After retirement, Oh Seung-hwan, who returned as an MBC baseball commentator, reveals his recent whereabouts on Radio Star. Nicknamed the "stone Buddha" during his playing days, he elicited laughs with the quip, "Baseball is definitely MBC!," and, as the first closer to have his number 21 retired permanently, shared a fateful episode tied to the number 21.
The March 4 episode of MBC's Radio Star (produced by Chey Yoon-chung / directed by Yoon Hye-jin, Hwang Yun-sang, Byun Da-hee) is themed "the final boss of this neighborhood! let's go~" and features Oh Seung-hwan, Lee Cheol-min, Cho Hyun-a, and Yang Sang-guk.
Oh Seung-hwan is a closer who recorded 549 saves across Korea, the U.S. and Japan, mainly with the Samsung Lions. He also played for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan and the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays in the U.S., leaving an impression as the "final boss." He has five Korean Series championships in total, and his retired number 21 holds symbolic meaning.
On the show, Oh Seung-hwan revealed that his playing career lasted 21 years and that his wedding date is also the 21st, recounting his connection to the number 21. He especially shared the story of receiving a pure-gold lock appreciation plaque weighing "21 don" from the club.
He also mentioned the record of being the first bullpen pitcher to experience a retirement tour, following Lee Seung-yeop and Lee Dae-ho as the third to do so. Behind-the-scenes footage from the retirement ceremony, where his 1982-born teammates known as the "golden generation of baseball" all turned out, was also revealed. At the MCs' suggestion, a situation unfolded asking AI, "If players born in 1982 faced players born in 1987, what would the result be?," and Oh Seung-hwan's nervous reaction added more laughs.
After retirement, he soothed his empty feelings with "financial therapy" and shared behind-the-scenes stories related to gold, silver and jewels. He said he received various forms of gold as gifts each time he set a new record, and that their total weight reached 1001 don, a revelation that surprised listeners.
He opened up about his feelings at the time, when he even avoided entering restaurants after a blown save. He also conveyed the responsible image of personally visiting starting pitchers to apologize. In addition, through a past appearance on Radio Star where he showed splitting an apple with one hand, Oh Seung-hwan once again stamped his presence by demonstrating an upgraded technique of popping an apple with his thumb.
Legendary closer Oh Seung-hwan's post-retirement stories and unchanged charisma can be seen on Radio Star, airing Wednesday the 4th at 10:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Radio Star is a distinctive talk show loved by many for disarming guests and drawing out real stories with the MCs' sharp wit that can go anywhere.
[Photo] Radio Star
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