Starting on just one day's rest, KT WIZ native ace Ko Young-pyo (33) washed away the concerns surrounding him and pitched his best game yet.
He started the first game of the best-of-five semifinals against the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Friday and pitched four innings of three-hit ball, striking out two and walking one.
Ko has been pitching a lot lately, and his pitching log is breathtaking.
He pitched as the team's third pitcher against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 28th of last month, throwing 48 pitches in five innings and giving up one run in the team's win, and then, after two days of rest, he pitched as the third pitcher in the fifth-place game against SSG Landers on the 1st, throwing 18 pitches in 1⅔ innings and giving up one run.
After two days off, he returned as the second pitcher in Game 2 of the Wild Card (WC) Decider against the Doosan Bears on Game 3, throwing 14 pitches in 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
After three bullpen appearances during the week, Ko Young-pyo switched positions and started Game 1 of the semifinals.
KT had been in a “race to the bottom” since the end of the regular season, so the team had maxed out its starting pitching resources and didn't have a starter available.
So Ko Young-pyo volunteered to pitch as the opener.
There were no expectations. 메이저사이트 “In the first game of the semi-PO, we need to mobilize our bullpen,” said KT manager Lee Kang-cheol, ”and I hope Young-pyo can throw a lot of innings, up to 50 pitches.”
Young-pyo Ko pitched beyond expectations.
In the first inning, he used a two-seam fastball and a big changeup to throw off the timing of the other team's batters.
He struck out Hong Chang-ki and Shin Min-jae on a straight hit to first base and a grounder to shortstop, and Austin Dean on a swinging strikeout with his signature changeup.
In the second inning, he continued his perfect pitching, striking out center fielder Moon Bo-kyung, Oh Hwan and Kim Hyun-soo.
Ko Young-pyo, who had struck out six with 19 pitches in the second inning, didn't let up in the third.
He threw four changeups in quick succession against leadoff hitter Park Dong-won and induced three wild swings for strikes.
The next batter, Park Hae-min, induced a grounder to second base and Moon Sung-joo grounded out in front of the pitcher, both of which were caught with changeups.
The fourth inning, with more than 30 pitches, was a little shaky.
He gave up back-to-back singles to Shin Min-jae and Austin to make it 2-1. But Ko Young-pyo got Moon Bo-kyung to fly out to center field to end the inning.
In the second inning, he gave up a single to Oh Hwan, but induced Kim Hyun-soo to ground out in front of the pitcher to get out of the jam.
Ko threw 56 pitches on the day, more than he planned. He threw 37 changeups and 19 two-seamers.
KT had a lot of preparation for this game.
The team booked a hotel in Suwon as the team's accommodation after the fireworks display in Seoul's Yeouido neighborhood on Friday afternoon made it difficult to book a hotel in Seoul.
However, Ko Young-pyo was given a separate room at a hotel near Jamsil Stadium to maintain his physical condition.
Catcher Jang Sung-woo and coach Lee Kang-cheol also stayed at the same hotel to strategize for the first game of the semifinals on Thursday evening.
Ko Young-pyo has struggled this season with an ERA of 4.95 in six wins and eight losses and a 9.64 ERA in one game against LG due to injuries, but on this day, he shut down the opposing bats with his fresh delivery and skillful ball mix.
KT led 3-1 after five innings thanks to Moon Sang-chul's two-run homer in the second inning and Shim Woo-joon's RBI single in the fifth.