Behind the KT club’s first 10-win record for three consecutive years was the strike instinct of Young-Pyo Ko (32), who hated walking rather than dying. 

Koh Young-pyo started in the 12th game of the season against Doosan in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 6th and won 10 wins (5 losses) of the season with a good pitching of 7 innings, 6 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts and 1 run. 

Koh Young-pyo showed quality start in 10 consecutive games and quality start plus pitching in 5 consecutive games, and stepped on the 10-win mark for 3 consecutive years. This was the first 10 wins by a starting pitcher in three consecutive seasons for the KT club, surpassing the previous William Cuevas (2019-2020), Bae Seong-seong (2019-2020), and Audrey Samer Despine (2020-2021). 

Koh Young-pyo, who we met after the game, said, “I heard that (10 wins for 3 consecutive years) was KT’s first record, but I wasn’t very conscious of that. If he pitches well, victory comes naturally. Of course, he feels good to achieve this record and he wants to say thank you to his teammates.” 

Koh Young-pyo neutralized the Doosan lineup with a changeup (44), curve (15) and slider (1) under the maximum 140km fastball (43). In the 6th inning, José Rojas’ double and Kim Jae-hwan’s true base allowed 2 out and 3 baseman to give up one point due to an unfortunate wildfire. In the 7th inning, Kang Seung-ho’s walk and Heo Kyung-min’s right-handed hit put him in a crisis with 2 out, 1st and 3rd base, but he caught Sue-bin as a floating ball in left field and completed a quality start plus. 

Ko Young-pyo was not very conscious of Da-seung. However, when the story of Quality Start came out, his eyes changed. He said, “I am conscious of the quality start record. That’s my job,” he said. “I always aim to win with a quick count on the mound and prevent long innings with a small number of pitches. My goal this year is to do more than 20 Quality Starts.” 

I could also hear why they were greedy for the quality start record. Koh Young-pyo said, “If you do more than a quality start, you can make a calculation from the director’s point of view. Even middle pitchers can win by completing two innings. I think it has a good influence on the team,” he said.

“I have achieved 10 wins, but victory is not something I can do with my own abilities,” he said. “I pursue something other than victory. Looking at the record, there are many indicators that are better than 10 wins. He added, “There are many interesting records such as innings and walk/strikeout ratio, so I want to be recognized for this as well.” 

Koh Young-pyo, with good pitching this day, ranked 1st in WHIP (1.00), quality starts (16 times), 3rd in ERA (2.44, 1st in domestic), tied for 4th in most wins (1st in domestic), 4th in innings (125⅔ innings, 1st in domestic) 2), etc., and was named at the top of various pitching indicators. He also gave up only 11 walks in 125⅔ innings with his sophisticated command. One of them is an intentional four-ball. 

Koh Young-pyo said, “I hate walks more than death. I hate it when batters walk out. That’s why I’d rather get hit,” he said. If you walk, the defense wears out and the runs increase. It is a walk that can lead to a large number of runs. Therefore, if you reduce the number of walks, the team naturally loses points and the chances of winning increase.” 

His son, who was born last November, is also the reason why Ko Young-pyo throws strikes so hard. “My family is my strength,” he said. Looking at the child gives me strength when I am having a hard time. Fans also like it a lot if I post a picture of my child after a good game. That makes me more motivated.”

The KT starters led the team’s miraculous rebound with ace Young-Pyo Ko, William Cuevas, Wes Benjamin, Sang-Baek Um, and Bae-Sung Bae in a relay fight. As starting baseball revived, the win-loss margin, which was -14 in early June, increased to +5 in just two months. 꽁머니사이트

When asked about the driving force, he said, “If the players throw well in front, I feel that I have to do well too. Somehow, our team has a strong image of not being able to throw 6 innings recently. All of my juniors say, ‘My brother made it that way’” with a laugh, “That’s synergy. The team rebounded as not only me but also other starting pitchers threw long innings with fewer pitches. It is a good ritual for starting pitchers.” 

Lastly, we asked Ko Young-pyo about his goal for the second half. He said, “Our team does not have a ranking consciousness. Focus on every game and tomorrow. If you are conscious of your ranking, your heart will be chased and you will be in a hurry,” he said. I will do the same,” he said.