You’re confident in your form. That’s why last week’s struggle was not a pitching issue, but a condition issue. LG closer Ko Woo-seok (25), who throws the strongest four-seam fastball and slider of any middle reliever in the KBO, emphasized his confidence in his pitches.
Ko recorded his first five-out save of the season on May 5 against KT in Suwon. One-run lead at 5-4. Taking the mound with runners on first and second in the bottom of the eighth inning, Go Woo-seok got the first batter, Lee Ho-yeon, to pop out to shortstop to quickly end the inning. Shortstop Oh Ji-hwan’s deft defense ended the eighth inning.
However, in the bottom of the ninth, the team faced a crisis again. Hong Chang-ki caught a pitch that could have been a hit to the leadoff batter, Choi Jae-dae, to help Go Woo-seok and the team. He then gave up a single to pinch-hitter Moon Sang-cheol, but got Cho Myung-ho to fly out to shortstop.
Then, after a seven-pitch battle with Hwang Jae-gyun, he struck him out swinging. With the count at 2-2, he threw a curveball as the deciding pitch, but Hwang Jae-gyun held his swing, and the last pitch, a four-seam fastball, was not able to overcome the pitch.
Ko Woo-seok earned his 13th save. LG improved to 68 wins, 43 losses and two ties on the season. They are 6.5 games clear of second-place KT and have a 6-5 head-to-head record against them.
Here’s what Ko had to say to the media after the game.
-I had five saves with five outs. It’s the first time this season.
Before I start the interview, I would like to thank the officials of Suwon Stadium. Thanks to their efforts, the game was resumed. I was worried about the condition of the field, but I was able to play on a good field.
I was able to make five saves with one out, and that’s thanks to the defense. The defense did a great job. It was a difficult game, a difficult situation, and the defense helped me get through it.
-Last Saturday against Hanwha, you had a bad result. You said you had a conversation with Yoon about your pitch mix and that he advised you to throw more four-seam pitches rather than changeups. Did you incorporate that into your game today?
No, it didn’t.
Of course, I understood what he was saying, but I’m also stubborn. He told me that my slider was weak, so I thought about just throwing a slider from start to finish. I thought, “I have to show him,” and then when it came time to pitch, I couldn’t think of anything. Once I got on the mound, I just thought about throwing a fastball.
-Saturday, the slider came out of the rotation and went in, and the fastball went out of my hand. Why was it so bad that day?
I was really off-balance that day. I never really had that problem, but I threw off-balance that day. After I got hit by Choi Jae-hoon, I started throwing the ball with a pitching motion that I had never done in my life, and I made a really big mistake. It was a game where I was very angry with myself.
-I’m proud of my slider. It’s like I can’t give up on my slider because it’s a good pitch to get batters to hit.
There’s something to that. Also, sliders are the least risky pitches to hit. I think because I’ve been out for so long with injuries, the manager hasn’t seen me as much, so he feels like my slider is weak.
-How did the final game against Hwang Jae-gyun go? I thought I had a curveball as the deciding pitch, but I couldn’t get a swing on it. Afterward, I threw a fastball and caught a false swing, but I felt a little lost.
I was confident that if I reacted to the curveball, I could catch it unconditionally. Fortunately, Hwang Jae-gyun didn’t react to the curveball completely, but he reacted to it and didn’t swing, so I realized that I could win if I threw a fastball.
-Wasn’t it a shame that he didn’t swing at the curve?
Even if the curveball doesn’t win the game, if I can get him to react, I can win the game again with the next pitch. I thought that as long as the pitch wasn’t completely high or ridiculously out of the zone, I had a chance to win and I was going to go for it.
-How are you feeling now?
I would say I’m at my best. Last Saturday’s match was off-balance, but I’m not in bad shape. I had a bad game, but I made up my mind. I’m going to play every game like it’s the Korean Series again.
-What do you think about the ball mix?
I think it’s possible that we could have a bad result because of the ball mix. But that’s a later issue. The most important thing is to prepare well so that you don’t lose the balance. I don’t think it makes sense to talk about my pitches when I can’t throw them on the mound.
-You seem to be steadily increasing the percentage of your high fastball.
Yeah. I tried to keep throwing it high and it was going in and not falling out.
-Your team is doing well, but it’s also a tough season for you. How do you keep your mindset in check?
I don’t know. It was hard because I went to the 2021 Olympics and didn’t do well, and last year it was hard because I thought I was going to finish last, but I didn’t, so this year I’m feeling strongly that I shouldn’t just let it go and finish myself.토토사이트
I don’t know if it’s because I’m more experienced and older, but I’m playing the season with the mindset that I can be a little shaky but not fall apart. If I don’t, I try not to stress about it. Still, I’m grateful that they keep sending me out to compete, so I want to do well until the end.