"I have the talent to become a superstar." There was a reason why rookie Oh Jae-won skipped the pitcher for "three hits before debut → explosive final hits."

*This content was translated by AI.

No one would have known when the Hanwha Eagles skipped a number of pitchers and called out the name of Yushin High School outfielder Oh Jae-won (19) as the third-ranked player in the first round. Oh Jae-won completely proved that the choice was not wrong in just two games.

Oh Jae-won started as the first batter center fielder in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 29th and hit a two-run final hit in the bottom of the second inning.

Oh Jae-won, who had three hits and a hard hit in his debut the previous day, even hit the final hit on the day, signaling a "superstar birth."

It is the first time in Hanwha's history that a high school graduate has taken the leadoff in the opening game and only three times since Kim Sang-soo (then Samsung) in 2009 and Kim Do-young (KIA) in 2022. It is significant just that it has overtaken the main players since the first season.

The third hit in the opening game, a high school graduate, is the first and most tie-breaking in Hanwha, followed by Jang Sung-ho (Haitae) in 1996 and KT Lee Kang-min, who had three hits against LG in Jamsil on the same day.

Oh Jae-won, who stepped down with his first at-bat grounder in the opening game, made his debut hit with the fielder's clumsy defense, and then completed a three-hit game in the eighth inning following an infield hit. In the fifth inning, the team's loss increased by one more point due to the disappointing defense, but it was a debut match that deserved a high enough score.

He was evaluated as a key player even if he came to the professional league right away and won the Star Award at the "Futures Star Awards" last year. Hanwha also gave high scores for its outstanding defense and fast feet. However, it was difficult to predict that he would be able to play this immediately.

Before the game, head coach Kim Kyung-moon said, "I recognized him early, and I thought, 'Look at him' in Japan. He said, "I saw him playing baseball without being intimidated by his seniors at all," adding, "Celebrities also become superstars."

However, the seniors who would give way to Oh Jae-won also had to care. Coach Kim said, "I liked (Oh) Jae-won, but I can't help but think of the player who is always complimenting him but waiting behind him. Oh Jae-won is playing, but there are players who cry their blood, he said. "In the end, the player will come back again, and I think this is also a plus factor for the team as a young friend relieves the burdensome opening game well."

On this day, he only had one hit in five at-bats, but he made a decisive shot to give his team consecutive wins. Oh Jae-won, who took the batter's box with two outs and runners on the second and third bases in the bottom of the second inning when his team was being dragged 1-2, hit a fastball 146km/h on the second pitch and hit the ball in front of center field. In the meantime, both runners dug into the groove. He marked his first RBI since his debut with the final hit.

Starting with Moon Dong-ju (1st round in 2022), Kim Seo-hyun (1R in 2023) and Jung Woo-joo (1R in 2025) were initially considered successful picks for Hanwha, which insisted on pitching, but this time they boldly chose the fielder. That's because I was so sure. In the two games of the opening series, he hit hard with a batting average of 0.364 (4 hits in 11 at-bats) with two RBIs and one run, and proved that Hanwha's choice was not wrong by performing a stable performance in defense.

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*This content was translated by AI.