The match for first and second places, which was suspended for 104 minutes due to a sudden downpour, was able to finish before midnight thanks to the good pitching of LG’s closing pitcher Ko Woo-seok (25).
‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ A three-game series between LG and KT was held on the 5th at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do. The game on this day was stopped due to rain at 7:44 PM, during the top of the fourth inning.
The game was stopped for a total of 104 minutes, marking the longest stoppage time this season. It is 12 minutes short of the 116 minutes of the Samsung-Binggrae match on August 15, 1987, and the KT-Hanwha match on July 23, 2022, which are the longest suspended games in KBO League history.
From LG’s point of view, while the game was ahead 4 to 2, the good momentum was interrupted. After the game resumed 104 minutes later, it was shaken by allowing a tie to KT in the bottom of the 4th inning. KT balanced the score at 4 to 4 with Bae Jeong-dae’s 1-run home run and Hwang Jae-gyun’s timely hit.
However, LG took the lead again by scoring 1 point in the top of the 6th inning. After leadoff pitcher Hong Chang-gi hit a double to left-center, Kim Hyun-soo hit a timely hit at third base with one out and runners on, setting the tone.
Afterwards, there was a persistent pursuit by KT, but a solid bullpen maintained LG’s victory. In particular, the performance of Go Woo-seok, who took the mound on first and second base with one out and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning with a 5-4 lead, stood out.
He went on the mound in danger of tying the game, but got over it thanks to his calm pitching. Go Woo-seok prevented a run by inducing a double play on the third pitch against the first batter, Lee Ho-yeon.
In the bottom of the 9th inning, he gave up only one hit and pitched a scoreless pitch, leading the game to victory. Go Woo-seok finished the game, which was stopped for a long time due to rain, at 11:31 pm without overtime.
After the game, Go Woo-seok was the first to express his gratitude to the stadium management officials. On this day, the game was able to resume normally thanks to officials preparing the ground for about an hour from 8:30 when the rain stopped.
Go Woo-seok said, “The game was very long, but I want to say thank you to the officials here for their hard work.” He added, “I was a little worried about the condition of the ground, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. The mound condition got better the more I threw, and I think it felt good.”
On this day, Go Woo-seok recorded 5 out counts for the first time this year and earned his 13th save of the season (3 wins, 6 losses). He expressed his gratitude and said, “I was able to easily overcome a difficult game because I received a lot of help from the defense,” and then said, “I pitched with the intention of not going past 12 o’clock at night,” making everyone laugh.
Of the total number of pitches, 22, fastballs accounted for the most with 14, and breaking balls, including 5 sliders and 3 curves, were also thrown. However, except for Hwang Jae-gyun, the pitches Go Woo-seok caught on this day were all sliders.
Before the game, LG coach Yeom Kyung-yeop pointed out, “Koh Woo-seok’s strength is his fast ball, but his breaking ball rate has been too high recently.” In the game against Hanwha in Jamsil on the 2nd, the team lost the game by allowing 2 runs in ⅔ innings due to being attacked by a breaking ball.
However, Go Woo-seok persevered and presented his pitch. He explained, “Of course, I fully understand what the director said,” but “I was stubborn, so I just threw it.”
Because he had that much confidence, he insisted on breaking balls. Go Woo-seok said, “The slider is the ball with the lowest risk of a hit,” and “I think the manager hasn’t seen much of my pitch because I’ve been out due to injury for a long time,” he said, expressing his confidence.
Regarding the poor performance against Hanwha, he expressed regret, saying, “I felt the balance was broken.” Go Woo-seok recalled, “When I threw a ball that hit Choi Jae-hoon, my legs were twisted. It was an experience I had felt for a long time, and I was very angry.” 바카라사이트
Go Woo-seok argued, “There may be a problem with the ball mix, but that is something to think about later.” At the same time, he said, “The most important thing is not to lose your balance when pitching,” and he raised his voice, saying, “I want to throw all pitches the best.”
This season, LG is moving towards the championship, but Go Woo-seok showed some signs of slowdown due to injury. However, he said, “I am okay because I had a similar experience after attending the Tokyo Olympics in 2021,” and pledged, “I will go into the game with the mindset that I may be shaken but I must not collapse.”