Son Seung-lak

Son Seung-lak (Hangul: 손승락, Hanja: 孫勝洛) (born March 4, 1982 in Daegu) is a retired South Korean closer who played for the Hyundai Unicorns, the Nexen Heroes, and the Lotte Giants in the Korea Professional Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed.

In this Korean name, the family name is Son.
Son Seung-lak
Lotte Giants – No. 1
Closer
Born: (1982-03-04) March 4, 1982
Batted: Right Threw: Right
KBO debut
April 2, 2005, for the Hyundai Unicorns
Last appearance
2019, for the Lotte Giants
KBO statistics
(through 2019)
Win–loss record45–49
Saves271
Earned run average3.64
Strikeouts662
Teams

Amateur career

While attending Daegu High School, Son's main position was shortstop in the team. During his last season in Daegu High School, he occasionally appeared in games as a relief pitcher for the team and his 90+ mph fastball drew the attention of Korea Professional Baseball scouts, and he was drafted as a pitcher by the Hyundai Unicorns in 2001 in the 2nd round and as the 33rd pick overall.

However, Son decided to enter the Unicorns after graduation from college and continued to play baseball as a pitcher at Yeungnam University in Daegu. At Yeungnam University, he developed into one of the top collegiate pitchers along with Oh Seung-Hwan and Jang Won-Sam. As a sophomore in 2002, Son was called up to the Under-22 South Korea national team for the inaugural World University Baseball Championship held in Messina, Italy. In 2003, Son was selected for the South Korean national team as an amateur player and participated in the Baseball World Cup held in Havana, Cuba. At the World Cup, he led team in innings pitched with 18.1 and earned a save against Italy in the round-robin stage.

Notable international careers
 Year   Venue  Competition  Team   Individual Note
 2002    Italy  World University Championship  5th
 2003    Cuba  World Cup 8th  0-2, 1 SV; 3.93 ERA (4 G, 18.1 IP, 8 ER, 18 K) 
 2004    Taiwan   World University Championship 

Professional career

Signed by the Hyundai Unicorns upon graduation from college in 2005, Son entered the Korea Professional Baseball to high expectations, where many expected him to be the future ace of the Unicorns. He spent his rookie year as a full-time starting pitcher but went a disappointing 5-10 with a 5.43 ERA.

In 2006, Son started the season in the bullpen and occasionally appeared in games as a No.5 starter in the middle of the season. As a utility pitcher, he finished the season with a 6-5 record, 2 holds and an ERA of 4.17.

However, Son was sidelined with injuries for the whole 2007 season and after the season he left the team to perform two-year military duty. During the duty, Son played for the Police Baseball Team in the Korea Baseball Futures League on the side. In September 2009, he was selected for the South Korea national baseball team again and competed in the Baseball World Cup as a starting pitcher.

In 2010, Son came back to the pro baseball league after finishing the two-year military service. In the Nexen Heroes, which bought the right of the Hyundai Unicorns in 2008, Son made a transition to the closing job and posted a record of 2-3 with 26 saves and a 2.56 ERA. He led the KBO league in saves and became the first Hero to win a title in any individual categories.

Son had another strong season as a KBO top closer in 2011 when he had a career-low ERA of 1.89, saved 17 games, and won 4.

Son continued to dominate in 2012 and 2013, when he recorded 33 and 46 saves, respectively. Despite sub-par seasons in 2014 and 2015, Son attained Free Agent status after the 2015 season, and signed a four-year, KRW 6 billion contract with the Lotte Giants. While he failed to live up to the expectations in 2016, with a 4.26 ERA and only 20 saves, he rebounded in 2017 to re-establish himself as the league's best closer. He led the Giants to the team's first playoff appearance in 5 years, finishing the season with 37 saves and a 2.18 ERA.

Son decided to retire after the 2019 season due to a conflict with Giants about salary negotiations. Son finished his career second on all the all-time saves list in the KBO with 271.

Notable international careers
Year Venue Competition  Team  Individual Note
 2009    Europe  World Cup 9th  1-1; 2.37 ERA (3 G, 19.0 IP, 5 ER, 12 K) 
 2013    United States   World Baseball Classic 

See also
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