Go Woo-seok is amazing! He escaped a bases-loaded, no-out crisis on his own with a '153.7km/h' fastest pitch and suddenly mixed in breaking balls — the strategy worked perfectly.

*This content was translated by AI.

Go Woo-seok (28, Minnesota Twins) found himself in a bases-loaded, no-out crisis but managed to escape it with an impressive pitching performance.

On the 20th (Korean time), Go Woo-seok made a relief appearance in the bottom of the eighth inning while his team trailed 1-10 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA, during the 2026 MLB regular season. He pitched one scoreless inning, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two batters.

After this game, Go Woo-seok's MLB stats stood at three appearances over three innings, allowing four hits (one home run), two walks, and three strikeouts with one earned run, resulting in an ERA of 3.00. He has recorded back-to-back scoreless outings in his last two games.

Go Woo-seok, who previously served as the closer for the KBO League's LG Twins, signed with the San Diego Padres after the 2023 season and made his way to the United States. Since then, he has faced numerous challenges, including being released by the Miami Marlins and Detroit Tigers and spending time in the minor leagues.

Despite turning down a return offer from his former team LG in April, Go Woo-seok remained determined to stay in the U.S. He recently joined the Minnesota Twins via a cash trade. On the 8th, he was added to the 26th-man roster and made his emotional MLB debut two days later against the Cleveland Guardians. In that debut game, with Minnesota trailing 2-4 in the top of the ninth inning, Go entered as the fourth reliever, pitching one scoreless inning while allowing one hit (a home run) and striking out one batter, though he did give up one earned run.

On July 12, Go made his second MLB appearance against the Los Angeles Angels, pitching a scoreless inning to record his first hold. Then, returning to the mound just eight days later on the 8th, although he faced some trouble, he managed to prevent any runs from scoring, showcasing his exceptional relief capabilities.

As soon as Go took the mound, he faced leadoff batter Justin Dean, throwing two balls in a row. On his third pitch, he delivered a 95.5 mph (153.7 km/h) four-seam fastball for a strike — his fastest of the day. However, his fourth and fifth pitches missed their targets, drifting high inside, resulting in a walk.

The next batter was Seiya Suzuki. The Cubs then sent Michael Conforto to bat as a pinch hitter. Again, Go threw two balls consecutively, showing an shaky start. His third pitch (a slider) was fouled off, and his fourth pitch (a four-seam fastball) was called a ball. This left Go in a 3-1 count disadvantage.

With his four-seam fastball losing control, Go suddenly began mixing in breaking balls. He struck out the batter by throwing a slider for strike on the fifth pitch and then another slider that was tipped foul before being caught for a strikeout on the sixth pitch.

Go allowed a ground ball single to center field from the next batter, Michael Bush. After throwing two balls in a row, his third and fourth pitches were fouled off, and his fifth pitch was a ball. Ultimately, at full count, his low-zone fastball was hit for a base hit up the middle.

Facing Alex Bregman, Go threw a curveball strike on the first pitch but then missed with a second pitch — a low outside curveball — which resulted in an infield single, putting runners on all bases and creating a bases-loaded crisis.

However, the crisis ended there. Against Kevin Alcantara, who came to bat next, Go threw a sequence of pitches: a slider (foul tip), followed by a curveball (whiff), both low in the zone, resulting in a three-pitch strikeout. With two outs, he faced Nico Hoerner, throwing a curveball inside on the first pitch, which was fielded as a ground ball to shortstop, ending the inning.

Minnesota's starter, Javy Báez, struggled over three innings, allowing nine hits (including one home run), three walks, and ten runs (eight earned), leading to a 1-10 loss. The Twins fell to two consecutive losses, improving their record to 49 wins and 51 losses, maintaining third place in the American League Central Division. They trail first-place Chicago White Sox by four games. Minnesota will now face Cleveland on an away series from the 21st to 24.

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*This content was translated by AI.