"Arms are said to be consumables, but..." 48 balls → 2 days rest → 18 balls → 1 day rest → 14 balls → 1 day rest → 56 balls, 33-year-old veteran dedicated to making autumn miracles

"Arms are said to be consumables, but..." 48 balls → 2 days rest → 18 balls → 1 day rest → 14 balls → 1 day rest → 56 balls, 33-year-old veteran dedicated to making autumn miracles

Blog Article

Professional baseball KT Wiz Ko Young-pyo (33) led the team to an important first-round victory by playing a better role than expected at a time when they were physically burdened.

Ko Young-pyo took the mound as a starter against the LG Twins in Game 1 of the "2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League" semi-playoff at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 5th and recorded three hits, two strikeouts and one run in four innings.

Since the end of the season, KT has been constantly engaged in important games where it is on the verge of being eliminated. It competed with SSG for fifth place until the end of the season, and advanced to the semi-playoff by winning the fifth place and the wild card game. It is the first time in the history of the KBO league that he has advanced to the semi-playoff as a fifth-ranked team. During the period, Ko Young-pyo led KT's miraculous advance to the semi-playoff by posting relief in the season's final match against Kiwoom on April 28 (one run and 18 pitches in five innings), the fifth place match against SSG on October 1, and the second game against Doosan (one ⅔ and no run and 14 pitches in one inning) of the wild card game on October 3.

Despite the relatively strong pitching, KT manager Lee Kang-chul made a winning move by using Ko as an important starting pitcher for the first round of the semi-playoff. If Ko is shaken early, he is thus determined to play the first round as a bullpen day. However, he did his part by blocking LG's batters by allowing one run through the fourth inning. He pitched 56 pitches, but he managed to fend off the crisis by himself in the fourth inning.

Ko Young-pyo, who played an important role in KT's 3-2 victory even though he did not become a winning pitcher, said, "The manager was thinking up to 50 pitches. He told me to tell him if I felt uncomfortable, but I didn't feel uncomfortable. I wanted to throw up to 100 pitches as usual. However, I think the manager hung up because he looked tired in the fourth inning."

"Changeup's fall is important, but I've gotten better and better throughout the season," Ko said. "Thanks to this, I think I stopped the batting order well today." "When I was on the mound, (Moon) Sang-cheol hits home runs often. The moment I passed the game again, I thought, "It's Sang-cheol again." Throwing with the lead on the mound is different from throwing in a tie. Thanks to this, I was able to deal with the batter more comfortably," he said, stressing that Moon's home run played an important role. 메이저사이트

When asked if he has any physical problems, Ko said, "People say that pitchers' arms are expendable, but personally, he showed sluggish performance during the regular season this year and started late due to injuries. He seems to be in a good condition now. Of course, he may feel tired in his elbow or shoulder, but he still has strength. Whether it is the bullpen or starting pitcher, I'm glad that I'm ready to throw at any time." He added, "I will continue to take the mound for my team in the future."