he is not consciously avoiding the topic, though his teammates bring up the topic quite often.
"I don't think I can stop myself from thinking about the streak," he added. "I'm just going about my business and getting ready for every game. But of course, I'd love to keep it going."
Oh's ability to stay in the moment and block out distractions helped him get out of that eighth-inning jam Tuesday night.
"I wasn't paying attention to runners on base. My biggest goal was just to make my pitches," he said. "If I start thinking about the situation, then I can get sidetracked. I felt I could be more in control of myself if I focus only on doing what I can do."
Oh is enjoying the best season of his KBO career, which began with the LG Twins in 2019. With 49 appearances, Oh has pitched in more games this year than all of his previous seasons combined. He has logged 54 1/3 innings in 2025 after totaling 44 innings before this year.
Oh thanked his current interim skipper Seol Jong-jin, who previously managed him in the minor league, for moral support.
"He must have noticed that I was getting stressed out about not putting up numbers. And he kept telling me to relax and to just be a part of the team, and not try to do everything alone," Oh said. "He and other coaches always try to cheer me up. I get so much positive energy from them."
Oh is also optimistic about the future of the Heroes, despite the fact that they are headed for their third straight last-place finish in the KBO. This has been their worst of those three campaigns, as their record stands at 45-87-4 (wins-losses-ties) with eight games left. They won 58 games in each of the past two years.
"I believe we as players shouldn't get too caught up in where we are in the standings," he said. "We just have to concentrate on doing our job, and then the rest will take care of itself. I believe we will be better and stronger next season."
For his own self-improvement, Oh reads books. Currently, he is working on "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu and a book by the German author Martin Wehrle whose title translates to "This Book Will Change Your Life Forever."
"I don't necessarily think I've become a better pitcher just because I read. But I have changed myself a bit," he said. "It's a way of pushing myself when I find myself getting lazy. I think it is more beneficial for me to read books than to stare at my phone all the time. I try to read at least one chapter of a book each day."