LG Twins manager Yoon Kyung-yeop has expressed his faith in closer Ko Woo-seok.
LG will host KT Wiz in the fourth game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League Korean Series (KS-7 best-of-four) at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on Nov. 11.
LG won its first regular season title in 29 years this season and advanced directly to the Korean Series. It’s been 21 years since the 2002 season. They are on pace to win their first Korean Series title in 29 years, since the 1994 season.
LG lost the first game of the Korean Series 2-3. But they rallied for a 5-4 victory in Game 2 on Park Dong-won’s game-winning two-run shot, and then won Game 3 8-7 on Oh Ji-hwan’s dramatic come-from-behind three-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth. LG is now just two wins away from the Korean Series.
However, LG has its own problems. Closer Go Woo-seok has been struggling. Go has a 3-8 record with 15 saves and a 3.68 ERA in 45 innings pitched in the regular season. That’s a lot of losses for a closer.
In the first game of the Korean Series, Ko took the loss in the top of the ninth inning with the score tied 2-2, giving up a walk to Choi Jae-dae and an RBI double to Moon Sang-chul. He seemed to rebound with a three-hit shutout in Game 2, but was blown out in Game 3, giving up three runs in 1.1 innings. If it wasn’t for Oh’s three-run homer, he would have taken another loss.
Ko threw 39 pitches in Game 3 of the Korean Series. Due to his recent slump and high pitch count, his participation in the game was unclear. Manager Yoon Kyung-yeop said, “Go Woo-seok will come out in a save situation. I haven’t gotten a report yet, but if he says he’s fine, he’ll go out,” showing his trust in Go Woo-seok.
“If (starting pitcher) Kim Yun-sik is a little sluggish, we’ll change him quickly,” he said, adding, “We plan to cut (the bullpen) off by one inning. If there are many, it will be two innings. Yoo Young-chan can also throw one inning depending on the situation,” he said, hinting at another swarming operation.
Finally, Yeom Kyung-yeop talked about his future plans for the mound, saying, “Kelly will start Game 5. (If we go to Game 7), he can come out in Game 7. Choi Won-tae will start Game 6.”
Meanwhile, LG’s starting lineup for Game 3 of the Korean Series is Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (designated hitter), Austin 메이저사이트 Dean (first baseman), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Park Dong-won (catcher), Moon Sung-joo (left fielder), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Kim Yun-sik.