Ko Woo-seok finally achieves dream MLB debut! But an unexpected harsh initiation → Allowed a home run against the CLE game, recording '1 inning, 1 strikeout, 1 earned run'

*This content was translated by AI.

Ko Woo-seok (28, Minnesota Twins), who had been active as 'South Korea's best closer', finally achieved his long-awaited big league debut in his third year of advancing to the American stage.

On the 10th (Korean time), Ko Woo-seok appeared as the fourth relief pitcher in the bottom of the 9th inning, with his team trailing 2-4, in a home game against the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, during the 2026 MLB season. He recorded one inning with one hit allowed (one home run), one strikeout, and one earned run.

With this, Ko Woo-seok became the 30th player overall since Park Chan-ho in 1994 and the 16th South Korean pitcher to step onto the big league stage for the first time in five years since Yang Hyeon-jong (then with the Texas Rangers) in 2021.

On this day, Ko Woo-seok threw a total of 18 pitches: nine fastballs, six splitters, and three sliders. His fastest fastball reached 95.7 mph (approximately 154 km/h).

Facing the first batter, Daniel Schneemann, Ko Woo-seok threw a 150.6 km/h fastball on the first pitch, which was called a ball. He then secured consecutive strikes with fastballs before inducing a groundout to first base with a splitter on the fourth pitch, recording his first out on the big league stage.

The at-bat against the next batter, Patrick Bailey, was somewhat disappointing. After throwing a slider inside on the second pitch following a 1-ball count, it was hit hard and resulted in a solo home run over the right-field wall. This marked the moment Ko Woo-seok allowed his first hit of the debut game as a home run.

However, Ko Woo-seok did not waver further. He struck out Steven Kwan with a splitter after a full-count battle extending to 10 pitches. He then retired Travis Bazzana by inducing a groundout to first base on the second pitch of his fastball, closing out the inning.

Minnesota failed to score in the bottom of the 9th and lost to Cleveland 2-5.

Ko Woo-seok, who had served as the closer for the KBO League's LG Twins, signed with the San Diego Padres after the 2023 season and advanced to the United States. Since then, he has endured various hardships, including being released by the Miami Marlins and the Detroit Tigers while waiting for opportunities and facing demotion to the minor leagues.

Ko Woo-seok, who recently turned down a love call from his former team LG in April to show his determination to stay in the U.S., joined the Minnesota Twins through a recent cash trade. He was added to the 26th-man roster on the 8th and finally played his emotional big league debut game on this day.

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*This content was translated by AI.