LG Twins closer Ko Woo-seok talked about how he overcame the shock of losing Game 1 of the Korean Series and bounced back in Game 2.
Go Woo-seok pitched the top of the ninth inning with his team leading 5-4 in the second game of the Korean Series against the KT Wiz at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Aug. 8 to earn the save.
After giving up the game-winning hit to Moon Sang-chul in Game 1 the previous day, Goh was a 180-degree different pitcher.
Facing Kim Min-hyuk, KT’s best pinch-hitter this fall, Go Woo-seok induced a 1-ball-2-strike count with three fastballs before throwing a curveball for a swinging strike.
After striking out Choi Jong-ho, Go struck out the final batter, Kim Sang-soo, on a grounder to second base to close out the game.
LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “Woo-seok’s pitching wasn’t bad yesterday. He made one mistake and the opponent hit it well. Today, he showed his true colors and finished well,” he said, praising Go Woo-seok’s pitching.
After the game, Ko said, “Yesterday was just yesterday, and I prepared the same as usual with the idea of focusing more on today’s game. I relaxed on the mound and threw after (Park) Dong-won’s meatballs, which led to a good result.”
As the losing pitcher in Game 1, it was not easy to shake off the psychological impact in one day, but Go Woo-seok was able to quickly recover from the shock thanks to the encouragement of his teammates.
“At the ballpark today, (Kim) Hyun-soo-hyung, (Oh) Ji-hwan-yi, and (Dong) Won-hyung asked me only about my physical condition (not yesterday’s game), and (Lim) Chan-kyu-hyung told me a lot of good things. Also, the experience of failing not only this season but also in the past helped me forget the shock,” he explained.
What was it like to come out of a slump and clinch LG’s Korean Series victory at 76.7 million?
“I thought I was lucky,” he laughed, “but Dong Won-hyung’s 바카라사이트 game-winning home run was more thrilling than the save in the top of the ninth.”
“I was grateful that the fans called out my name every time I pitched, even though the first game didn’t go well. (Hearing the cheers) made me even happier to be a part of LG,” he said, thanking the fans for their enthusiastic support.
