San Diego Padres Ko Woo-seok (26) still can't forget Game 3 of the Korean Series against KT Wiz on November 10, 2023, when he was with the LG Twins. Although he took the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning with a 5-4 lead, he hit an RBI double by Hwang Jae-gyun in the tie-breaking left-handed line, and gave Park Byung-ho a two-run shot over the left side of the game, handing over the atmosphere in a moment.
LG finished the first and second games in Jamsil with one win and one loss, and entered the second consecutive game in Suwon. It was certain that the result of Game 3 would have a huge impact on the direction of the Korean Series. In such a situation, did the closing allow a reversal? For LG, the atmosphere had to subside sharply just as it was when it was dragged 0-4 at the beginning of the second game.
Ko appeared on YouTube's Chit Chit Chit Chit, hosted by Cha Woo-chan and comedian Do Kwang-rok, who won 112 games in the KBO League, on Sunday, and recalled the pain of the day. “Honestly, when I got hit like that, I didn't think, ‘Is it really not working?' I didn't think that I should put it down just because I hit a home run, but I just thought that I should keep allowing the minimum number of runs. Honestly, I can't put it down. It's a Korean series. It's a day when the ball hit me really well. Speaking of how I felt at the time, I just thought, ‘I should cut it to the minimum number of runs' in the eighth inning,” he said.
After finishing the eighth inning in such a hectic manner, Ko Woo-suk is instructed by pitching coach Kim Kyung-tae to prepare to take the mound in the ninth inning. LG made up for Ko's poor performance as Oh Ji-hwan's decisive three-run shot with two outs and runners on the first and second bases in the top of the ninth inning.
“That's how the mood is set up again,” Ko said. “I thought it would be weird if Austin Dean walks (at first base with two outs). As soon as I walked out, I ran to the bullpen. I thought Ji-hwan would hit. That's how I warmed up. But when Ji-hwan hit, I didn't have time to say ‘Wow.' I just warmed up. I reset everything, erased all my thoughts and memories before that and left again.”
However, Ko was shaken up again in the bottom of the ninth inning. After one out, he sent out Kim Joon-tae with a hit ball to the left, and Yeom Kyung-yeop's patience reached its limit when he was hit to the left by Jung Joon-young. Lee Jung-yong was deployed, and Bae Jung-dae sent out an automatic intentional pitch. Later, LG won 8-7 with Kim Sang-soo hitting a double play.
“I wanted to create an atmosphere where I could block something, but before I was substituted, the ball was towards Sungjoo's left. I missed the ball, but I thought I could catch it, but I hit it off the glove and went out. “That's a really bad day for me,” Ko said. “I thought I had bad energy.” “That's when I replaced him. The manager gave me enough opportunities.”
Ko Woo-suk was convinced by the team's decision. “To be cool-headed, I thought I should finish in the eighth inning. I gave him another chance. I sent him out in the eighth inning to take charge of two innings, but he didn't send him out just because he threw one inning like that, but he pushed me to the end. I'm grateful for that,” he said.
There's someone else I'm really grateful for. Ko Woo-suk said, “I'm really thankful for Jung Yong. He did a really big job. I was already thinking about him as someone who was on the verge of a setback, but I couldn't think of anything here. Dong-won hyung grabbed the ball and was worried that it might fall off his mitt, but he grabbed it and threw it. I didn't believe it. I didn't have the energy to cheer. I'm so glad, and I felt I survived.”
In the broadcast, Ko picked Lim Chan-kyu as the senior player who he was most grateful for and helped a lot while playing baseball at LG. Cha recalled that they have been best friends since a long time ago. Ko chose Lim Chan-kyu for Do Kwang-rok's “sudden” balance game, asking him to pick just one between Kim Ha-sung and Lim Chan-kyu. However, he must have been most grateful to Lee Jung-yong for “The Nightmare.”
Cha Woo-chan and Do Kwang-rok said about Ko's pain on the day, “I'm going to the Major League after having a big experience.” Ko allowed four hits (one homer) and three strikeouts, one four outs, and three runs in one ⅓ inning. After Blon Save, he garnered a sad or relief victory. With the victory, LG completely took the mood and achieved the unified victory for the first time in 29 years.
