KBO ' s career saves leader eligible to return from gambling suspension TuesdayBy Yoo Jee - ho SEOUL , June 9 ( Yonhap ) -- The greatest closer in South Korean baseball will be eligible to return from a gambling suspension Tuesday . Oh Seung - hwan of the Samsung Lions , the all - time saves leader in the Korea Baseball Organization ( KBO ) with 277 , has served his 72 - game suspension , stemming from an overseas gambling conviction . The KBO handed down the ban in 2016 after Oh received a court fine for gambling . The half - season suspension kicked in when Oh rejoined the Lions last August after getting released by the Colorado Rockies . Oh Seung - hwan of the Samsung Lions stretches before practice at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on June 2 , 2020 . ( Yonhap ) Oh pitched for the Lions from 2005 to 2013 , before spending the next two years with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan and then parts of four seasons in the majors with the Rockies , the Toronto Blue Jays and the St . Louis Cardinals . In his first tour of duty in the KBO , Oh had a 1 . 69 ERA over 510 1 / 3 innings . He also owns the single season saves record with 47 , which he set in 2006 and matched in 2011 . The Lions will host the Kiwoom Heroes for a three - game series starting Tuesday evening at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu , 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul . They ' ll have another three - game series at home starting Friday , against the KT Wiz . The stadium opened in 2016 , and Oh has never pitched there . His most recent KBO appearance came on Oct . 2 , 2013 . Oh started traveling with the Lions last week and threw a bullpen session while they were in Seoul . Samsung manager Huh Sam - young has said he won ' t throw Oh into the fire right away , and he will instead ease the right - hander back into action . " The best - case scenario for us is to have him on the mound with a comfortable lead , " Huh said last week . Eventually , though , Oh will take over as the closer . Woo Kyu - min has done an admirable job in Oh ' s absence , recording four saves and posting a 3 . 86 ERA over 9 1 / 3 innings . The Lions have the second - lowest bullpen ERA in the league with 4 . 50 , and opponents have slugged . 379 against their bullpen , the best mark in the KBO . He pitched in some spring training games with the Lions this year , but his last competitive game came with the Rockies on May 30 last year . He went on the 10 - day injured list on June 10 with a left abdominal strain and then was ruled out for the season on July 16 with a right elbow injury . Oh returned to South Korea in August to undergo an operation . He spent a big chunk of his 72 - game ban rehabbing the elbow . Oh Seung - hwan of the Samsung Lions puts on his cap during practice at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on June 2 , 2020 . ( Yonhap ) jeeho @ yna . co . kr ( END )