Oh-jun Kwon

Oh-jun Kwon (권오준)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 176 lb.

• High School Sunrin Internet High School

• Born March 9, 1980 in Incheon South Korea

BR register page

Biographical Information

Oh-jun Kwon pitched in the KBO for 17 years.

Kwon was drafted by the Samsung Lions in the first round of the 1999 KBO draft, and he spent his first two seasons in the minors. He then missed the 2001 and 2002 seasons due to military service, and he had a 3.13 ERA in 13 games in 2003. Kwon was 11-5 with a 3.23 ERA in 2004, and he ranked 5th in ERA (between Danny Rios and Mike Fyhrie), 7th in wins (tied with Soo-kyung Kim and Jin-woo Song) and 5th in strikeouts (between Young-soo Bae and Fyhrie). Kwon was named Samsung's closer in 2005, and he collected 17 saves with a 2.29 ERA in 46 appearances. He ranked 5th in saves, between Jang-jin No and Seung-Hwan Oh.

Oh was named the closer in 2006, so Kwon became the setup man. They formed one of the most dominated reliever duos in KBO history, and they were called the "KO Punch". Kwon collected 32 holds with a 1.69 ERA in 67 appearances, and he broke Jae-woo Lee's KBO single season holds record (Oh also broke the saves record). He was also 3rd in appearances, 5 behind Woo-ram Jung. He pitched 4 games with a 1.50 ERA and 2 holds in the 2006 Korean Series, and the Lions beat the Hanwha Eagles in 5 games. Kwon's ERA rose to 3.41 in 34 games in 2007, and he only pitched 19 games with a 4.32 ERA in 2008. He underwent elbow surgery, so he missed most of the 2009 season.

Kwon returned in 2010, and his ERA was 3.58 in 42 games. He notched 11 holds with a 2.79 ERA in 53 games in 2011, and he got the win with 2/3 of a shutout inning in 2011 Korean Series Game 2. The Lions beat the SK Wyverns in 5 games, and Kwon got his third title. He had a 2.95 ERA with 10 holds in 46 games in 2012, and he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2013. That was his third Tommy John surgery, and he missed most of the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Kwon's ERA was 8.04 in 30 games in 2015, then his ERA was 3.88 in 41 games in 2016.

The veteran pitched 45 games with a 5.14 ERA in 2017, then he announced that he would became a free agent. The Lions signed him with a 2-year, 60 million won extension. Kwon's ERA was 3.95 in 47 games in 2018, then he recorded a 5.23 ERA in 43 games in 2019. His ERA rose to 8.44 in 17 games in 2020, then he announced his retirement. He was the bullpen coach for the Lions from 2022 to 2024.

Overall, Kwon was 37-25 with a 3.64 ERA, collected 88 holds and 24 saves in 593 appearances, struck out 684 and pitched 729 1/3 innings in 17 seasons in the KBO.

Sources

• Namu wiki bio