However, he also had his share of difficulties. As Park Hae-min and Kim Sang-soo, who led Samsung's heyday over the past few years, left the team one by one, there were not many seniors who could share and recreate memories of that time. It was overwhelming to lead the team alone.
Then, a veteran reached out to Koo. It was Oh Seung-hwan, a living witness of history who lived together during the dynasty. Oh, who lives in the same apartment as Koo Ja-wook in Daegu, called him out whenever his junior colleagues had a hard time. He said that he listened to Koo's grievances during only a few laps and had many conversations while serving him delicious food.
Thanks to Oh's support, Koo has displayed good performance as captain. Personally, he ranks second in batting average (0.336), second in on-base percentage (0.407), fourth in slugging percentage (0.494), and 10th in hits (152). "I have spent a lot of times like this with Seung-hwan, especially this year. Thanks to Seung-hwan, I was able to finish this season well," Koo said. 토토사이트 순위
Currently, Oh is a free agent. He may not be able to join Koo next year. Samsung said it would make all-out efforts to catch Oh, but it has yet to reach an agreement, a month after the transfer window opened. Oh is currently negotiating alone with Samsung instead of his agent. Oh is also strongly committed to staying with Samsung. A team that needs to consider all aspects such as salary cap, Oh's recent pace and Oh's value in the team will give a headache.
"I really hope the team will catch Seung-hwan," Koo said. He stressed that he is a model for younger players just by his presence as the best closing pitcher in the KBO League and a player with Samsung's history. "Seung-hwan is Samsung's living past, present, and future. I really hope that a good contract will be signed," Koo said, desperately wanting his senior to stay.