Although opinions may differ as to which pitcher is the best player in the KBO League in the 2023 season, it is not difficult to answer which pitcher is most faithful to the duties of a ‘starter’.
In 21 starts of the season,스포츠토토 kt wiz submarine pitcher Ko fulfilled the quality start (QS, 6 or more innings and less than 3 earned runs) conditions 17 times, and even made a quality start plus (QS+, 7 or more innings and less than 3 earned runs) 15 times. Yeong-pyo (31) is the main character.
The value of a pitcher who is responsible for at least 7 innings is indescribable if he pitches as a starting pitcher in the recent world baseball trend where ‘inning eaters’ are disappearing not only in the KBO League but also in the American Professional Baseball Major League (MLB).
Even if the top speed of the fast ball does not reach 140km/h, Koh Young-pyo turns the hitters around with the wriggling movement of the ball, precise control, and the best changeup in the league.
On the 12th, against the Suwon NC Dinos, he allowed 13 hits, the most this season, while showing his ability to manage the crisis by passing the bases loaded safely twice without a run, and completed the mission with 3 runs in 7 innings.
Koh Young-pyo, who we met at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 13th, looked back on the previous day’s game, saying, “It was a bad day, but looking back, it was a ‘strange day’.”
Even with the bases safely full, Koh Young-pyo does not waver and puts the ball into the strike zone.
Picking ‘mental’ as the secret, he said, “Of course, the idea comes to mind: ‘If I throw it like this and get hit, I give 2 runs.’ can throw,” he explained.
KT coach Lee Kang-cheol, who was the best ‘submarine pitcher’ during his active career, picked Ko Young-pyo’s ‘inning-eating’ ability as a changeup.
Director Lee said, “Since there is a decisive ball called changeup, batters also come out with a bat at a fast count (because they are at a disadvantage if they are driven to the count). That’s why we can reduce the number of pitches.”
Koh Young-pyo looked back on his steps this season, when he achieved Quality Start Plus 15 times, and said, “I am very satisfied.
In 1983, Myeong-bu Jang (Sammi Superstars) achieved the highest number of Quality Start Plus records in a single season in professional baseball, a total of 33 times.
Jang Myeong-bu’s 1983 year is evaluated as a season that will never come out again in the history of Korean professional baseball and should never come out again.
That year, Jang Myeong-bu believed in the words of Sammi president Heo Hyung, who said, “If I win 30 wins, I will give you 100 million won.”
Recently, assuming that a starting pitcher in the KBO league plays all of a season without injury or sluggishness, considering that he only pitches around 30 games, Myeong-bu Jang holds an ‘immortal record’ even in Quality Start Plus.
The 2nd place in single-season Quality Start Plus history is Sang-Hoon Lee (LG Twins) in 23 in 1995, and Daniel Rios (Doosan Bears) in 2006 and Hyun-Jin Ryu (Hanwha Eagles) in 2010 are tied for 3rd in 22.
If it is limited to the 2010s, when the division of labor for pitchers was fully established, Ryu Hyun-jin’s 22 Quality Start Plus is a remarkable record.
Ko Young-pyo said, “It’s really amazing that Ryu Hyun-jin did it 22 times. It’s a great record.”
Still, he did not hide his desire to set a milestone comparable to Ryu Hyun-jin, saying, “I did 15 times, but I think she wants to try 20 times.”
Another driving force for Ko Young-pyo to endure long innings is ‘knife control’.
In 129 innings pitched this season, he has given up only 11 walks, and he has a walks per 9 innings pitched (BB/9) of 0.75.
According to Statties, a website specializing in KBO league records, there has never been a case in the history of professional baseball where a pitcher who filled the required innings achieved BB/9 in the 0-point range.
Koh Young-pyo said, “It is very satisfying to give less walks. Once the opportunity has arrived, I want to keep a record in the KBO history by maintaining a score of 0 (BB/9).”