*This content was translated by AI.
Ko Woo-seok (28), who is aiming for a return to the major leagues with the Triple-A Saint Paul Saints, a minor league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, delivered a scoreless performance with his powerful fastball after a long absence.
On the 27th (Korea time), Ko made a relief appearance in a home game against the Toledo Mud Hens (a Detroit Tigers affiliate) at CHS Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota, recording one scoreless inning with one strikeout. Coincidentally, Toledo is the team where Ko played earlier this season.
Entering the bottom of the 9th inning with his team trailing 2-4, Ko took the mound as the fifth pitcher of the game. He began nervously by issuing three consecutive walks to leadoff batter Andrew Navigato. However, he quickly regained composure, striking out the count and inducing a ground ball to third base on his fifth pitch—a 92.2 mph (approximately 148 km) four-seam fastball up inside—to record the first out.
Having found his rhythm, Ko gained an advantageous 1-2 count against the next batter, Max Burt, before striking him out with a low-breaking curveball clocked at 79.4 mph (127 km) on the fourth pitch. He then faced Bennet Lee, mixing in pitches reaching up to 94.9 mph (approximately 153 km), and retired him on a fly ball to right field on the sixth pitch, cleanly closing out the inning. His total pitch count was 15, with his fastest pitch—a two-seam fastball thrown against Bennet Lee—reaching the aforementioned top speed.
With this outing, Ko recorded his first scoreless pitching performance since the game against the Iowa Cubs on the 16th, marking a rebound after three games. His ERA for the Triple-A season also dipped slightly from 5.40 to 5.25. However, Saint Paul failed to score in the bottom of the 9th and lost the game 2-4.
Ko Woo-seok's challenging journey back to the major leagues is expected to gain momentum after his return to the mound following numerous setbacks. After being traded to Minnesota in July, he was called up to the majors and recorded his first hold in his debut, but was demoted to Triple-A following a poor performance against the Cleveland Guardians on the 21st, where he allowed three earned runs in one inning. He also faced an eight-game suspension due to an inspection for foreign material on his glove. Since returning, however, he has gradually regained his form and is laying the groundwork for a potential return to the majors.
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*This content was translated by AI.
