“The restraint dropped about 4-5 kilometers.”
KT Wiz “Ace” Ko Young-pyo is exhausted. The team’s woes are deepening. Ko has lost two consecutive games for the first time this season in September. After faltering against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 1st with 5 innings of 9 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, 1 strikeout, and 6 runs, he collapsed again in his next start against the LG Twins on the 7th with 6 innings of 10 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, 1 strikeout, and 6 runs.
Nicknamed “Go-Quals,” Ko is a pitcher who consistently pitches quality starts (six or more innings and three or fewer earned runs), which is the hallmark of a starting pitcher. From June 6 against the Lotte Giants to August 24 against the KIA Tigers, he had 12 consecutive QS and 7 consecutive QS+ (7+ innings and 3 earned runs or less).
While Ko was able to skip a rotation in August to rest, the accumulated fatigue cannot be ignored. His last two outings in September were both poor, which is a concern. Last year, Ko had a similar experience in the last two games of the regular season in October.
Looking at Ko, Lee said, “The starting pitchers as a whole are tired. William Cuevas has dropped a little bit, and the data shows that. Young-pyo’s velocity has dropped so much that you can see it. I think his velocity has dropped about four or five kilometers. Last year at this time we had the same thing, and I hope we can overcome it.”
We don’t have a clear plan of action. We’ve been running well so far, and we have another month to go. KT is currently in the middle of a fierce standings battle, and there’s no denying that the starting pitching staff has been the driving force behind the team’s success. 안전놀이터 The pitchers have been playing nonstop, so fatigue has set in. Ko Young-pyo is no different.
He will start against the Changwon NC Dinos on the 13th, looking for his 11th win of the season. KT ended a three-game losing streak with a 3-0 sweep of SSG the day before, and also saved their bullpen with an eight-inning no-hitter from Wes Benjamin. If Ko Young-pyo returns to form, KT’s goal of a second place finish will be much easier to achieve.