'Sivold has left': Batting average against 0.075, Ko Woo-seok, called up to the Big Leagues — Will a 'KBO Alumni Reunion' take place in DET?

*This content was translated by AI.

Will Ko Woo-seok (28, Detroit Tigers) finally get his chance to step onto the Big Leagues stage? Connor Sivold (30), who played for the Samsung Lions, has moved to a new team via trade.

Canadian outlet Sportsnet reported on the 28th (Korean time) that "the Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Detroit right-handed relief pitcher Connor Sivold to strengthen their pitching staff." In exchange for bringing in Sivold, Toronto sent away 22-year-old pitcher Juanmi Vasquez.

Sivold is also well known to Korean baseball fans. After pitching 160 innings in 28 games for Samsung in 2024, he posted a record of 11 wins and 6 losses with an ERA of 3.43, then returned to the Big Leagues last year.

He spent last season with the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves before starting this season with Detroit, where he pitched 15⅔ innings in 11 games, recording 1 win with no losses and an ERA of 3.45, delivering solid performances.

However, with Troy Melton, who had been on the 60th-day injured list (IL), returning on the 25th, Sivold was designated for assignment (DFA) and Toronto extended an offer to him.

Sivold, who had previously played with Ko Woo-seok at Detroit's Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens, due to injury, returned to the Big Leagues on the 16th and pitched 4⅔ innings in 3 games allowing just 1 run, but ultimately had to leave the team.

With one competitor gone, this could be good news for Ko Woo-seok. At Toledo, he has pitched 12⅓ innings in 8 games, recording 2 wins, 1 loss, 3 holds, and an ERA of 2.19. His batting average against stands at an impressive 0.075, and his walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is 0.81.

Notably, since returning to Triple-A on the 9th, he has continued a streak of 6 consecutive scoreless innings. Over 11 innings, he issued just 2 walks and recorded 15 strikeouts. It is now a situation where a call-up to the Big Leagues can be fully anticipated.

Coincidentally, other familiar pitchers are also competitors. Drew Anderson, who played for SSG Landers until last year in the KBO League; Emmanuel De Jesus, who played for KT Wiz; and Butch Smith, who briefly played for the Hanwha Eagles in 2023, are all currently with Detroit's first team.

Closer Kenley Jansen (ERA 4.80) has been somewhat inconsistent, but Kyle Finnegan (1.75) and Brennan Bernardino (1.59) have been delivering stable performances.

Behind them are pitchers who have played in Korea. Anderson has logged the most innings at 36⅔, with a record of 2 wins, 1 loss, 2 saves, 2 holds, and an ERA of 3.44. Smith, though 0-2 over 17 innings, has an ERA of 3.18.

De Jesus is the only one among them who could be considered a viable competitor. He has recorded 2 wins with no losses over 21⅓ innings, but his ERA is high at 5.91.

Additionally, Tyler Holton has an ERA of 4.56, Will Best has an ERA of 7.88, and Ricky Vanasco, who was called up from Toledo on the 25th, is struggling with an ERA of 15.63. In particular, Vanasco and Best are right-handed pitchers who could be directly replaced by Ko Woo-seok. The time is approaching for Ko Woo-seok, who has been aiming for a Big League call-up for three years and has been taking on challenges.

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*This content was translated by AI.