The average number of walks (BB/9) per nine innings of KBO League starting pitchers this season is 2.67. If starting pitchers usually calculate that they play five innings, they must give more than one walk per game. However, among them, there is a perfect pitcher who did not give up a single walk per game. KT Wiz's Ko Young-pyo (32) continues his overwhelming season with a salty water pitch that gives up 0.75 walks per nine innings.
Ko Young-pyo's summer was brighter. Since July, Ko has shown sophisticated pitching, giving up just two walks in six games. In addition, Ko Young-pyo pitched flawless with a quality start+ (QS+, more than seven innings and less than three earned runs) in six consecutive games against the KIA Tigers on July 8. Ko Young-pyo, who controlled the number of pitches without walks in every game, led the team to victory by blocking long innings with minimum runs.
Due to his overwhelming performance, Ko Young-pyo pitched in four games in July and posted a good record of 2 wins, 1 loss, and a 1.30 ERA. He had a quality start (more than six innings and less than three earned runs) in all four games, and there was no single walk. In response, Choa Pharmaceutical and Daily Sports selected Ko Young-pyo as the monthly MVP in July. "I'm glad the team won a lot (in this period). "Other starting pitchers have also been good, and I feel different to receive MVP like this," he said.
Ko never gets tired even in the heat. Ko Young-pyo played 49 2/3 innings in six games in July and August. During the same period, he played the most innings in the league. However, he scored only eight earned runs and dominated the league with an ERA (1.45). The game time will also be drastically reduced on the day Ko Young-pyo takes the mound. The average game time of KT, where Ko Young-pyo started this season, is less than three hours (2 hours and 57 minutes). In other words, Ko Young-pyo is running the game efficiently.
Ko Young-pyo throws the ball more aggressively and quickly. It was possible because there was a change-up of the decisive ball. Taking advantage of his side arm's strengths, he misled batters' bats by using excellent changeups. Park Yong-taek, a KBSN Sports commentator, said, "Ko Young-pyo's change-up movement is really good. "It has to be a swing, but it somehow gets caught on the bat and becomes a ground ball," he said. Ko Young-pyo's number of ground ball induction this season is also excellent, ranking second in the league (175).
Above all, however, Ko Young-pyo's secret to good pitching is also his "walk suppression." Ko Young-pyo said, "I hate a walk more than I die. "I'm thinking of getting hit (by batters) rather," he said, adding, "I'm playing the game. "If you give him a walk, the defender gets tired and the runs go up," he said. It's a walk that can lead to mass runs, he said, adding, "To reduce walks." "If you look at it, the team's loss will decrease and the probability of winning will increase," he said.
The 2023 KBO professional baseball game between the Doosan Bears and the kt Wiz was held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of the 6th. In the bottom of the second inning, Ko Young-pyo is striking out Jang Seung-hyun with two outs and runners on second base.
The 2023 KBO professional baseball game between the Doosan Bears and the kt Wiz was held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of the 6th. In the bottom of the second inning, Ko Young-pyo is pitching hard with two outs and runners on second base. 토토사이트
Since July, Ko's BB/9 is 0.36, which is getting stronger as the season progresses. At this pace, Ko Young-pyo will set a new minimum BB/9 record for the first time in KBO League history. The first place in this category was 1.00 that Woo Kyu-min recorded in 2015, and no player broke the wall of "0." Ko Young-pyo said, "As the opportunity has come to the end of the season, I want to make a record in KBO league history."
There is one more goal. It is to record 20 QS+ by the end of the season. Currently, Ko Young-pyo has 15 QS+. It's a record that deserves to be glared at. Ko Young-pyo said, "QS+ is the most satisfactory record. "If you're a starting pitcher, you have to draw a lot of innings through aggressive pitching, but doesn't it mean that you played more than seven innings stably?" he said adding, "I've done it 15 times during the season, and I'm greedy to do it up to 20 times."
Meanwhile, the most QS+ record in a season in the KBO League since the 2010s is the 22nd set by Ryu Hyun-jin (then Hanwha) in 2010. When Ko Young-pyo heard Ryu Hyun-jin's record, he was surprised, "You played QS+ so much in one season?" but laughed, "I really want to achieve it someday."