'1:1 Trade' Ultimately a Masterstroke? → Moved to a New Team and Finally Exploded! Reasons for Growing Expectations of His Selection to the Asian Games Roster

*This content was translated by AI.

The left-handed pitcher who earned 10 wins through the trade is pitching even better this season. If this continues, his selection to the Asian Games roster looks highly likely. This is the story of Oh Won-seok (25), who has firmly secured a spot in the KT Wiz starting rotation.

On the 21st, Oh Won-seok made his season debut against the KIA Tigers in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game at Suwon KT Wiz Park. He pitched 5⅓ innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3 batters, giving up 2 earned runs.

Although the team eventually tied the game and he did not earn the win, Oh Won-seok's performance was highly impressive. In particular, he skillfully threw several pitches right on the edge of the strike zone, effectively neutralizing the KIA lineup.

Oh Won-seok graduated from Sujin Elementary, Maesong Middle, and Yatab High School before entering the professional ranks after being selected first overall by the SK Wyverns (now the predecessor of SSG Landers) in 2020. In the 2020 season, he recorded 0 wins and 1 loss. He then posted 7 wins and 6 losses (2021 season), 6 wins and 8 losses with 2 holds (2022 season), 8 wins and 10 losses (2023 season), and 6 wins and 9 losses (2024 season).

Each season, he seemed on the verge of breaking out, but he faced a major change ahead of the 2025 season: a trade notification. At the time, KT sent pitcher Kim Min (27) to SSG in exchange for Oh Won-seok in a 1:1 trade. Last season, Oh Won-seok performed well with 11 wins, 8 losses, and an ERA of 3.67, fulfilling his role. He recorded an impressive 10 wins in the first half alone. Oh Won-seok is the first native left-handed starting pitcher in KT franchise history to achieve 10 wins.

This season, he is showing an even better pace. On the 2nd, against the Hanwha Eagles, he dominated with 6 innings, 4 hits, 7 strikeouts, and 1 run allowed, securing his first win of the season. Then, on the 8th, against the Lotte Giants, Oh Won-seok took the loss after pitching 4 innings, allowing 6 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, and 3 runs (1 earned).

Continuing his strong form, on the 15th against the NC Dinos, he pitched well with 7 innings, 6 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, and 1 run allowed (1 earned), earning his second win of the season. And in today's game against KIA, although he did not secure the win, he showcased his strengths. His fastball reached a top speed of 148 km/h.

This season, he has appeared in 4 games with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss, and an ERA of 2.01. Over a total of 22⅓ innings, he allowed 21 hits (1 home run), 4 walks, and 21 strikeouts, while giving up 7 runs (5 earned). His innings per baserunner (WHIP) is 1.12, and his batting average against is 0.250.

After the game, manager Lee Kang-cheol praised Oh Won-seok, saying, "It was a game where the focus of all players stood out. Oh Won-seok fulfilled his role as a starter."

He continued, "We successfully took control early in the game with Kim Hyun-soo's 2-run home run and Lee Kang-min's RBI. However, after allowing the tying run, the players did not give up until the end. We were able to win thanks to Lee Kang-min's tying RBI with 3 hits and Kim Min-hyuk's walk-off home run. The players worked hard, and I would like to thank the fans who came to the baseball stadium despite the chilly weather and cheered enthusiastically."

If this performance continues, Oh Won-seok is expected to have a strong chance of being selected for the Asian Games national team. He is currently pitching well alongside Kim Jin-wook (Lotte), Choi Min-seok (Doosan), Lee Ui-ri (KIA), and Song Seung-gi (LG) this season.

In an interview after his first appearance of the season, Oh Won-seok said, "It feels like I'm enjoying baseball more since coming to KT, but I'm still being cautious. I know my weaknesses very well. Therefore, I am focusing on leveraging my strengths while continuously working to improve my weaknesses." What kind of results Oh Won-seok will achieve this season remains to be seen. Expectations among KT fans are growing.

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*This content was translated by AI.