Oh Seung-hwan Will Play In Japan

Relief pitcher Oh Seung-hwan, formally of the Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization, has decided to play for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (Japan). Seung-hwan was on the Yankees' radar for a bullpen role, but they will have to look elsewhere now.

Seung-hwan finished his career in the Korean Baseball Organization with a record of 28-13, incuding 277 saves, and a 1.69 ERA in 444 games. In the Korean Series this past season, he struck out 8 of the 12 batters he faced in Game 2 (from the 9th to 12th innings), but eventually took the loss after giving up a home run in the 13th inning. Oh went on to save games 3, 5, and 6, as the Lions won the championship.

Seeing as how the KBO is a step below the Japanese pro league, which equates to something like AA ball, I'm not really disappointed. There are many good bullpen options around the league, and even in the Yankees organization, so there's nothing to worry about. That's not to say the Yankees don't need bullpen help, though.