Lotte Player Sohn Min-han Becomes MVP of 2005 Pro Baseball

“I feel more nervous now than when I take the mound. This is my first time to be nominated for an MVP.”

There was a vote for the MVP of Samsung PAVV 2005 pro baseball games at Seoul Plaza Hotel on October 31. Right before the vote, Sohn Min-han (30), a Lotte player, had a slightly tense look.

In contrast, Oh Seung-hwan (23), a Samsung rookie and Sohn’s major competitor, looked as calm as he does when he takes the mound. Even a faint smile was not found on his emotionless face.

A few minutes later, the result of the vote was released. It was too close to call in the beginning: Sohn Min-han and Oh Seung-hwan got seven votes each. But Sohn started to get many votes after that. In the end, he won a landslide victory with 55 votes out of the total 88 votes. On the other hand, Oh Seung-hwan won a mere 20 votes.

Sohn Min-han has become the first Lotte player to be selected as MVP of the regular baseball season in 21 years since Choi Dong-won (currently a coach of Hanwha) became MVP in 1984. Sohn has also become the first MVP from a team that didn’t reach the post season since the playoffs were introduced in 1986. Sohn received a crystal trophy with a golden baseball worth 20 million won on it as a prize.

However, it does not mean that Oh Seung-hwan returned home empty-handed. He was chosen as the rookie of the year by receiving 85 out of the total 88 votes in a ballot held before the release of the MVP vote result. It is said that you can only be rookie of the year once in a lifetime.

uni@donga.com