He started 17 games in the first half of the year, recording 13 quality starts (6+ innings or less, 3 earned runs). His innings pitched were 103.2, which is almost six innings per game. Even more impressively, he has only given up nine walks with his precise delivery. KT Wiz pitcher Ko Young-pyo (32).
KT’s Young-pyo Ko pitched seven innings of no-hit ball with nine strikeouts against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Wednesday, earning his eighth win of the season.
“My team and I are always weak when we come to Gochuk, but it feels good to win like this,” Ko said with a smile after the game.
He struck out nine batters on the day, breaking his season high of seven. “I always want to strike out a lot, but I’m not greedy. I throw a changeup to induce ground balls, and when it’s down low, I think it makes hitters swing for the fences,” he said.
At the beginning of the season, he would go seven innings and only strike out two or three batters. “At the beginning of the year, my strikeout rate dropped a lot. I was disappointed in those areas, but in the last few games, I’ve gotten a lot of strikeouts, so I’m happy with that.” In his last five games, Ko has struck out 30 batters in 33.2 innings pitched. “I’m happy with that, too,” said Ko, who has 13 quality starts in 17 games.
He is also pleased with the fact that he has only walked nine batters this season. He said, “It’s a good record. I’m going to try not to walk as much as possible in the future. I’d rather throw the ball to the hitters to hit, so I don’t think I’ve given up many walks,” he said.
KIA starter Lee Yi-ri has the honor of leading this category with 62 strikeouts after 16 games. He is followed by SSG starter Jong-hoon Park, who has 44 strikeouts in 13 games. KT starter Wes Benjamin is 9-3 on the season after 17 games, but has 31 strikeouts. Among the same starting pitchers, Ko’s record stands out. “I don’t like strikes and walks, but I think they’ve decreased a lot as my pitches have gotten better,” Ko explained.먹튀검증
Ko, who traveled to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in Japan ahead of the season, has shown consistency in his performance, unlike other starting pitchers. He said, “The last two years I’ve been a full-time starter, I’ve had a lot of fatigue. I paid a lot of attention to that. I did a good physical training for the WBC. Then, my physical condition came back.” Ko reached 100 innings for the fifth consecutive season. It is the 63rd record in KBO history.
Meanwhile, KT finished the first half of the season in seventh place (37 wins, 41 losses, and two ties), thanks in large part to Ko’s strong performance. They are only 2.5 games behind fourth-place NC.
