KIA Tigers' flower boy late-blooming star, Oh Seon-woo (29), is taking the time to reinvent himself as a full-fledged first-team player. He is growing day by day by physically confronting challenges.

On the 14th, Oh Seon-woo started at first base batting fifth in the game against the NC Dinos held at Changwon NC Park, performing well with 1 hit (1 home run), 3 RBIs, 2 runs, and 2 walks, leading his team to a 9-8 victory.

That day, Oh Seon-woo revived the dying flame in the first inning. Lee Chang-jin and Park Chan-ho, the table setters, obtained walks consecutively, creating an opportunity with no outs and runners on first and second base. However, with no outs and runners on first and second, Choi Hyung-woo struck out, and Wisdom made an infield fly out as first baseman, resulting in two outs with runners on first and second.

However, Oh Seon-woo hit a three-run home run to give his team the lead. With two outs and runners on first and second, he lifted a 124km curveball from Shin Young-woo over the right-centerfield fence. This was his seventh home run of the season, following the game against Hanwha on June 8th.

Subsequently, Oh Seon-woo appeared as the leadoff batter in the fourth inning, getting on base with a walk, and after Kim Ho-ryeong's double, he advanced to third base and scored on Kim Tae-kun's two-RBI double. Later, with timely hits from Kim Kyu-sung and Park Chan-ho, KIA completed a big inning with four runs. He also led off the fifth inning with a walk, achieving three appearances on base. As the first baseman, he handled Oh Young-soo's line drive with two outs and runners on second base, preventing a run.

Before this game, Oh Seon-woo had a batting average of .289 in 48 games (46 hits in 159 at-bats) with 6 home runs and 21 RBIs, achieving an OPS of .804. However, in the previous 10 games, he had a batting average of .200 (7 hits in 35 at-bats) with 1 home run and 5 RBIs, resulting in an OPS of .647. Narrowing it down to the last 4 games, he had only 1 hit in 13 at-bats. Coincidentally, after hitting a home run against Hanwha on the 8th, he had temporarily fallen into a slump.

However, with today's home run, Oh Seon-woo is back on track. Graduating from Baemyeong High School and being selected in the second round of the 2019 rookie draft, Oh Seon-woo has only had a total of 131 games and 184 at-bats until the start of this season. Although he has the potential to be a power hitter in the outfield, he struggled to break into KIA's lineup.

This year, since being registered in the first team on April 12, he has not been demoted to the second team even once. Na Sung-bum was injured, and players like Kim Sun-bin, Kim Do-young, and Yoon Do-young have faced injuries consecutively. Additionally, foreign hitter Patrick Wisdom was temporarily demoted to the second team due to a back injury. Meanwhile, Oh Seon-woo is not missing the opportunities that have come his way, alternating between first base and the outfield.

If things continue as they are, finishing the season is possible. However, there are times when his performance is good during this process, and other times when it is not so good. If one had to be particular, right now is not a favorable period. Before the game, manager Lee Beom-ho noted, “In the beginning, his expression was extremely bright, but recently it seems like he has been physically struggling, and now he appears darker. His smiles have disappeared.” He added, “However, Oh Seon-woo is a player who can deliver a powerful performance at any time, making him hard to remove from the lineup. We are truly grateful for what he has contributed.”

He expressed gratitude, saying, “I knew that he was a good player. However, because he is performing well in both offense and defense, I am thankful.” He prepared the groundwork for yet another resurgence that day.

After the game on the 14th, Oh Seon-woo said, “I haven't been doing well for about the last 7 games. So until just yesterday, I felt frustrated. But today, since the opposing pitcher was aggressive, I also swung my bat aggressively, and it led to a good result.” He reflected, “The opponent will analyze, and as I was concentrating on the breaking ball too much and digging deep, my swing wasn't coming out well. Normally, I don't hit foul balls, but I thought, 'I've got this,' and swung but kept hitting foul balls, which made my ball count unfavorable. That's why the results weren't good.”

This is a process of readjusting his mindset. He emphasized, “I am swinging aggressively again. Whether the outcome is a strikeout or another out, it doesn't matter. So I am not afraid and am approaching it aggressively.”

As the team's veteran leader, Choi Hyung-woo is also giving advice to ensure Oh Seon-woo does not feel overwhelmed. He said, “In fact, I have been alternating between the third and fifth batting orders recently. It does come with a lot of pressure. However, (Choi) Hyung-woo-senpai told me that even if you strike out 2 or 3 times, it’s only important to hit once during crucial moments. I have been weak in scoring opportunities recently, but I am now focusing a little more and doing my best to help the team.”

Oh Seon-woo, who attracts many female fans with his handsome appearance, now has a strong desire to be evaluated on his skills through baseball. In fact, since his debut in the pros, the title of flower boy has been somewhat burdensome for Oh Seon-woo. Now, with good results in the first team, he wants to be assessed more on his baseball skills rather than on his appearance.

He said, “Since my rookie year, words about my appearance have followed me. I wished I could play well, but that wasn’t the case,” adding, “As a baseball player, it feels much better to be recognized for playing baseball well. I just do my best. As much as fans support me, I believe I must repay them as a player. I plan to continue doing my best in the future.”

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