'Two-G No-Hitter After Discipline Return' Go Woo-seok, Minnesota Bullpen Has No Gaps But 'The Promised September Is Coming'

*This content was translated by AI.

The concerns were unfounded. Go Woo-seok (28) has been throwing perfect baseball even after serving his suspension. While this is clearly a positive sign for Go, who is waiting once again for a call-up following his big league debut, the reality appears not to be easy.

Go Woo-seok, who belongs to the Triple-A team Saint Paul Saints under the Minnesota Twins, made a relief appearance in the top of the 8th inning on the 9th (Korea time) at CHS Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA, against the Louisville Bats (a Cincinnati Reds affiliate) in a home game of the 2026 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Triple-A. He threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and a perfect performance.

This marks back-to-back scoreless and no-hit pitching since joining Saint Paul. In 29 games this season in the minor leagues, he has recorded 44⅓ innings, 3 wins, 1 loss, 4 saves, 3 holds, an ERA of 1.83, a batting average against of 0.137, and an on-base plus slugging per inning (WHIP) of just 0.79.

Go Woo-seok, who was traded to Minnesota on the 6th of last month, was immediately called up to the big leagues, fulfilling his dream of becoming a major leaguer. While he cannot be said to be 100% satisfied, he took responsibility for four innings in four games, earned his first hold in an MLB debut, and also threw two scoreless outings.

He confirmed his potential but faced unexpected trials after being demoted back to Triple-A on the 22nd of last month with clear issues to address. On the 25th of last month, while preparing to make his first appearance in Saint Paul, Go was ordered to leave the game by an umpire who determined there was a foreign object on his glove during a glove inspection before pitching. He was also given a 10-game suspension.

Go Woo-seok subsequently filed an appeal through the players' union. His stance was that he was treated unfairly, and eventually, part of the appeal was accepted, reducing the suspension to eight games.

Although a pitcher demoted from the big leagues can be promoted again after at least 15 days, leaving ample time, the inability to gain real-game experience during that period was inevitably a significant blow.

However, the concerns were unfounded. Go Woo-seok threw a no-hit performance in his first game since finishing his suspension on the 5th, allowing only one walk over one inning, and today he showcased even more perfect pitching while handling multiple innings.

He threw fastballs with a top speed of 95.1 mph (approximately 153 km), dominated opposing batters with a curveball featuring significant drop, and showed no issues with stamina or the power of his pitches in the second inning either, delivering a perfect performance.

Go Woo-seok is effectively the first-choice relief pitcher for promotion. Earlier, Twins Daily, a media outlet that mainly covers the Twins, reported, "Minnesota hoped Go would improve issues with his pitching mechanics while also giving opportunities to other bullpen pitchers. There was an expectation that if he showed good form several times in Saint Paul, there was a possibility of being called up again." Another local outlet, The Puck Stops Here, also predicted, "Go still has minor league options remaining, so the Twins are highly likely to shuttle him between Triple-A and the major league roster for the remainder of the season. When Minnesota needs a fresh arm in the bullpen, Go could be the next call-up target."

The problem lies with the current state of the Minnesota bullpen. The situation has changed again compared to when he was previously called up to the big leagues. Key relievers Cody Ponce, Yoendrys Gómez, and Andrew Morris remain healthy, and they recently bolstered their bullpen by acquiring All-Star pitcher Jeff Hoffman and Tommy Pham from the Toronto Blue Jays, as well as A.J. Minter from the New York Mets. Currently, there are no standout pitchers showing major problems in the current situation.

September could become the promised time. Starting in September, the big league roster expands from 26 to 28 players. This allows for additional roster registration without making changes to the current bullpen. With the pitcher limit increasing from a maximum of 13 to 14, this presents an opportunity that could be the promised time for Go Woo-seok.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.