'21 walks against Korea and Japan' → 'Dogu-doctor' Ko Young-pyo bitterly criticized and encouraged, "A lot of walks → inevitable, when he shows his own" [Saipan site]

*This content was translated by AI.

"Even if it's right, it's time to show what you've practiced."

Ko Young-pyo (35, KT Wiz) gave advice to his juniors. Recalling the memory of the match between Korea and Japan, which collapsed after over-walking, I hoped that my juniors would pitch bolder and more confidently.

Ko Young-pyo met with reporters after the first camp training for the baseball team at the Oleye Sports Complex in Saipan on the 12th and said, "What I can tell you is not technical, but mental, mind, and thoughts and postures that you should have on the mound," adding, "First of all, it seems that I'm so burdened on the mound that I think a lot about 'I shouldn't get hit' and 'I shouldn't make a mistake."

The national baseball team played in the K-baseball series held in November last year, especially pitchers, which were organized mainly by young players, but they destroyed themselves by allowing 21 walks in two consecutive games against Japan.

As a result, coach Ryu Ji-hyun (65) joined Ko Young-pyo along with Noh Kyung-eun (42, SSG) and Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha) on the national team list to head to Saipan camp. They are outstanding and experienced veterans.

"Even if it's right, it's time to show what you've been practicing," Ko Young-pyo said. "I thought it would be good to pitch like that because the opponent can't help it." I am in the process of getting close to my juniors to give them such advice when training," he added.

"We have to do well unconditionally and when we gave a lot of walks in recent games, this criticism is inevitable. We have to pitch at the national team level, but it may be difficult to throw in front of a large crowd, but it's our job to overcome it. "If we came to the previous national team, the fielders were burdened a lot." You can't ignore the ransom. "People know everything, and they have a lot of experience and pressure, but young players are relatively less burdened, so I hope they play comfortably," he said.

He is a regular customer of the national team, but he did not easily expect it himself this time. Ko Young-pyo said, "When I saw the K-Series, I thought a lot that my juniors would go because there were many friends who were good and fast in ball," adding, "I was emptying my mind because I didn't show a good performance against Taiwan in the Premier 12. During the season, I thought, 'Are you going to get picked?'

When I saw the list of the first camp, I felt happy and a heavy sense of responsibility. "I was thinking like that, but I had a lot of worries while making my body because you picked me," he said. "Once I was sluggish in the match against Taiwan, I felt that I should think very carefully and leave." "I worked hard to make my body well because I experienced that I could cause inconvenience when I went out if I was not in the best condition while I was well-made," he said.

Ko Young-pyo, one of the most consistent pitchers in the KBO, has been wearing the national flag almost every time since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, there were many disappointing results.

In particular, at the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), he started the first group game against Australia and allowed four hits (one homer) and two runs in four ⅓ innings, but suffered a painful upset that day, and the national team eventually suffered elimination from the group stage. Ko Young-pyo, who started his first game against Taiwan in the 2024 Premier 12, collapsed by allowing five hits (two home runs) and six runs in two innings and eventually became a losing pitcher.

This time, it was an opportunity to learn by putting down a little bit of responsibility. This is because senior pitchers such as Ryu Hyun-jin and Noh Kyung-eun joined. Ko Young-pyo said, "I'm honored, too. It's an honor to train with Ryu Hyun-jin, and I'm ready to learn, and I'm learning what to learn from my juniors," he said. "I have the advantage I can do, so I'm going to share it with you. The juniors are throwing much better balls and they are players who can bring out such performances, so they can be maximized even more if they only trim those things well and have a good mind or mind," he explained.

Prepare for the competition with a heavy responsibility to regain the glory of the past. "Didn't the weight of the international stage become too heavy. Since our seniors were so good in the past, our players work hard to regain that status, he said. "But I think we have to shake off that burden and show our own." Now, it seems that (fans) are changing a lot to support rather than criticize. I think it's a trend that's changing a lot, so I'm happy, and I believe I'll do well," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.