It's even more thrilling to win when the other team has a lot of support."
KT beat LG 3-2 in Game 1 of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO postseason Korean Series (four wins out of seven) at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 7th. By the 5th, he had a playoff against the NC Dinos, winning a new victory despite his physical inferiority, and giving a green light to his second Korean Series championship challenge in the club's history.
Ko Young-pyo was definitely the starting pitcher who won KT's first game of the Korean Series. Ko Young-pyo recorded seven hits, two outs, three strikeouts and two runs (one earned run) in six innings, playing his part along with quality start+ pitching.
We got off to a bad start. KT got the first run in the top of the first inning, but allowed a turnaround in the aftermath of a defensive error. Ko Young-pyo had consecutive hits by Park Hae-min and Kim Hyun-soo after one out in the bottom of the first inning. In the crisis of losing points with one out and runners on first and third bases, LG's fourth batter Austin Dean induced an infield grounder, but the third baseman scored amid KT's second baseman Park Kyung-soo's catch error. The disappointment was even greater because it was enough to lead to a double play without Park Kyung-soo's error.
Ko Young-pyo was also shaken. The situation worsened with the bases loaded with one out as Oh Ji-hwan gave up a hit with one out and runners on first and second bases. He then caught Moon Bo-kyung with a fly ball to right field, but in the meantime, the score turned 1-2 as third baseman Kim Hyun-soo stepped on the home plate.
However, Ko Young-pyo did not collapse. With two outs and runners on first and third bases, Park Dong-won was dealt with an infield grounder and finished the bottom of the first inning without any additional runs. In the bottom of the second inning, he also showed outstanding crisis management skills by catching Kim Hyun-soo with an infield grounder.
Ko Young-pyo, who overcame the crisis, became stronger over the innings. In the bottom of the third inning, Austin, Oh Ji-hwan, and Moon Bo-kyung were stabilized by dealing with the three-way rule.
At the end of the fourth inning, the biggest crisis, the power of the main weapon change-up shone. He got a left-handed hit by Shin Min-jae with one out and one out and first and third bases, but he quickly increased the out count with aggressive pitches. After thinning out Hong Chang-ki with a grounder to first base, he struck out Park Hae-min swinging with two outs and runners on second and third bases. Park Hae-min's bat split into the air as his 110km change-up from the 8th pitch fell like a waterfall in front of the home plate.
Ko Young-pyo also took the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning and blocked LG's batters with three outs. He blocked leadoff hitter Moon Sung-joo with a fly ball to right field, grounded out Shin Min-jae to first base, and struck out Hong Chang-ki and roared.
KT passed LG's offensive without losing a point amid Ko Young-pyo's good pitching. Jang Sung-woo's RBI timely hit in the top of the fourth inning tied the game 2-2, and had a tight race with LG.
After Ko Young-pyo went down the mound, Son Dong-hyun blocked the 7th and 8th innings with a perfect score and did not fall behind in the fight. After turning the tables with Moon Sang-chul's RBI double in the top of the ninth inning, Park Young-hyun's perfect scoreless save in the bottom of the ninth inning ended the game.
The odds of winning the first round of the Korean Series in history are 77.4% (29/39). KT took this chance with Ko Young-pyo and started the Korean Series happily. Ko Young-pyo also played his part in the first Korean Series selection in his career.
Ko Young-pyo said in an interview with the official player after the first round, "There were many crises, but I overcame them well without losing a point, and I was able to win because the batters scored at the end."
Regarding the defensive error in the bottom of the first inning, he said, "Anyone can make a mistake in throwing, especially in the postseason, thinking about the team and the victory. If a teammate's mistake comes out, I have to help him," he said. "Both teams played chaotic today, which is an area I can't control. "I focused on it as much as possible and tried not to give up additional runs because it is important to prevent it from handing over the atmosphere," he said.
Ko Young-pyo is showing the aspect of a "big game feature" in this year's postseason. KT came out as a starter in Game 3 on the 2nd, when it was on the verge of eliminating the series due to its loss in Game 1 and 2 of the playoffs against the NC Dinos, saving the Sorcerer's Corps with six innings, three hits, two walks, five strikeouts and no runs.
In Game 1 of the Korean Series, which he took the mound after a four-day break, he also blocked LG's batters more than expected. In the regular league, he was sluggish with two losses and an ERA of 7.36 without winning four games against LG, so there was no concern, but he broke it nicely.
Ko Young-pyo said, "My condition was better in Game 3 of the playoffs," adding, "The pitching balance was not the best at the beginning of today's game. Fortunately, he got better little by little as he threw, and from the third inning, he pitched with a good balance."
"I had a lot of losses to LG during the season and I didn't forget that defeat, so I won today," he said. "At the end of the fourth inning, I had a crisis on my own, but I didn't have time to blame myself." When he struck out Park Hae-min, the count was concentrated up to three balls, so he wondered whether he should fill the first base or not, but fortunately, his concentration improved. "I think it was the most thrilling strikeout of my career because I struck out when I needed it," he said with a smile.
Most of the 23,750 spectators filling Jamsil Baseball Stadium were fans of the home team LG, but they were not intimidated. Ko Young-pyo is in the position that he sprayed the ball while enjoying this situation and atmosphere.
Ko Young-pyo said, "The enthusiastic support of LG fans was not difficult, but fun and enjoyable. I expected it to some extent, but I was surprised that many LG fans came," he said. "I tried to enjoy it as much as possible. LG fans have already adjusted to their support. "When there are many spectators cheering for the opposing team, it is more thrilling if we play well and win."