It happened only once when I was in LG, and I'm going through it again in the minor league of Ko Woo-seok...What should I do with a fastball that's less than 150km away

Jul 05, 2024

Ko Woo-seok once gave up two home runs in one game when he was with the LG Twins. Sports Chosun DB

I can't see a breakthrough. He may have to finish the season in the minor leagues like this.

Ko Woo-seok, who is waiting for the big league call-up, bowed his head after being hit with two home runs for the first time since entering the U.S.

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Ko Woo-seok, Triple-A under the Miami Marlins, made a relief appearance in an away game against the Charlotte Knights (under the Chicago White Sox) at Charlotte Truist Field in North Carolina on the 5th (Korea time), giving up two hits and allowing two runs on five batters in one inning. Jacksonville knelt 3-8.

Ko Woo-seok, who took the mound as the team's third pitcher in the bottom of the eighth inning, trailing 2-6, allowed two solo home runs alone.

Ko Woo-seok threw a 79.4-mile curve at first pitch to leadoff right-handed hitter Michael Chavis, who was hit by a left-center home run as he drove into the center. It had a shooting angle of 33 degrees, a batting speed of 104.6 miles, and a driving distance of 440 feet (134 meters).

Ko Woo-seok, who caught left-handed batter Oscar Colas with a 91.8-mile fastball to the first baseman, then treated left-handed batter Edgar Cuero with a straight hit to left field and seemed to find stability by catching two out-counts.

However, the next left-handed batter, Colson Montgomery, hit a solo shot to right-center when he hit a 91.5-mile fastball on the fourth pitch into the high center course. It was a 417-foot home run that flew well over the fence.

Jumbo Shrimp Ko Woo-suk allowed two home runs in one game for the first time since entering the U.S. Photo = MiLB.TV Capture

This is the first time Ko Woo-seok has given up two home runs in a game with his fourth home run this season since entering the U.S. Ko Woo-seok had only two home runs in one game when he was with the LG Twins. While pitching in the first ⅓ inning against the Doosan Bears on July 22, 2018, Kim Jae-hwan and Oh Jae-won gave up two-run shots and solo shots, respectively.

That is why he pitched two home runs in the U.S. for the second time in his career since joining the professional league. Ko Woo-seok managed to finish the inning by catching left-handed batter Brooks Baldwin with an 88.7-mile body cutter to center field.

The number of pitches was 15, and the fastball speed of 10 pitches was up to 93.0 miles (149.7km) and an average of 92.2 miles. Now there are many games with less than 150 kilometers per hour.

Ko Woo-seok, who gave up two runs in the home game against Charlotte on the 2nd, gave up six hits and allowed four runs in the last two games, including three home runs in three innings. The ERA soared from 3.60 to 4.29. He gave up 23 hits and seven walks in 21 innings with two wins in 16 Triple-A games, one hold, and struck out 14. WHIP 1.43 and hit rate 0.280.

Jacksonville had 40 wins and 45 losses, accounting for 57% of its 150 games. It's already around the halfway point of the season. Miami in the big league also played 54% of its schedule with 30 wins and 57 losses as of the day. Ko Woo-seok is silently on the mound waiting for a Major League call-up, but his ball power has fallen even more recently.

This season's annual salary of $1.75 million cannot be called up, and the Miami club's concerns may grow.

jhno@sportschosun.com