It was deja vu another time for the KT Wiz pitcher Ko Younger-pyo and first baseman Moon Sang-chul on Saturday.
The final time these two performed in the identical postseason sport within the Korea Baseball Group, the Wiz defeated the LG Twins 3-2 in Sport 1 of the Korean Collection final November. Moon hit an RBI double within the high of the ninth, after Ko threw six strong innings in a no-decision at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
On Saturday, Moon smoked a two-run residence run within the high second, and Ko tossed 4 gutsy innings of one-run ball on in the future’s relaxation, because the Wiz beat the identical Twins 3-2 in Sport 1 of the primary spherical at Jamsil.
“At any time when I pitch, Sang-chul tends to get massive hits,” Ko stated of his teammate and buddy. “Now we have some good issues going each time we play in the identical sport. Clearly, it is a lot simpler to pitch with a lead. I used to be capable of keep aggressive after his homer gave us the lead.”
Ko, a righty with a sidearm supply, began simply two days after throwing 18 pitches in a aid look in a wild card sport in opposition to the Doosan Bears. He had additionally began a sport on Sept. 28 after which pitched three days later in a fifth-place tiebreaker sport.
Earlier than Saturday’s sport, Wiz supervisor Lee Kang-chul stated he solely hoped for 2 or three strong innings from Ko and he would have his finest relievers able to cowl the remainder.
However Ko gave his crew greater than that.
He was excellent by means of three innings. He threw nothing however two-seam fastballs and changeups, and the opposing hitters could not sq. up. Nothing left the infield the primary time by means of the Twins’ lineup.
They lastly solved Ko within the fourth inning. Shin Min-jae singled for the crew’s first hit off Ko and stole second to get himself into scoring place. Austin Dean then adopted up with a run-scoring single that minimize the Wiz’s result in 2-1.
Ko gave up one other hit later that inning however that was the extent of the harm.
He made 56 pitches earlier than the bullpen took over. Regardless that he didn’t pitch lengthy sufficient to qualify for the win, Ko was nonetheless named the Participant of the Sport.
“The supervisor was excited about maintaining me on the market for about 50 pitches, however I informed him I might throw my ordinary 100 pitches,” Ko stated. “I used to be capable of capitalize on my strengths on this sport. I had good vertical drops on my changeups.”
Ko missed about two months of motion beginning in April as a result of elbow pains. He stated he seems like he is simply rounding into kind.
“I really feel like I’ve sufficient energy left in my physique, regardless that my elbow and my shoulder could also be fatigued,” he stated. “I’m at all times able to pitch each time the crew wants me.”
Moon stated he’ll keep in mind grounding into an inning-ending double play within the sixth, when the Wiz had runners on the corners, as a lot as the house run.
“Not with the ability to money in on that likelihood actually bothered me. I felt horrible,” Moon stated. “My teammates created that likelihood and I could not capitalize on it. However fortunately, our relievers restricted the harm. It does not matter who will get the game-winning hit, so long as we preserve successful video games.”
